German-American Internment

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the history of the Japanese internment camps is becoming more widely studied; however, the internment of German-Americans, even some Jewish refugees, in the United States during WWII has not been highly publicized. The author tells the personal stories of some of these internees. The paper stresses that, although World War II is in the distant past, after 9/11, there were Arab-Americans who were detained in jails for quite some time for no reason. The United States must find the appropriate way of protecting the nation against security threats without losing sight of the liberties.

From the Paper:

"Because the FBI did not have the language ability and the contacts in Latin America, they drew up lists of Germans they found suspicious on the slightest evidence and anonymous informants. No holds were barred, as landlords turned in tenants and visa versa, and old lovers turned in each other. Anyone who made a denunciation to the U.S. consul in Guayaquil was paid $50 or given whisky. In Mexico, journalists and informants received retainers for providing "positive information" of dangerous Nazis. The flaws in this approach were obvious and objected to by at least two U.S. ambassadors."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bohan, Suzanne. Internment camp survivors tell their tales. May 6, 2007. Inside Bay Area20, May 2007 http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_5831892?source=rss
• Fox, Stephen. America's Invisible Gulag. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2000.

More papers on German-American Internment:

• Research Paper # 96597 : "Japanese-American Internment"
• Essay # 58293 : "German-American Christmas and Easter"
• Research Paper # 2872 : "The U.S. Response to German Reunification"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: