An Interview With Chuck Yeager

Steven,

This is my last reply.

My opinions are based on personal experience. As a child I lived on the
west coast in a community with a large Japanese population. I have seen the
injustice and its' effect on people I know and saw my school class mates
were herded of to internment camps. As an adult I have listened to their
stories. I believe them.

Wayne
CDR USN (Retired)


"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Wayne Paul" wrote in message
...

OK, let us change that comparison. What percentage of the Germans and
Italians interned were actual threats to the security of the war effort.
If that percentage is as low as the interned Japanese, I will concede
that it was not a mater of race.


I don't know, I imagine it's a rather low percentage.



All the west coast Japanese were interned, not just a segment of the
community. By the numbers you quoted earlier it is obvious that the
Government had a criteria for selecting specific Italians and specific
Germans for the camps. The criteria for the Japanese was simply being
Japanese.


What do you base that on?



I know the criteria for the Germans wasn't that broad, because none of my
family were interned nor was any other German family that we knew.


Is that the limit of your research? Why do you assume race was the only
issue? Could geography have been an issue? What percentage of
Japanese-Americans were concentrated in more defense sensitive areas like
the west coast versus less sensitive areas like Milwaukee? Could time or
history have been issues? German immigration began before the US
revolution, and Germans served in the Comntinental Army. Japanese
immigration to the US was more recent.



The paranoia and associated fear of the time is understandable; however,
after 60 years failing to recognize the injustice of our actions is
inexcusable.


But we have recognized the injustice done to Japanese-Americans. We
haven't recognized the injustice done to German-Americans. Most Americans
aren't even aware that US citizens of German descent were interned during
WWII. The fact that it was done in fewer numbers than with
Japanese-Americans makes it no less of an injustice to those that were
interned.