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This is History for the Reckoning, a podcast that dives deep into the history that's hard to hear but critical to understand. Season 1. American Concentration Camps. The story of World War II Japanese Incarceration. Listeners, welcome to another episode of the podcast. Except this episode is very special because it's not one of my episodes of the podcast. We've collaborated with another amazing podcast called History Daily. They have an episode about the incarceration of Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II that they've graciously let us play on our podcast. So let me tell you a little bit about this podcast that I love so much. History Daily, as it implies. Every weekday they've got a new episode, and every one of those episodes is based on a this day in history. So you're learning something completely new every time. It'll be from a different point in history, it'll be a completely different story. They do a really good job condensing everything down, making it under 20 minutes. It's snappy, it's sharp, and you're learning these human stories the same way as I'm trying to communicate with this very in-depth look at one subject of history. They'll do bite-sized pieces of overviews of large chunks of history. So I hope that as we take a little bit of a breather, listen to this episode, as they do an overview of the entire incarceration of Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II, you'll be able to get that bird's eye perspective right before next week we dive in with more of the story that we've been learning together through this podcast.

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He's been on edge since this morning when word of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor first broke. As Hai listens to the radio and almost falls asleep, a loud pounding on the front door jolts him back awake. Hai climbs out of bed, creeps to his bedroom door, and cracks it open. He slips out of the bedroom, carefully makes his way to the top of the stairwell to try to see what's going on as the banging continues. When his mother finally opens the front door, three men in dark suits push past her. One of the men grabs the radio and heads outside with it. Another pulls pictures from the wall and throws books off a bookshelf. For a moment, Hai wonders if his family is being robbed. But then one of the men whispers something to his partner, and the two men converge on Hai's father, put him in handcuffs, and drag him out of the house. Hai runs down the stairs to his frightened mother, who falls into her arms. He has no idea what's just happened or what these men are going to do with his father. Early on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The next day, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt will declare war on Japan, and the United States will officially join the Allied forces in both Pacific and European theaters of World War II. But this international conflict has immediate and severe domestic repercussions. Only hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, FBI agents take into custody over 1,000 Japanese-American religious and community leaders. Soon American military officers and members of Congress will push President Roosevelt to take further steps against what they call the threat of espionage and sabotage from Japanese Americans. Thousands of Japanese nationals and American citizens with Japanese heritage will be forced out of their homes and into internment camps beginning on this day, March 24th, 1942. From Noiser and Airship, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is History Daily. On this podcast, every day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is March 24, 1942, the internment of Japanese Americans. It's January 21, 1942, in Washington, D.C. Inside the office of the War Department, an intense discussion is underway. On one side of a desk sits Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson. On the other side, a fiery officer named Lieutenant General John DeWitt. DeWitt is the head of the United States Army's Western Command. His primary job is to protect the American West Coast. And ever since the attack on Pearl Harbor just over a month ago, DeWitt has been appalled by the lack of government action to secure California, Oregon, and Washington against the people he considers to be the biggest threats to the region, Japanese Americans. DeWitt stands and paces the room. His face red and his voice animated, he launches into a tirade about how American political leaders are ignoring acts of sabotage that Japanese Americans have already carried out. He says that power lines have been brought down across rural sections of California, and he is convinced Japanese farmers in the area are to blame. Secretary of War Stimson listens patiently as DeWitt hammers home the fact that if Japan launches an attack on American soil, it will undoubtedly take place on the West Coast. And DeWitt is certain that Japanese Americans are already laying the groundwork for a potential invasion. Stimson agrees with much of what DeWitt is saying, but he knows that in order to take action against Japanese Americans, they'll have to win the support of President Roosevelt, and he will want proof that Japanese Americans pose a legitimate threat before signing off on anything. Stimson tells DeWitt to wait while he reaches out to a member of Roosevelt's inner circle, Attorney General Francis Biddle. And while Stimson steps out of the office, DeWitt tries to remain calm. He knows that many in Washington think he's blowing things out of proportion, that he sees threats where they don't actually exist. But DeWitt is a veteran of the Spanish-American War and World War I. He's seen enough of conflict to know the best way to ensure victory is to neutralize the enemy before they strike. Eventually, Stimson returns with Attorney General Biddle by his side. DeWitt makes the same argument to Biddle that he makes to Stimson. He points out that of the roughly 127,000 Japanese Americans in the country, almost 90% of them live on the West Coast. DeWitt says that it is crucial for the government to view the West Coast as a potential war zone that is already inhabited by the enemy. When Attorney General Biddle asks DeWitt what action he thinks is warranted, DeWitt says Japanese Americans should be removed from their homes and taken to secure areas managed by the military. DeWitt never uses the phrase internment camps, but it's clear to Biddle that that's precisely what DeWitt is talking about. And though Biddle acknowledges there is a potential threat, he's eager to make a clear distinction between Japanese nationals living in the country and American citizens of Japanese descent. It's a distinction that's been made by many Japanese Americans for years. Japanese communities in the States refer to people born in Japan who immigrated to the U.S. as Isei. Their children, American citizens born in the U.S., are called Nisei. In America, Isei and Nisei have different rights when it comes to voting, military service, and receiving government benefits. So Biddle is adamant that the distinction between the two groups remain intact when discussing any potential eviction and interment. Biddle admits removing some Japanese-born individuals from their homes might prove necessary, but he does not want the rights of American citizens to be violated. So Biddle tells DeWitt to prepare a report on the situation and his potential solutions for President Roosevelt. And he urges DeWitt to respect the rights of all American citizens. DeWitt heads back west and gets to work on his report, but he has no intention of focusing solely on Japanese nationals. He doesn't believe there should be any distinction made at all. As DeWitt will later say, a Jap's a Jap. It makes no difference whether the Jap is a citizen or not. And DeWitt is confident he's in the right. He understands the threat facing the West Coast better than anyone in D.C., so DeWitt works hard to create a report that's strong enough to win President Roosevelt over. Some will later suggest that DeWitt fabricated the truth to make his report seem more credible. But whether DeWitt knowingly lied or not, his report has the desired effect. In February 1942, President Roosevelt is convinced to move forward with the interment of Japanese Americans. Against protests from Attorney General Biddle, Roosevelt will sign Executive Order 9066, leaving the fate of Japanese Americans in the hands of Lieutenant General DeWitt and the United States Army. Over the past several days, Roosevelt has been pouring over a report from Lieutenant General John DeWitt. DeWitt and other military leaders are arguing that the West Coast should be divided into multiple military zones, and that the United States Army should be given authority to remove from those zones any civilian they deem a threat and confine them in military-run camps. While the report does not specify the internment of Japanese Americans, Roosevelt and Biddle know this is what is being proposed. In the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, members of Congress and state politicians on the West Coast have been lobbying Roosevelt to let the Army start evicting Japanese Americans from their homes. And as he sits in the Oval Office today, Biddle fears Roosevelt is close to caving to political pressure. So he makes one last dish effort to sway the president's mind. He insinuates that parts of the report are simply not true. DeWitt insists that Japanese Americans are already engaging in acts of espionage, and one piece of proof offered are accusations that power lines across rural California have been brought down by saboteurs. Biddle tells Roosevelt that those claims are false, and that the great menace behind the down power lines was a herd of grazing cows. But still, Roosevelt's mind appears fixed. Biddle is growing desperate, so he decides to appeal to his boss's ego. Biddle points out that two-thirds of the people who would be removed from their homes under the plan are American citizens, and violating the rights of those citizens could turn the American people against Roosevelt and badly damage his public image. Roosevelt is in his third term as president, and during that time he worked hard to be seen as a man of the people, and he's crafted a reputation as a politician who is willing to fight for Americans regardless of race or class. But all that was before Pearl Harbor, and now Roosevelt's top priority is winning the war. And Roosevelt isn't so sure that Americans would be against Japanese internment. Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, anti-Japanese sentiment has been on the rise. Signs with phrases like, Japanese keep moving, and no Japanese allowed can be seen displayed in front of businesses across the West Coast. So ultimately, Roosevelt ends the meeting determined to support DeWitt's proposal. Biddle leaves the Oval Office knowing he's failed. And if he can't convince the president to see the light, there's little chance he'll be able to sway any member of his cabinet. But Biddle holds on to hope that there is still one person who might be able to get President Roosevelt to change his mind. In mid-February 1942, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt learns about her husband's plan to move forward with Japanese internment. As a staunch civil rights advocate, she is disgusted by her husband's decision. And one night, while the two are alone, the First Lady tries to convince her husband that he is making a mistake. She is shocked that he would even consider violating the rights of tens of thousands of American citizens. But Roosevelt cuts her off and tells her never to bring up the subject again. Then, on February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066. The directive officially divides the West Coast into several military zones and grants the U.S. military power to remove from those areas all Japanese Americans and detain them in camps without due process. Execution of the order falls to Lieutenant General John DeWitt and the United States Army. General DeWitt begins his campaign by calling for Japanese Americans to voluntarily leave their homes. But within weeks, DeWitt will decide stronger measures are required. And soon, members of the Army under DeWitt's command will remove close to 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes, round them up, and confine them in camps. The store owner waits until the soldier moves onto the next block and then walks up to the telephone pole to investigate. Printed on the flyer in large bold letters are seven words, instructions to all persons of Japanese ancestry. Issued by Lieutenant General John DeWitt, Civilian Exclusion Order No. 1 calls for the removal of roughly 275 residents of Japanese ancestry living on Bainbridge Island. The order states that those residents have six days to leave their homes with only what they can carry. The order also dictates that one member of each family must appear immediately at the Army's so-called civil control station. So later that day, on March 24th, members from every Japanese family on the island appear at the makeshift Army office. There they are assigned a number for their family and told to make preparations to leave their homes. Civilian Exclusion Order No. 1 is just the beginning of a mass incarceration of Japanese Americans. The order serves as a template for the many others that will follow. Because President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's belief that many Americans would support the actions of the U.S. military appears to be true. A 1942 poll conducted by the American Institute of Public Opinion finds that 93% of Americans favor the forced removal of Japanese immigrants from their homes, and 59% favor the removal of American citizens with Japanese ancestry. But even as public opinion starts to shift over the years, the U.S. military continues to justify their actions, maintaining support through propaganda newsreels covering what they call Japanese relocation.

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When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, our West Coast became a potential combat zone. Living in that zone were more than a hundred thousand persons of Japanese ancestor, two-thirds of them American citizens, one-third aliens. We knew that some among them were potentially dangerous, but no one knew what would happen among this concentrated population if Japanese forces should try to invade our shores. Military authorities therefore determined that all of them, citizens and aliens alike, would have to move.

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Throughout the war, the military and some of the media continue to push the narrative that Japanese Americans are evacuees who see leaving their homes as a noble sacrifice to support the American war effort. But decades later, survivors of the camps and their children will speak out. Still, it will take decades for the U.S. government to publicly apologize and acknowledge the injustice of Japanese internment camps. To this day, survivors, their families, and historians continue to grapple with the long-term effects of the horrific mass incarceration that began with Civilian Exclusion Order No. 1 on this day, March 24, 1942. Next on History Daily, March 27, 1915. After years of evading authorities and causing outbreaks, the woman known as Typhoid Mary is arrested and placed in quarantine. From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily. Posted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham. Audio editing by Mohammed Shazeed. Sound design by Molly Bach. Music by Lindsey Graham. This episode is written and researched by Michael Federico. Executive producers are Stephen Walters for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.