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Years of Infamy

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Michi Weglyns' YEARS OF INFAMY refutes once and for all the idiocy that President Roosevelt's Executive Order # 9066 was a necessary means to make the U.S. secure. Mrs. Weglyn's book makes a shambles out of this thesis, and her book presents "chapter and verse" anecdtotes which refute the contention that somehow these innocent men, women, and children were somehow a threat to the U.S. during World War II.

Of partuclar note is Mrs. Weglyn's citation of the Munson Report which was issue on November 7, 1941. This report was based on government unwarranted spying and snooping of Americans of Japanese, the AJAs, and the report clearly stated that these people showed a "remakrable, even extrodinary degree of loyalty of this generally suspect ethnic group." Mrs. Weglyn examines the corrpution of legal standards and fair justice by both government officials and jurists. She is clear that, while these events took place in the 1940s, this is a systematic government policy any time when government officials see a chance to persecute a target minority any time they desire.

One should note that California officials were actively involved in persecuting AJAs as these cowards saw a chance to loot and dispossess AJAs, innocent people, of their wealth and property. This episode should be a warning to U.S. citizens who think they are safe.

Mrs. Weglyn proves that those Japanese who lost everything to an unjust government persecution were even criminalized after World War II. If these innocent people challenged the Almighty Government for the theft of their wealth and property, they could get ten year prison terms and fines of thousands if they did not cross every "t" and dot every "i." This is the way the government tries to cover their criminality.

What may anger those who still think the government criminals had any basis for this attack on basic civil liberties is the fact that many of these AJA's recovered from all the persecution and loss and recovered. Many of the AJAs became professionals who were successful after World War II was over.

There are some minor weaknesses in this book. For example, Mrs. Weglyn could have enhanced her book by extending her text to include the heroism of the all AJA units that were recruited during World War II. These men were the most highly decorated units during World War II and fought bravely while thier wives, children, parents, and loved ones suffered in concentration camps in the United States stretching from California to Arkansas. No less a figure than General Douglas Mac Arthur stated that without the AJA units intelligence work behind Japanese lines, his forces may not have been able to defeat the Japanese Empire during World War II. These men in the AJA units operated behind enemy lines gathering intelligence, posing as Japanese troops to free American prisoners of war, and providing outstanding intelligence that abled U.S. forces to defeat the Japanese. Someone may remember the all AJA unit, the 442nd, who freed "a good old boy" Texan unit in Europe. The AJAs had more casualities than the number of men they rescued.

Mrs. Weglyn could have also taken advantage of the illegal court activities that were used to justify the illegal acts of government to justify the mistreatment of innocent Americans. Peter Irons book titled JUSTICE AT WAR shows clearly just how unjust and illegal these forced internments were.

This book, YEARS OF INFAMY, is meant for thoughtful people. Those who worship the government and adore state policies should avoid this book as it may cause culture shock. They would read text and documents that would refute the adoring attitude that the government does no wrong. On the other hand, those who care about their civil liberties and wish to retain their wealth and property should carefully read this book. They will have a better insight of how government officials, adored by non-thinking public, can victimize innocent people until false pretenses.

While the book may seem to be about old business, it is a storyas timely today as it was 23 years ago. Michi Weglyn tells a story ofterrible deeds in simple and unpretentious language. Her Kafkaesque tale of betryal and political hubris is a reminder to all of us of how fragile freedom really is. I would recommend it to anyone who seeks to understand the corrosive and immoral effects of both racism and its handmaiden, the mass media. This book should be read by all students, of any age who still believe that truth and justice are more than sound bites.

Years of Infamy is a product of diligent research and passion. The use of words, such as "concentration camps" and "inmates" showed a strong bias. Michi Weglyn had the opinion that the internment process was unnecessary, and, rather than keep the country safe from sabotage, it only made thousands of people bitter, the author included. But though the author had an obvious bias, she represented both sides well. She noted that the government had intentions of keeping the country safe when internment began, and she also noted that, in this time of war, paranoia of sabotage and unpatriotic events caused a low tolerance in the authorities.

