LIFE1936-1948

This April 6, 1942, article describes a shameful chapter in WWII America. Over 120,000 Japanese living on the West Coast (two thirds of whom were American citizens) were forced into internment camps in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. They spent the war years living in tar paper covered barracks hastily constructed in remote areas…mostly on Native American reservations. The expression “It cannot be helped” was often expressed by the interned families and reflected their resignation to their helplessness. It also demonstrated their sense of respect for authority, self discipline and loyalty. The article has several descriptions that must have been both painful and laughable to the internees. They include: “Japanese residents…settled comfortably…prepared to wait out the war in willing and not unprofitable internment;” “The Army hopes this great and unprecedented migration will be as spontaneous and cheerful as its first chapter;” and “…the internees found themselves in a scenic spot of lonely loveliness.” Many Japanese Americans in California (where 90% of Japanese Americans lived) were successful farmers. In the haste to report to internment they often sold their property for much less than its value, and financial records were left behind and lost. The IRS inexplicably destroyed the 1939-1942 tax returns of internees and other property placed in government storage was often lost or stolen. After the war in 1948 $37 million was paid to internees as compensation for property losses, which works out to about $300 per person. President Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which provided redress of $20,000 for each surviving detainee.

It is the atomic bomb that ended the war for Japan says Japan’s premier, Prince Higashi-Kuni. “This terrific weapon was likely to result in the obliteration of the Japanese people…” On Aug. 6th, 1945, Hiroshima was the first city struck and over 100,000 people perished. Tokyo was mystified that all phone and telegraph contact with Hiroshima suddenly stopped. A young Japanese officer was dispatched by plane to investigate and within 100 miles of the city could see the tremendous atomic cloud. Their plane soon reached the city around which they flew in disbelief. Nagasaki was hit three days later and over 80,000 died. Even more would have been killed in Nagasaki but the first significant bombing raids on the city the week before caused the Japanese to relocate school children to the rural areas. While many criticize America’s decision to use these weapons, it was expected that the US and it’s allies could lose up to one million soldiers during an invasion of the Japanese islands. And even more Japanese would have been killed as well. On LIFE’S cover is General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. He was just appointed Supreme Allied Commander in Japan, a country never before ruled by a foreigner. MacArthur was first pictured on LIFE’S cover Dec. 8th, 1941, the weekend the war began.