Module 2: Causes of Japanese Internment

Causes of Japanese Internment

The causes of Japanese internment during World War II were deeply rooted in racial prejudice, wartime fear, and political pressures that followed the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The surprise attack by Japan on the U.S. naval base created a climate of fear and suspicion, especially toward Japanese Americans living on the West Coast, despite the fact that most were U.S. citizens. Many Americans feared that these individuals might have divided loyalties and could potentially assist Japan in espionage or sabotage. This racial hysteria was stoked by sensational media reports, as well as the influence of figures like J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the FBI, who was instrumental in perpetuating the idea of Japanese Americans as security threats. As a result, the U.S. government, under pressure to ensure national security, began implementing surveillance on Japanese American communities.

In response to growing concerns, the FBI compiled a "Custodial Detention Index," which listed individuals of Japanese descent who were considered a potential threat to national security. The FBI, under Hoover’s leadership, conducted investigations and gathered information, often based on racial assumptions rather than evidence of disloyalty. Military intelligence, however, did not support the claims of widespread disloyalty. Curtis Munson, a businessman tasked by the government to assess the situation, concluded that Japanese Americans on the West Coast were generally loyal to the United States and did not pose a significant threat. Despite these findings, Munson’s report was largely ignored, and the prevailing fear and suspicion among both the public and political leaders remained unshaken.

The decision to intern Japanese Americans was driven by political and military pressures, as well as a desire for quick, decisive action in the face of wartime uncertainty. Figures like John Franklin Carter, a journalist who supported internment, helped spread the narrative of Japanese Americans as potential enemies. Military leaders, such as General John L. DeWitt, who was in charge of the Western Defense Command, argued that internment was necessary for national security, claiming that Japanese Americans posed a "military necessity" risk. This argument, despite lacking substantial evidence, led to the forced relocation and internment of over 100,000 Japanese Americans, many of whom were U.S. citizens. The internment was a direct result of the combination of racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and the manipulation of intelligence by government officials, including Hoover, who contributed to the scapegoating of an entire community based on their ethnic background rather than any concrete evidence of disloyalty.