Japanese internment during WWII: Reaction of various subsets within this ethnic group

 

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, 110,000 people of Japanese descent were rounded up and placed in 1 of 10 internment camps.  The reaction to being stripped of freedom and placed behind barbed wire with armed guards varied among the internees. Author Lauren Kesler (Kesler, 1988) looked at the camps through the eyes of the newspapers that were published within the camps. She identifies three types of internees known as Issei, Nisei, and Kilbei. 

Issei were Japanese born immigrants who lived and worked in the United States. They had often built successful businesses, owned homes, and had great respect in the community but had been denied citizenship. Because they were born in Japan, after the bombing they were considered enemies of the state.  Remarkably, they were quick to capitulate and try to prove their loyalty to America by accepting the internment with the least amount of resistance. They had the idea that if they could prove their loyalty, the War Location Authority (WRA) would show them favor and everything would work out.

The next internee type, Nisei, were born to the Issei on American soil. They were American citizens who spoke English as their first language and they thought idealistically as Americans.  They were given favorable treatment by the WRA in the camps. A level of authority, which prior to internment was held by the Issei, was imparted by the WRA on the Nisei which created a point of contention between these two groups.

Kesler defines the third internee type as Kilbei. These were children born to Issei who had been sent to Japan for their education where they learned Japanese ways.  They did not fit in with their American educated counterparts and were looked at by the WRA with high suspicion.

The internment experience was different for each of these subsets based on their cultural experiences prior to the internment.  But even within these subsets, there were strong variations.  Many Nisei citizens chose to be submissive in hopes that after the war they would regain the benefits of their citizenship.  Other Nisei demanded that as Americans their civil rights needed to be recognized and they needed to be released. Some Kilbei were loyal to Japan while others were loyal to America.  The diverse reaction created tension amongst the internees who had different ideas about how to respond to what was happening to them.

The interesting thing according to Keslar is that while each camp’s newspaper varied in professionalism, the content was relatively vanilla and similar. The WRA controlled each paper's output and used them as a propaganda arm.  The WRA trusted the Nisei over the other two groups and gave them levels of constrained freedom if their writing fit the narrative.  This is evidenced in the newspapers Kesler quotes where serious concerns like uprisings, strikes, internal divisions, and other controversial things are not mentioned. The Nisei knew their position of favor was tenuous, so they followed the requirements set before them.

This occurrence in American history is a sad testament to bad government policy driven by fear.  Newspapers were used as propaganda arms that denied the difficulties within the camps. Just like in today’s world where people tend to believe the media, many in the camps looked past what they were seeing and went along with the propaganda they were being fed.  Many others saw the propaganda for what it was and fought every step of the way to regain their freedom and place in America.

Kesler, L. (1988). Fettered Freedoms: The Journalism of WWII Internment Camps. Journalism History, 15(2/3), 70-79. doi:10.1080/00947679.1988.12066665