The War Relocation Authority and the Wounding of Japanese American Loyalty

Social Research, vol. 86: No. 3: Fall 2019

UNC Legal Studies Research Paper

21 Pages Posted: 25 Oct 2019

See all articles by Eric L. Muller

Eric L. Muller

University of North Carolina School of Law

Date Written: October 7, 2019

Abstract

Loyalty and disloyalty were central concepts in the wartime imprisonment of Japanese Americans. A presumption of disloyalty landed Japanese Americans in concentration camps and then an inquest into loyalty and disloyalty determined who would be granted permission to depart from camp and who would be driven into a deeper incarceration called “segregation.” This article narrates the story of a single man’s shattering experience with the government’s mechanism for loyalty screening. It illustrates the incoherence of a security program built around loyalty, the blindness of those who administered it, and its devastating impact on Japanese Americans’ lives.

Suggested Citation

Muller, Eric L., The War Relocation Authority and the Wounding of Japanese American Loyalty (October 7, 2019). Social Research, vol. 86: No. 3: Fall 2019, UNC Legal Studies Research Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3465883 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3465883

Eric L. Muller (Contact Author)

University of North Carolina School of Law ( email )

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Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3380
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