I think you bring this up now because Mark Levin mentioned the Japanese internment/relocation by order of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942 on his show tonight. This was just one item in his fabulous history of racism and bigotry in the Democratic Party beginning in the early 1800s and extending down today in the era of Obama.
I would recommend a podcast of tonight's show to those who missed it.
As for the Roosevelt Administration's handling of Japanese Americans during WWII, I believe it included those who had resided not only in northern California, but just about the entire West. All the camps for relocation were located in the Western states, except for the one in Arkansas.
The program was originally ruled constitutional by the SCOTUS, but that ruling was overturned shortly after WWII. IIRC, the federal government was ordered to pay large sums in damages to the individuals and their families who were coercively relocated during this period.
I believe those of German or Italian ethnicity who were interned/relocated were selected based upon an index of individual suspicion of having connections to the enemy regimes, in contrast to the Japanese.
They called the 1924 democratic national convention the “Klanbake”
It is good that the relocated ones got compensation for lost property. As for relocation to Arkansas and other states it just may have saved the lives of some.
Some additional information.
No Japanese/Americans were relocated to New Mexico because NM National Guard units in the Philippines suffered the most as POWS under the Japanese. Govt feared retaliation against internees.
Japanese were classified into at least four groups which would reflect on whether they were interned or not (specifically for the West Coast where almost all were) as versus the rest of the US.
I remember Nisei, Ishi, and two others; They reflected “birth” relations to Japan.
* Japan-born, US citizens
* Japan-born, US residents, non-citizen
* Born to Japanese ancestry parents, US citizens
* Born to Japanese ancestry parents, non-US citizens
* Japanese nationals (visitors, ships crews, businessmen, etc) (allowable to be interned under international rules of warfare. Eligible for exchanges)
* Members of known pro-Imperial Japan support organizations (can later be found on the Attorney General’s list of subversive organizations). There were some, including a few that planned/supported espionage and sabotage. See “Tule Camp” riots.
All of the above applies to the 5,000+ Germans/Americans, some 1,500 or so Italians/Americans (including interned Italian ship crews), and some Argentinian spies. Other German supporters from these groups were picked up in Latin America by the local governments and deported to the US for internment (included family members of known or suspected German operatives. See “ONI” files for case histories.
Some innocent people were picked up from Latin America but the majority were legitimate “enemy aliens” under international law since most of Latin America declared war on the Axis Powers.
The greatest injustice was done to the loyal Japanese American citizens on the West Coast who were swept up in a dragnet ordered by Roosevelt and most of his advisors/military, but was opposed by J. E. Hoover (FBI) and some key Immigration/INS officials who looked into the issue.
Hope this helps to fill out some of the nuances of who was chosen and why, for internment in the US during WW2. It was a messy affair but it occurred at a time of national panic and cooler heads did not prevail.
Thanks, bfl.
Thanks justiceseeker93.