Posted on 08/03/2004 8:47:30 AM PDT by aculeus
The word is out about my new book, In Defense of Internment: The Case for "Racial Profiling" in World War II and the War on Terror. I've been keeping it under wraps over the past year as I quietly toiled away in the wee hours of the morning, but since Instapundit kindly mentioned receiving the book yesterday, I am delighted now to share a few more details with you.
The official launch is Monday, August 9. Please check my books page for more info (including documents, bibliography, resources, errata, etc.) and notices of upcoming appearances, speeches, and book signings. For those of you in the Seattle area, I shall return to the Pacific Northwest this Friday, Aug. 6, for a speech sponsored by my friends at KVI-AM. It's at 7 pm at Cedar Park Church in Bothell. More info is here. Hope you can make it.
My aim is to kick off a vigorous national debate on what has been one of the most undebatable subjects in Amerian history and law: President Franklin Roosevelt's homeland security policies that led to the evacuation and relocation of 112,000 ethnic Japanese on the West Coast, as well as the internment of tens of thousands of enemy aliens from Japan, Germany, Italy, and other Axis nations. I think it's vitally important to get the history right because the WWII experience is often invoked by opponents of common-sense national security profiling and other necessary homeland security measures today.
A few things compelled me to write the book. Ever since I questioned President Clinton's decision to award the Congressional Medal of Honor to Japanese-American soldiers based primarly on claims of racial discrimination in 2000, several readers have urged me to research the topic of the "Japanese-American internment." World War II veterans wrote to say they agreed with my assessment of Clinton's naked politicization of the medals, but disagreed with my unequivocal statement that the internment of ethnic Japanese was "was abhorrent and wrong." They urged me to delve into the history and the intelligence leading to the decision before making up my mind.
I was further inspired by some intriguing blog debates last year between Sgt. Stryker and Is That Legal?. After reading a book by former National Security Agency official David Lowman called MAGIC: The untold story of U.S. Intelligence and the evacuation of Japanese residents from the West Coast during WWII, published posthumously by Athena Press Inc., I contacted publisher Lee Allen, who generously agreed to share many new sources and resources as I sought the truth.
The constant alarmism from Bush-bashers who argue that every counter-terror measure in America is tantamount to the internment was the final straw. The result is a book that I hope changes the way readers view both America's past and its present.
If you are a history buff, you will undoubtedly enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it. There are some incredible stories of untold courage and patriotism, as well as espionage and disloyalty, that have been buried in the mainstream WWII literature. If you are a parent with kids in high school, college, or law school, I hope you buy the book for your students or their teachers. And if you are simply an informed citizen, seeking answers about why we have failed to do what's necessary to combat our enemies on American soil (e.g., airport profiling, immigration enforcement, heightened scrutiny of Muslim chaplains and soldiers, etc.), I hope you buy the book to help gain intellectual ammunition and insights on our politically correct paralysis.
Liberal critics always ask if I've ever changed my mind about anything. Yes, I take back what I wrote in 2000; I have radically changed my mind about FDR's actions to protect the homeland. And I hope to persuade you all to do the same.
It's a daunting task, I know. This issue is fraught with emotion. Already, the first two reviews at Amazon.com have been posted--one on either side of the debate by individuals who have obviously not read a single page of the book. Another individual, who also admits she hasn't read the book, e-mailed the following to me today with the subject headline, "Shame on you:"
I have been a fan of yours since spotting you a while ago on FOX news…and I often agree with your views. I’m therefore appalled to read on Instapundit that you have published a book which endorses the internment of Americans of Japanese descent during WWII...I’m shocked that you would use Michael Moore-ish “truth-telling” to make the case for the internment camps. My parents’ families were interned in the middle of the desert in Arizona, and it was far from the summer-camp-like experience your publisher describes on Amazon.com. You apparently note the many “amenities” in the camps---sounds almost like Moore’s depiction of pre-OIF days in Iraq. Geez, Louise. She compares me to Michael Moore without having read a single sentence of the actual book.
