The Facts and Fiction about Japanese Internment Camps

Instead of just writing a piece about how unjust it was to intern the Japanese during WWII, which it was in hindsight, the writer: Matt Winters, Daily Astorian, 7/11/15, Editor's Notebook: 40 years later, memories of vanilla-flavored evil return piece makes an unsubstantiated claim through a 3rd person that 3 Japanese we’re taken out of the Heart Mountain camp and murdered. He was clearly attempting to lure the reader in with a false claim and shock journalism. He later goes on to discuss a photographer who had taken photos at the camp and also how many Japanese served in the military during WWII which are perfectly legitimate topics to remember about the Japanese Americans and the camps.

I grew up 15 minutes from Heart Mountain and know the history about the camp. Never, in all the years that I lived in Wyoming did one story surface about anyone being murdered. The 1st third of Winter’s story was devoted to the idea that the murders were feasible. Then later in the article he finally admits that he no evidence to support such a claim. Whether he believed the camps were right or wrong it’s not responsible journalism to write about hearsay, rumors nor attempt to paint a misleading picture.

He also wrote that 2 detainees were shot because they were attempting to escape. One he claims wasn’t trying to escape at all but even the evidence about that shooting is debatable. Even it wasn’t, if only 1 person was shot under mysterious circumstances that shouldn’t be an indictment of whole camp experience. A total of 260,000 Japanese were held in all the camps and during that time if only 1 individual was shot under questionable circumstance that’s far from barbaric behavior.

The camps should be a source of some American shame. Taking private property from the Japanese was outrageous. So was the detainment in hindsight but during that time period Americans had learned spies had helped contribute to the destruction of Pearl Harbor. That was an unprovoked act of mass murder and the fear about where American Japanese loyalty lied while overblown was a genuine concern.

Prior to WWII every race on earth had committed far more unacceptable acts of murder and torture during war time including the Japanese. Remember The Rape of Nanking?

The Americans provided food, shelter and none of the detainees were beaten, tortured or murdered. It’s important to remember they were released and did have the opportunity to assimilate back into American society. Many families became happy productive members of the Powell area after the war. Where are these stories?

No reasonable person can defend the camps but tabloid journalism shouldn’t be allowed to alter the facts about important historical events.