"The forced imprisonment of some hundred and twenty thousand residents, a majority of whom were U.S. citizens, rested on dubious evidence that they posed any meaningful threat to American safety."
"The title of Karen Tei Yamashita's fifth novel, 'Questions 27 & 28,' refers to the survey's last two questions, which assessed loyalty and willingness to serve."
"Some young men, eager to assert their Americanness, answered yes to both questions and volunteered for military service; members of the all-Japanese 442nd Regimental Combat Team quickly became war heroes."
"Those who answered no to the questions were, in most cases, imprisoned for the remainder of the war."
In 1943, the U.S. government administered a questionnaire to Japanese Americans in concentration camps to gauge their loyalty. The questionnaire included two critical questions about military service and allegiance to the U.S. Many Japanese Americans felt pressured to prove their loyalty, with some volunteering for military service, while others feared the implications of their answers. The Japanese American Citizens League encouraged members to embrace their identity as '200% American,' complicating the narrative of loyalty and patriotism during a time of unjust confinement.
#japanese-american-history #world-war-ii #loyalty-questionnaire #concentration-camps #karen-tei-yamashita
Read at The New Yorker
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