Guantanamo: "Dangerous terrorist"? or "no reason recorded for transfer"?

[Incodcito]

It isn't an attempt at justification, it is the justification.

Wow, I did not know that this was a historic argument. I guess Americans have come a long way, if the mindset from then prevailed today...

 

[Formaldehyde]

It isn't an attempt at justification, it is the justification.

That is not what the article says at all:

Historian Gordon Prange notes that it was "the rapidity with which the three resident Japanese went over to the pilot's cause", which troubled the Hawaiians. "The more pessimistic among them cited the Ni‘ihau incident as proof that no one could trust any Japanese, even if an American citizen, not to go over to Japan if it appeared expedient."[7]

Novelist William Hallstead argues that the Ni‘ihau incident had an influence on decisions leading to the Japanese American internment. According to Hallstead, the behavior of Shintani and the Haradas were included in a navy report. In the official report, authored by Navy Lt. C.B. Baldwin and dated January 26, 1942, Baldwin wrote, "The fact that the two Ni‘ihau Japanese who had previously shown no anti-American tendencies went to the aid of the pilot when Japan domination of the island seemed possible, indicate likelihood that Japanese residents previously believed loyal to the United States may aid Japan if further Japanese attacks appear successful."[8]

The opinions of one historian and one novelist about a minor incident do not history make.

 

[Theige]

Wow, I did not know that this was a historic argument. I guess Americans have come a long way, if the mindset from then prevailed today...

What?

All I'm saying is the internment was arguably enacted because of this very specific event, I'm not saying it was the right thing to do.

That is not what the article says at all:

The opinions of one historian and one novelist about a minor incident do not history make.

You can call it a minor incident all you want, but it was widely reported in every national American newspaper, and it clearly influenced the American military command and the Roosevelt administration.

Also, sources abound citing this incident as having influenced the decision to intern Japanese-Americans; I don't need to compile a list, you can look them up yourself if what I provided is insufficient for you.

 

[Formaldehyde]

ll I'm saying is the internment was arguably enacted because of this very specific event, I'm not saying it was the right thing to do.

And I'm saying it is nothing of the sort. There were a multitude of reasons why the US was even more xenophobic back then than it is now. The rampant speculation by some about why a tiny handful of Japanese-Americans helped this particular pilot on that day had little to actually do with the decisions which were made. That is not to say it wasn't used an excuse by some, because it certainly was along with many others.

 

[Incodcito]

Screw it, I gotta start reading posts before posting. I am looking like a fool too much.

 

[Silurian]

So am I the only one in this thread that is actually going to impart knowledge not based on fantastic whimsy? You just got a good lesson on classification systems that should make you more informed and critical posters in the future are you going to eschew that simply because it might poke a whole in a favorite conspiracy theory?

The Top Secret information shows that more are innocent than the Secret information.

Or are you saying that there is evidence otherwise if so please privide link.

 

[Theige]

And I'm saying it is nothing of the sort. There were a multitude of reasons why the US was even more xenophobic back then than it is now. The rampant speculation by some about why a tiny handful of Japanese-Americans helped this particular pilot on that day had little to actually do with the decisions which were made. That is not to say it wasn't used an excuse by some, because it certainly was along with many others.

It may have had "little" to do with the decision, it may have had "a lot" to do with the decision.

It certainly made life for Japanese-American citizens and Japanese nationals residing in the U.S. worse.

 

[RedRalph]

The Top Secret information shows that more are innocent than the Secret information.

Or are you saying that there is evidence otherwise if so please privide link.

Exactly. Stop expecting us to assume there must be something that makes this less appalling than it is just because we 'only' have access to the Secret info.

 

[MobBoss]

Honestly, hand on your heart, give a completely honest answer to this. Give me your gut response, because I know you don't 'know', but tell me what you'd 'guess'.

Do you think that the Top Secret stuff would make this situation better or worse for the US' resputation?

Since I have no idea what the 'top secret' stuff involving it is, I have no idea. It honestly can go either way....for example, did you see that the part of the latest revealed wikileak information confirmed a connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda?

You cant ever assume its all bad or all good. The truth, as usual, is going to be somewhere in the middle.