Neither has Eric Muller, who runs the blog Is That Legal? that I mentioned earlier. (He is also mentioned in my book on p. 352.) Yet, based on the book cover and publisher's description alone, he comments that they do "not inspire confidence that Ms. Malkin is going to be giving us history that is Fair and Balanced." He complains that the cover unfairly likened "a Japanese-American man to Mohammed Atta"--but he does so without bothering to find out who the man on the cover is. He is Richard Kotoshirodo, a Japanese-American man who by his own admission assisted the Honolulu-based spy ring that fed intelligence to Tokyo that was key to the design of the Pearl Harbor attack. Every scholar and student who writes about Roosevelt's decision to evacuate the West Coast should know his name and story.
I expect much more emotion-driven criticism like this in days and weeks to come. And I look forward to whatever substantive debate the other side can muster up.
All that said, the fact that the book is being published at all is what made all the hard work of the past year--and the harsh ad hominem attacks sure to come--worth it. Most publishers wouldn't touch this with a 100-foot pole, and I am grateful to Regnery Publishing for fully embracing my idea. Everything else is icing on the cake (though it would be nice to outsell fluffball Maureen Dowd).
So, stay tuned. I think we are in for a wild but very necessary and educational ride.
I can only parrot what others have previously said, but I firmly believe that it bears repeating.
Rounding up all the Japanese-Americans on the West Coast was and remains unconscionable and indefensible. No traitors were identified from those interned in the camps.
The Americans who were sent to the camps were hardworking and loyal. They wanted nothing more than a better life for themselves and their children. Some came here themselves, some were born in this country. They were loyal Americans, who were judged only on the color of their skin.
The mark on our history is made even blacker when you remember that these loyal Americans had their property stripped from them with token recompense if anything. The homes that they had worked to buy, the businesses that they had worked to build were stolen from them forever.
That so many of them went on to honorable service in the war doubly shames the Americans who supported internment, then and now. They could have responded with bitterness and hatred for America, but they instead proved themselves to be the equal of any American.
Malkin is an idiot. I find it scary that anyone could take her the slightest bit seriously when she writes something like this. Shame on her.
You just don't seem to get it! The tens of millions of refugees that you refer to were from OTHER COUNTRIES that operated under very DIFFERENT guiding principles from the US. Interning AMERICAN CITIZENS violated everything that we stood for as a Christian nation. There was a presumption of guilt that was not justified.
You, my FRiend would be singing a WHOLE different tune if the government came and took away your house and boat tomorrow.
I thank you for your service as a Navy Seal, but I am saddened by your lack of understanding as to what foundation this country is based on. Without a solid Christian foundation, this country is no better than Iraq.
"Yes, I take back what I wrote in 2000; I have radically changed my mind about FDR's actions to protect the homeland."
I'd say I'm about 4 years behind MM on this topic. She has taken on a task of immense proportions. I think I shall read her book and she what she has to say.
So who are we going to put into internment camps today? If you said all the liberals well that would be a moral quandry!
Its 'relocation' thats a little tougher to defend. I hope Michelle doesn't try to, but I'll reserve judgment till I see her book.
You're correct that the Japanese army was EXTREMELY barbaric. I know all about the Battan death march, and the way that women and children were mutilated. That's why we AMERICANS needed to go over there and kick their butt!! That's why the 442nd (comprised mainly of Americans of Japanese descent) went and kicked butt and took names (while becoming one of the most decorated outfits of the war).
Quit combining individuals of different countries who just happen to be of the same race. That's foolishness...
(Great essay here on the importance of the broken Axis codes to Allied victory in WW2. This is a short excerpt.)
How Mathematics Saved the World:
The Allies' decryption efforts during World War II
Written for Dr. David Beatty, History 3300
on January 25, 1998
by Andrew R.W. Sharpe
References at bottom
http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/michaels/hist3300.htm
The bombing of Coventry, England, by the Nazis on November 14, 1940, is another source of controversy caused by decrypts of enemy messages. William Stevenson claims that British Prime Minister Churchill knew of the Germans' plans to bomb the city of Coventry, and allowed the bombing to take place rather than allow the Germans to know that the British could read Enigma. He reports that the British had decoded the order to destroy Coventry, and that the plaintext actually had the city directly named in it, rather than the use of a codeword, which was standard Nazi practice. (Stevenson, p. 153) Lewin disputes this, saying that the decoded message had only the word "Korn," which was the German word for Coventry. He contends that the British did not know that Korn referred to Coventry, and therefore was not aware of the attack beforehand. (Lewin in Momsen, http://members.aol.com/nbrass/2enigma.htm)
It seems possible that Churchill did indeed sacrifice Coventry. If he had evacuated the city, the Germans would have been alerted to the fact that the British could read Enigma. They would have almost certainly changed the cipher, and a key source of military intelligence would have been lost. As head of British Security Coordination William Stephenson once said, "Better lose a battle than lose a source of intelligence." (Stephenson in Stevenson, p. 63) In other words, had Churchill evacuated Coventry, it would indeed have saved many lives, but would have consequently cost many more in the long run. In Churchill's defence, he did alert fire-fighting and ambulance services ahead of time. There would be many more sacrifices made to preserve the secrecy of Ultra and Magic; they were probably all worth it.