Weglyn supported her thesis well. She made known that many people objected to the internment, including Harold Ickes and Attorney General Clark in Chapter 2, the Quakers in Chapter 3, Norman Thomas in Chapter 7, and Ernest Besig in Chapter 10, among others. The U.S Government's want of revenge was specifically mentioned in Chapters 1 and 2, where she noted that Japan had kept Americans from returning home, and the U.S. Government decided to match (and multiply by 100) the hostage amount; it was generally echoed throughout the course of the book. She also made known that those who objected did know the true situation, which was racial prejudice.

Weglyn provided the reader with a large quantity of valid information. Approximately 25 pages of appendixes, 10 pages of photos, 30 pages of notes, a thorough bibliography, Dramatis Personae, and an index for quick reference proved a large amount of research. In every chapter, sections of personal accounts were included, and they made the book more personal, especially since Weglyn herself was interned. Also included is the perspective that many have never been given insight to: that of the internee. Before this book was published, many Japanese kept quiet, and very little of the relocation events are taught in public schools. Reading a book such as this could broaden one's historical horizons.

This book would be best suited to researchers or those with great interest in the time period. Much like a newspaper article, fact after fact is thrown at the reader. While that may derail the casual reader, one reading for informational purposes rather than enjoyment would find the book pleasurable.

This is a must read, it covers americas darkpast which needs to be seen so it wont happen again.

"You may think that the Constitution is your security-- it is nothing but a piece of paper. You may think the statutes are your security-- they are nothing but words in a book. You may think that the elaborate mechanisms of government are your security-- it is nothing at all, unless you have sound and uncorrupted public opinion to give life to your Constitution, to give vitality to your statutes, to make efficient your government machinery."-- Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes

So opens Ms. Weglyn's haunting report on the Japanese-American (J-A) internment camps of WW2. No book has made me so nauseuous, to think that our country, our government, could betray its own citizens in such a way. The scarier thing-- we're only two steps from something similar happening again, despite all our "progress". As an Asian-American-- a Sansei whose mother survived the internment camps-- I will never feel safe again in my own country.

Ms. Weglyn's style is journalistic. She reports what she uncovers with an objective viewpoint. Her word-choice, especially with respect to summarizing government documents, makes the reading slightly awkward at times. But her use of "concentration camps" is accurate. J-A interned were treated less well than POWs-- since the internees were American citizens they were not protected by the Geneva Convention. Not only were they subjected to intolerable living conditions-- families sharing rooms, public facilities with no walls around the toilets, scarce food even for women and children-- they were subject to repeated psychological torture. All covered up under the "national security and political expediency" aegis.

Ms. Weglyn does not need to get outraged in her narrative. The stories and the details do that themselves. She very meticulously has gone through the governmental and public accountings to put together this recounting of a truly black mark on American history. After being told that the J-A were being moved as protection for themselves from an angry US public, the US Government *repeatedly* asked their J-A citizens Catch-22 questions about their loyalty. The J-As could not know who to trust-- they had already just been betrayed-- property, savings, possessions all taken from them. The only way out was to volunteer to serve in combat (women and children, too!), or to renounce citizenship and be deported to Japan. But those that answered loyally to the USA were deemed "liars" and possible spies, and those that just wanted to get out were felt to be traitors. It was a no-win that repeated itself again and again in camps where people were already being treated like slaves.

Literally, slaves. They were used to save various crops around California and the Pacific Northwest at less than penal rates of pay. They were called on for all sorts of manual labor tasks.

All while the government hushed up the atrocities of the camps while at the same time fanning the flames of anti-Japanese sentiment among public opinion. This despite government investigative reports that had explicitly stated that the J-A community was perhaps the most loyal in the country-- that not a single case of espionage or suspected espionage had turned up despite extensive investigation.

Then, when the internment camps were finally closed-- J-As feared to return to their homes. Feared the public hostility and racism they would face. Feared the poverty and homelessness after a lifetime of struggle and savings had been stripped away.

Lastly, Ms. Weglyn discusses the ongoing debate between J-A generations-- the Issei and Nisei still cling to a sense of better assimilation-- if only they had done more, they would have been accepted as more Americans. Honor demanded they submit to the outrageous demands of the governemnt as duty, and forgive their government in retrospect. Whereas the younger Sansei-- my generation-- say "Speak up, or be ignored. It is the land of free speech-- fight for your rights."

