Quote:
Originally posted by dtb
Hard to say. I don't know what the basis for the round-up was (well, I know Pearl Harbor and all that, but was there anything else?) in those days
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Alleged spying and fears of sabotage. And some actual spying and attempts at sabotage, but no more than that conducted by German Americans. And there was probably less spying by Japanese Ameicans for Japan than there was by WASPs for the Soviet Union, but I digress.
I think historians think that the relatively high concentration of Japanese-Americans in places like Hawaii and California exacerbated the fears of the governments and people in those areas. Pearl Harbor was a severe shock to most folks, and the relatively exposed Pacific coast (after all, there wasn't really a Navy left to protect LA and SF, etc.) made everyone very nervous. The fact that Mr. Oshima listened to short-wave radio programs from his father's home suddenly seemed like a very dangerous thing.
