Evening star., 1943-07-26
Check on Japanese
Dis|oya| 10 U. 5.
Nears Completion
BY JAMES d. WHITE,
Associated Press Writer,


Associated Press Writer.
The Japanese officer glared at me.
Look what happens to japanese
in America" he beloved. "The
Army runs them out of their homes
along the Pacific Coast and is going
to relocate them In Government
centers.
"Two-thirds Of those japanese are
Nisei-American citizens. To treat
them this way is against your own
Constitution, and we japanese are
just as concerned over what happens
to them as to our own people in
America.
You can be very sure" he went
on. that we are watching this thing
with the closest possible attention,
and If 1t keeps up, We have you peo-
pie in Shanghai and all the other
Americans in the Far East to work
on"
Internees at Japs' Mercy.
In the few months I remained in
Shanghai before repatriation with
diplomats and other correspondents,
this was a major propaganda theme
with the Japanese. a.
They claimed that Americans were
treating Japanese in this country
harshly simply because they were
Japanese. They seized on every re-
port via neutral sources and the
radio to twist it to their own pur-
poses.
Since then they have interned all
Americans in their own and con-
quered territory. These and thou
sands Of war prisoners are at their
mercy.
They never mentioned the prime
factor behind the relocation of
Japanese on the West Coast-the
extent of Japan's espionage system,
and the difficulty of distinguishing
between perfectly good Americans
OF japanese ancestry and those
who still are Japanese in mind and
spirit.
There still is the big difficulty
In this huge question.
From the West Coast the Govern
the Japanese race-first to assem-
bly, centers, then to relocation CEN
| tiers.
Question Of Loyalty.
The War Relocation Authority
describes the relation centers as
exactly that-places from which
these Japanese can be relocated in
to normal life.
This process is going on, but
slowly.
The question always comes up:
Who's loyal and who isn't?
The WRA has been easing up to
the move of separating loyal and
disloyal Japanese.
On March 2, 1912 the Western
Defense Command, on grounds of
military necessity, ordered all per-
sons of Japanese ancestry to leave
| the West Coast area-the western
half OF Washington, Oregon and
California, and the lower third OF
Arizona. Later this was extended
to include California.
A few thousand Japanese tried
suspicious, often unwilling to sell
them gasoline or other means of
transportation. They had difficulty
finding places to stay and work
after they got out of the prohibit
ed areas.
So on March 29 the Army stopped
This voluntary movement and en-
forced a compulsory but systema-
tized evacuation of the japanese
first to assembly centers, then to 10
reloca ton centers.
Then came the question of sort
ing them.
Three Types in U. S.
japanese in this country may be
classified in three main types:
First are those born in Japan
who came here before this country
excluded immigration from Japan
in 1924. These are known as Isei
pronounced ee-say).
Their children, born in this coun-
try, are known as Nisei pronounced
nee-say) and are not only American
citizens put generally American in
ideas and habits. Few read Japa-
nese, though many still speak it.
Then there is a class known as
Kibei pronounced kee-bay) who
were born III this country but re-
turned to Japan for an education
and an indoctrination of Japanese
ideas, then returned to this country
to live.
Often all three types are found in
the same family. Ali are present in
all the relocation centers.
Nearly every disturbance reported
out OF the camps is attributed fun
damentally tC conflicts among these
three groups. BY all accounts, the
1sei and the Kibei represent a pro-
japanese element, with the Nisei
generally trying to remain loyal
Americans despite pressure from the
others.
The fact that the Nisei-American
citizens-were confined along with
the others did not strengthen their
arguments with their elders.
Information Needed.
From tho haoipp}p1 +ho J1yD A 49,