The government ignoring the reports of its service arms? Allegations of racial profiling? Public paranoia against certain people of color-- depending on whether they are Asians or Middle Eastern, depending on the circumstances? At the time she wrote the book, Ms. Weglyn pointed out that recent J-A esteem as the model minority for their hard work and dedication and loyalty had turned to fear and racism once again with the emergence of Japan as an economic superpower, particularly threatening the automaker industry in the 70s and 80s.

How quickly can your rights be taken away? Ask Wen Ho Lee, the Chinese-American nuclear scientist that spent 278 days in solitary confinement while being investigated for a crime he was ultimately absolved of. Non-Asian scientists who had committed similar transgressions as he spent not a day, and the ultimate traitor-- Caucasian-- not a one until his conviction.

"A country without a memory is a country of madmen."
--George Santayana (I found this quote myself.)

Michi Weglyn and Walter Weglyn were personal friends of mine and my family. I did not know of this book during our initial encounters. They were both wonderful people. Walter was a German Jew who was evacuated from Nazi Germany by the Dutch program to save Jewish children. Unfortunately, Walter was such a good son for the Dutch family that one of that same family's son's became envious and told the Nazis. The father warned Walter to leave quickly as the Nazi's were coming. That dutch family was executed. Michi was Japanese American. Her family lost everything after the implementation of Executive Order 9066, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. An order that wreaks of abuse of power and likewise should go down in history as a year of infamy. Michi contracted tuberculosis in the camps as well. These two people, angels, abused by power from different sides of the world came together in New York. Michi met Walter when she was working on the Perry Como show.

Sadly, for the sake of humanity, these two never had children. I once asked Walter and Michi why they never had children. Walter told me that in the early years of their marriage it was illegal in many states (not NY) in the U.S. for Asians to marry Caucasians. They were concerned about what kind of world they would bring their children into. These two angels were both affected by the abuses of power from other sides of the world. It is our loss that their kindness and love was not continued on in their family line. Even in their elder years they were like two kids in love. They deeply adored and cared for each other. I will never forget them. It was an honor to know them both. I will never forget their kindness and intellect. We must diligently protect people such as Walter and Michi...if we want to live in a better world. And though we may not be able to afford to be the world's policeman (nor should we be considered such) such disregard for the inherent Rights of Man as espoused in the Constitution should never allow any one true patriot of the Constitution ever tolerate such abuses of power in the jurisdiction of the United States. (As an aside note, Adolph Hitler initially offered that six million Jews be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. but Mr. Roosevelt did not accept his offer and the rest as they say...is all history).

I tell this information not as a strict editorial of the book. I tell it to shed light on the motivations of why this book was written. Just as these two showed me the kindness and love that can be in the world I will emotionally recall upon my times with them in the event that I ever need to follow through force with strength of hand to fight such tyranny- i.e. their inspiration will motivate me to get the job done no matter how nasty it is. I have learned that evil has a very human face. I also have fully learned and understand that meaning of the ancient proverb, "They will be known by their deeds". I also firmly advocate that when it comes to dealing with subhuman characters such as bullies that it is best never to stoop to their level...it is far more effective and efficient to stoop below it. For those who advocate imprisoning others with no charge against those to be imprisoned...no charge of unjustifiable violence against others (i.e. to say excluding justifiable self defense)...no charge of theft against others (excluding theft of food by a starving person)....and further to do so with no due process in accordance with the laws of the Constitution (original version minus the dreaded scott cluster flock).... as is even now often done by Emperor, I mean, Executive order I would strongly encourage you to take some time to reflect on what your position on these matters really says about your character. One can always come up with some convoluted eloquent elocution to justify such actions but as I said, "They will be known by their deeds". Many of the local non Asian Californian residents enthusiastically saw this as an opportunity to get their Asian neighbor's land cheaply as well. Never again. Not if I can help it.

Though the book has been out for over three decades, it is still regarded as one of the pillars of the redress movement, being one of the first of modern historical re-interpretations of the evacuation and relocation of the Nikkei on the West Coast during WWII, with her final revision in 1996 (Weglyn passed away in 1999 at the age of 72).

