A Black Mark on FDR's Presidency

Reader Comments
Back to article

Why didn't FDR put German-Americans citizens in jail? Because military leaders' attitudes toward white-skinned immigrants was not so prejudiced. Why did he broad-brush all west-coast Japanese-Americans without due-process, violating the constitution, and stripping them of their liberty, property, and pursuit of happiness? Because he was too much of a wimp in an ocean of prejudiced democrats whose party was dominated at the time by southern democrats. Whenever a move was made to integrate the races Southern governors or congressmen would complain to Roosevelt, who would intervene to uphold segregation for the sake of keeping his party together. He partially redeemed himself when he had the backbone to sign Executive Order 8802 (also known as the Fair Employment Act). But it wasn't enough to offset the Japanese scandal nor his naming of Hugo Black, a former KKK member, to the Supreme Court.
Also, most New Deal programs discriminated against blacks. The NRAoffered whites the first crack at jobs and authorized separate and lower pay scales for blacks. The FHA refused to guarantee mortgages for blacks who tried to buy in white neighborhoods. The CCC maintained segregated camps. And the Social Security Act excluded those job categories blacks traditionally filled. The AAA acreage reduction hit blacks harder than whites, forcing more than 100,000 blacks off the land in 1933 and 1934. And the president failed to support an anti-lynching bill and a bill to abolish the poll tax.
By any measure, FDR gets at least a "D" in civil rights! His wife was much better at it.

Rich W of WA 9:11PM January 28, 2012

This is probably the dozenth time I've seen you post your stupid racist apologia site in response to a blog post critical of Japanese-American internment. Please stop posting, it is very annoying.

James of WA 1:45PM November 03, 2009

Actually, there was a case where Japanese Americans took up arms in support of Japan and it influenced the internment decision.
http://www.historynet.com/the-niihau-incident.htm/2

Bob of HI 11:34AM June 23, 2008

It is unfortunate that so many current news writers know so little about so many subjects they write about, particulary so with regard to WWII history. The article "A Black Mark on FDR's Presidency," which smears FDR's name because of his authorization of the WWII internment of resident Japanese nationals and Japanese-Americans for military reasons, is a case in point.
Before Pearl Harbor, U.S. codebreakers were intercepting Japanese consular message which revealed espionage involving resident Japanee nationals and Japanese Americans. Numerous Japanese patriotic societies on the west coast were supporting the Japanese war effort in East Asia by collecting money and sending it to Japan.
Because of such activities by persons of Japanese ancestry in this country, when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor there were urgent security reasons for separating the loyal from the disloyal pesons of Japanese descent. This could not be done overnight so evacuation and relocation of such persons from military zones on the west coast was considered a necessity until screening could determine their status..
Of the so-called "internees," two-thirds of the ADULTS were not U.S. citizens but were Japanese nationals, enemy aliens subject to detention under long-standfing law. The American-born children of such enemy aliens were kept with them to keep families together. Their average age at the time was 15 years. However most of those over age 17 among them were also citizens of Japan (dual citizens). Thousands of these young Japanese-Americans had been educated in Japan, returning to the U.S. more Japanese than American, some as members of the Japanese military reserves. .
The above only scratches the surface of this complex wartime situation. There is much, much, more. There exists an abundance of now-declassified documents supporting the military justification for the internment for the legitimate researcher to exam. Unfortunately some who do so, because of the conventionl wisdom and a pre-disposed politically-correct agenda, ignore or distort the wartime government's side of the story. FDR may have been wrong about some things but he was certainly right to evacuate persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast after Pearl Harbor and his memory should not be dishonored for doing so.
William J. Hopwood, CDR USNR (Ret.)
Veteran WWII"

William Hopwood of FL 10:38PM May 15, 2008

Justin, a review of Chapter V, "Japanese Evacuation From the West Coast" of Conn, Englemman, and Fairchild's "Guarding the United States and its Outposts." [Center of Military History, U.S.Army] is suggested.
As Conn clearly shows, DeWitt, up to his final recommendation to the War Department on 13 Feb. 1942, (prior to FDR's E.O.9066) was consistent in his opposition to the detention of American citizens.
His final recommendation to the War Department was that "citizen evacuees would either ACCEPT INTERNMENT VOLUNTARILY OR RELOCATE THEMSELVES with such assistance as state and federal agencies might offer." (Emphasis mine)
In his final recommentation, DeWitt also called for the inclusion of ALL enemy aliens (German and Italians as well as Japanese) in any evacuation decided.
The evacuation decision was made in the War Department and instructions to DeWitt for instrumentation thereof differed markedly from DeWitt's final recommendation in a number of respects.
But the fact is that from early on to his final recommendation prior to the Evacuation Decision made in Washington, DeWitt was consistent in his opposition to the detainment of American citizens of Japanese descent. As a good soldier, however, he bowed to the orders of his superiors and carried out their instructions to the best of his ability.
Today of course Dewitt has become the whipping boy for the reperations activists from whom you seem to received the Cliff Notes for your articles.

of WA 11:09PM May 14, 2008

Justin: If the question you pose vexes you so, please do a bit of serious research here:
http://home.comcast.net/~eo9066/Intro.html
It's not such a simple matter of a president deciding the fate of a group of Americans. Methinks you are too enamored by Robinson's opinions.
Tell me -- what do you do with foreigners who suddenly become enemies due to a state of war between their country and ours? Ask the leaders of Japan if you are not sure. I can introduce you to a few.

Wes of OR 10:10PM May 14, 2008