"...case of this came on November 14, 1940. At 3 pm that afternoon, a German signal was deciphered containing the bombing targets for that evening, including the name of one city, Coventry, which had mistakenly not been given its code name."
I'm sorry, but it is simply not accurate to say that they knew that Coventry would be the target for that evening. The sources that have argued that have long since been discredited by historians using primary documents from the people invloved (diaries, communication logs, etc).
Again, if you are going to argue a historical precedent for the deprivation of rights, there are many good examples to use. You do not need to use a fake one.
Erm, I'd be more impressed if you read the book.
I take it you're not Japanese or married to someone Japanese.
My uncle put it on the line in WWII as well (Battle of the Bulge, Remagen bridge). He was killed by a bazooka hit two days after crossing the Remagen bridge. We visit his grave most memorial days in Nebraska.
I take nothing away from your service to this country. You will be forever honored for your service. I simply pointed out that taking innocent AMERICAN CITIZENS and putting them in internment camps and FORCING them to dispose of ALL of their worldly possessions is WRONG! That's not the country that I support, and I would hope that it's not yours?
So post your primary sources then, don't just ask me to take your word for it. Please excerpt relavent details etc. I don't know you, and your say-so is not enough.
How about everyone who looks like Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols & Ted Kaczynski?
For our own safety, of course.
Yeah really!
Please refer to post #28. Do you read all books written by foolish people?
How is it different from quarantine? Depends on internment conditions, I suppose.
You're right. That was an outrage. But that doesn't change the fact that the internment was also an outrage. Not the same outrage, but nobody here is saying that we're worse for the internment than the Japanese were for the death marches.
In this country, we don't hold people responsible for the actions of others. Nobody interned at the camps had anything to do with that. Nobody interned at the camps ever beheaded an American prisoner. Nobody interned at the camps ever put anyone on a death march.
Hitler gassed millions of Jews. That wasn't the fault of German-Americans. It was Hitler's fault.
Not Japanese Americans interned, who suffered for the sins of their brothers in Japan. Tuff luck!
In this country, we don't hold people responsible for the sins of their brothers. Or their fathers. Or their grandfathers. Or guys they went to high school with. Or anybody's sins but theirs.
The internment was un-American. "Tuff luck" to you.
I'm sorry your parents lost property, they at least didn't lose their heads, as was widespread among the prisoners of the Japanese at that time. Wartime atrocities (Bataan Death March, Death Ships etc) breed a lot of deep hatred, and internment must be seen in the context of the times, not through the rosy glasses of 2004.
And if they were interned to keep the paramount secret of WW2, the broken codes, then I'm even more understanding of FDR's decision. If their loss of sacrifice saved MILLIONS of lives by shortening the war, can you see NO good in it?
Or was your family property worth more than MILLIONS of innocent lives, as WW2 dragged on to the late 1940s?
Since the government is finding out the Al Queda connection with those two, well in keeping with Japanese internment they should round up the homesteaders, the gun collectors, the militamen, and anyone with weird looking prison tattoos/sarcasm
I believe internment of suspects would succeed much easier today than yesterday. As much as some don't want to admit, America had a very racist environment that easily permitted the rounding up of Japanese just because they were NOT WHITE. It's as easy to explain as having nazi war criminals sit in front of black soldiers. If people don't think race had anything to with this issue they're fooling themselves.
Who has mentioned internment camps today? Not I. Try baiting somebody else.
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