Story Rating 9.0 out of a possible 10.0

Book review by: Kenneth Walten age: 40 Review submitted on 01/12/2002 at 15:39:32 list all 4701 reviews for this book

Illustrations Rating 7.0 out of a possible 10.0

Kenneth Walten writes the following about Intelligence, Internment & Relocation :

A new WW II history is now available based on research in the FBI, Naval and National Archives. It discusses such topics as top-secret MAGIC intelligence; the extensive sabotage and espionage in Hawaii and on the West Coast; the Fourth Army's difficult assignment and the professional manner in which they accomplished their mission. Intelligence, Internment & Relocation includes an extensive appendix of documents, a glossary, illustrations, innumerable little known facts, heavy emphasis on archival research and, above all, a very convincing justification for the actions our government took in WW II as it affected our ethnic Japanese population on the Pacific Coast and Hawaii. The central theme of the book is the reaction of our government to the threat to its existence presented by the Axis powers in WW II. Options were limited, but all aspects of the complicated problem were thoroughly analyzed by President Roosevelt and his advisers. A legion of critics continue to assail the decisions made, but significantly, no one has suggested a viable alternative to the course of action taken. The book is short on opinion and long on documentation. Evidence is presented of serious errors of omission and commission by the pro-Japanese contingent in their effort to rewrite history. For example, samples of altered documents are included that were submitted into evidence. This book is a significant addition to the literature on this subject and should cause a lot of attitude readjustment among readers, especially those who insist on an accurate, truthful accounting and those who have read only one side of this controversial subject. A major aim is to counter the extensive literature of historical revisionism that slanders and vilifies our wartime leaders. The massive literature on the subject emphasizes the Japanese American position and, after 20 years of reading their version of events, many may find it difficult to rearrange their prejudices. The following are among the many topics included:  America was ill-prepared for a two-front war and the tides of war were running most adversely against us. in the early stages. The outlook was bleak and uncertain and the prognosis unfavorable.  Japan's massive espionage penetration of the western hemisphere with several well-organized and functioning spy nets in Hawaii and on the mainland.  The Congressional Commission's two-year so-called "study" of the events surrounding President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 was conducted with no knowledge of the secret intelligence on which the president based his decisions?..a major flaw in their report.  The lengthy pursuit of redress by ethnic Japanese culminating in the Civil Rights Act of 1988.  The difficult assignment given General John DeWitt and the Fourth army and the skill with which they accomplished their mission.  Facts supporting the military necessity for evacuating ethnic Japanese from "red zones" on the West Coast is emphasized. Our author is careful to make a distinction between the great majority of the ethnic Japanese population who were loyal to the U.S. during the war and those who were disloyal. This latter group included spies, saboteurs and the terrorists who harassed and intimidated loyal residents in the relocation centers. The author betrays a pro-government bias, but he skillfully and conclusively counters the extensive literature of historical revisionism that slanders and vilifies our wartime leaders. Intelligence, Internment & Relocation is a difficult book to find (try Amazon.com) but well worth the effort for those who prefer facts to opinions. Library shelves are loaded with books claiming that we were hysterical racists and overreacting in WW II and that our president was a failure as a leader. We now have a book which includes a mass of documentation that refutes these slanders. More information is available on the author's web site at: www.kikarpublications.com "

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