Several striking impressions make difficult an assessment that Weglyn was entirely ingenuous:

1. The title -- Her use of "infamy" and directing it against the man who made the word famous, and his Government; her use of "concentration camps," again an attempt to impugn United States leadership.

2. The cover photo -- The Manzanar plaque, with its most controversial wording, revealing the true premises of Weglyn's work. Yes, I do judge this book by its cover. Nearly every word on the plaque was decided by Nikkei activists, not historians, nor even the State of California, which had to eventually bow to political pressure. (A further sad development was H.R.135 in 1974.)

3. The Dedication -- Weglyn's book is dedicated to Wayne Collins, the civil rights lawyer who defended the renunciants at Tule Lake, and whom Weglyn feels excelled above all others at correcting "democracy's mistake." The whole renunciation issue, in which some 5,500 Nisei and Kibei signed away their American citizenship and thereby declaring their allegiance to the Emperor of Japan, is one of great controversy and division among Japanese Americans even today. Collins fought to undo their mistake, placing the blame partly on the United States ("duress") and partly on "private coercion and undue influence."

4. The Preface -- "110,000 Japanese Americans... were driven from home and society and banished to desert wastes," a sweeping statement worthy of being the primary cause for rejecting the entire book, and is my primary reason for doubting Weglyn's frankness and her integrity as a thorough researcher. "Driven" is used for "forced" and "coerced," words commonly found in books of this caliber; "banished" is hardly appropriate in any literature discussing the topic; "desert wastes" is only used to conjur up the worst images in the minds of the readers -- all these words, of course, geared to put the United States leadership at the time in the worst light, and the Nikkei as innocent victims of terrible inhumanities.

5. The Introduction -- Written by novelist James Michener (d. 1997), once a naval historian during WWII in the South Pacific, whose 3rd wife was "Japanese." She was in a relocation center during part of the war -- she objected to her husband calling it a "concentration camp," saying that "it was not like a German concentration camp at all." Michener even remarked about her time there: "She was never shot at, never starved, never beaten, never barb-wired." With this background, it is puzzling why he tirades in the "Introduction" against US Government policies back then, calling some leaders "monomaniacal," "who engineered acts of terror against Japanese," "illegal acts" in a period of "hysteria" using "unconstitutional means." In fact, he contends all Americans were "bent on revenge" and "struck out blindly, stupidly." (It is remarkable in this "Introduction" he refrains from swearing.) However, he schizophrenically closes by saying "many concerned Americans... helped salvage our national honor" by not allowing the camps to become "hell holes of starvation and death." Such is the man who praises Weglyn's work.

6. Chapter 1 -- This chapter reveals the "eye-opening loyalty findings of Curtis B. Munson," a businessman who posed as a government official and relayed his messages to one John F. Carter, a newspaperman and one of FDR's secret sources. With a man of such impeccable credentials, a man considered by the FBI as naive and uninformed (even the CWRIC said he was an amateur), Weglyn begins her book. In fact, many other subsequent books will utilize the Munson Report with conclusive pride, specifically "Personal Justice Denied," heralding those famous words in the Report, "there is no Japanese problem," which, according to Weglyn, was "one of the war's best kept secrets." To her, this Report is the cornerstone of her book -- "the enormity of this incredible governmental hoax cannot begin to be fathomed without taking into consideration the definite loyalty findings of Curtis B. Munson."

Aside from these initial problems, the greatest detraction from the merits of this book is the ironic lack of pre-war intelligence documents which shed much light on this whole episode in the history of our great nation. Weglyn supposedly spent years "exhuming documents" of "once impounded papers." The Appendices in her book even include copies of a few of these original documents, but ironically, oddly, and regretably, no FBI, G-2 or ONI material, which is voluminous.

Finally, and most incomprehensibly, Weglyn has no personal interviews, that I have been able to ascertain, of McCloy, Bendetsen or even Myer, who would have been able to talk with her while they were still alive. They were, after all, some of the key players at that time, and most knowledgeable of many of the events then. She could have learned so much from them... so very much. One can only wonder at just how ingenuous Michi Weglyn was when she set out to tell the world her untold story.