In Defense of Internment
In Defense of Internment: The Case for 'Racial Profiling' in World War II and the War on Terror (ISBN 0-89526-051-4) is a 2004 book written by conservative American political commentator Michelle Malkin. Malkin defends the internment of Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II and racial profiling of Arabs during the post-2001 War on Terror. The book's message has been condemned by Japanese American groups and civil rights advocates.[1][2] Its point of view has been criticized by academics.[3][4]
 Book cover | |
| Author | Michelle Malkin |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Racial profiling Law enforcement Internment of Japanese Americans War on Terror |
| Publisher | Regnery Publishing |
Publication date | 2004 |
| Pages | 376 |
| ISBN | 0-89526-051-4 |
| OCLC | 55672102 |
| 940.53/1773 22 | |
| LC Class | HV8141 .M245 2004 |
| Text | In Defense of Internment at Internet Archive |
References
With respect to the 1984 commission decision reviewing Executive Order 9066, Malkin notes that the commission did not review the Magic (cryptography) cables, an omission decried at the time by the Under-secretary who was involved in the decision making process.[5] The book is based on an primary source citations including copies of original documents and Magic (cryptography) cables.
Writing of the book
On her website, Malkin wrote:[6]
I was compelled to write this book after watching ethnic activists, historians, and politicians repeatedly play the World War II internment card after the September 11 attacks. The Bush Administration's critics have equated every reasonable measure to interrogate, track, detain, and deport potential terrorists with the "racist" and "unjustified" World War II internment policies of President Roosevelt. To make amends for this "shameful blot" on our history, both Japanese-American and Arab/Muslim-American activists argue against any and all uses of race, ethnicity, nationality, and religion in shaping current homeland security policies. Misguided guilt about the past continues to hamper our ability to prevent future terrorist attacks.
Response to In Defense of Internment
There was considerable media interest in the book especially on the American West Coast and Hawaii, where the impact of relocation and internment in World War II was greatest. It made the New York Times Best Seller list in September 2004. As anticipated by Malkin,[7] the book proved to be highly controversial, with some civil liberties and Asian-American groups being harshly critical of the book's conclusions.
The Conservative Book Club said Malkin provided "a largely fair assessment".[8] John Tateishi, the Executive Director of the Japanese American Citizens League issued a media release on August 24, 2004, calling the book "a desperate attempt to impugn the loyalty of Japanese Americans during World War II to justify harsher governmental policies today in the treatment of Arab and Muslim Americans." Fred Korematsu, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case Korematsu v. United States which upheld the constitutionality of internment, wrote:
[a]ccording to Malkin, it is OK to take away an entire ethnic group's civil rights because some individuals are suspect. [...] It is painful to see reopened for serious debate the question of whether the government was justified in imprisoning Japanese Americans during World War II. It was my hope that my case and the cases of other Japanese American internees would be remembered for the dangers of racial and ethnic scapegoating.[9]
Reviewing the book for Reason, Eric L. Muller of the University of North Carolina Law School wrote:
the evidence Malkin deploys [...] is—at best—mere speculation. This speculation might be worth a moment's reflection if Malkin also addressed the voluminous historical research that has shown the impact of racism, nativism, political pressure, economic jealousies, and war panic on the government's policies toward Japanese Americans. [...] But Malkin does not so much as mention any of that evidence, except to say that a reader can find it elsewhere in 'pedantic tomes' and 'educational propaganda.' She dismisses what she cannot rebut.[10]
Thirty-nine scholars and professional researchers signed a letter condemning Malkin's book for "blatant violation of professional standards of objectivity and fairness".[11]
References
- Forman, David (2004), "Another View of Internment", Honolulu Star-Bulletin
- Ibish, Hussein (2004), "Michelle Malkin's book seems to urge discrimination in US against Arabs, Muslims", Daily Star
- Robinson, Greg (2004), A Critique of Michelle Malkin's "In Defense of Internment, archived from the original on September 19, 2008
- Muller, Eric (2004), Muller and Robinson on Malkin
- JAAWR Hearings (1984),. Magic "was a very important factor" in their considerations.
- michellemalkin.com, page date 6 Feb 2006, retrieved from archive.org's Wayback Machine
- In Defense of Internemt
- Korematsu, Fred (September 16, 2004). "Do we really need to relearn the lessons of Japanese American internment?". San Francisco Chronicle. p. B9. Archived from the original on September 25, 2004. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- Muller, Eric (December 2004). "Indefensible Internment". Reason. Archived from the original on December 14, 2004. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- Historians' Committee for Fairness (2004-08-31). Press release Archived 2007-08-05 at the Wayback Machine. History News Network. Retrieved 2001-03-08.