Was the internment of Japanese Americans in WWII a public affair?

Question

Was the internment of Japanese Americans in WWII public affair; meaning, was it in any way discussed or reported in the contemporary American media? Did the authorities conduct any explanatory propaganda for the public and the Japanese being interned and relocated? My question is not about the visibility of the relocation. I'm rather interested in finding out if there was any PR and public discussion involved (e.g. aimed at differentiating this from European practices of internment and exile)? If you can point me to some relevant literature on this issue, I'd really appreciate it.

Answer 1

Yes. Since most Japanese-AMericans lived on the West Coast, most of the newspaper coverage was in West Coast newspapers. Initially, most of that coverage favored relocation and internment. In fact, newspapers fueled the hysteria leading up to FDR/s executive order. But most newspapers outside the West Coast also supported the policy. A few papers opposed internment, and as time went on and it became clear sabotage was not an issue, some papers changed heir view, but many never did. The US Government itself published a great deal of anti-Japanese propaganda. some of which promoted the idea that Japanese-Americans were a dangerous Fifth Column. Some national publications eventually adopted a more neutral stance and simply reported the facts, while others tried to present arguments on both sides.