Children of Internment

Directed by Joe Krump and Christina Wagner (2013)

Film Review

Prior to watching this documentary, I had no idea that the US placed Americans of German and Italian extraction, as well as Japanese Americans, in concentration camps. The US Army worked hard to prevent the US public from learning of the presence of Germans and Italians in their domestic internment camps. Nearly 11,000 German Americans (over 50% US citizens) were arrested and detained.

The US government decision to evacuate and  intern Germans, Japanese and Italians began at least five years before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Germans and Italians who were arrested had to prove their innocence to local hearing boards, where they were not allowed to consult lawyers, call witnesses, or even know the charges against them.

What I find even bizarre was that the US army kidnapped thousands of Japanese and German citizens from various Latin American countries to detain them in US concentration camps.

None of the detainees had release dates. For nearly all of them the only avenue for release was to agree to repatriation in Germany or Japan. Those who agreed were traded for US detainees in enemy countries. Following Germany’s May 8, 1945 surrender, deported German-Americans were detained in US prison camps in Germany. Despite their US citizenship, some would not be released until 1946.

When Truman ordered all detained German-Americans deported in early 1945. North Dakota Senator William Langor convened senate hearings to block the executive order. In September 1947, Truman was forced to release all German-Americans who remained in internment.

This film explores the personal and family stories of internees interviews, family photographs, and archival footage. Descendants of German-American prisoners continue to lobby Congress for legislation acknowledging their illegal imprisonment. Japanese Americans received reparations for their detention during the Reagan administration. Italian-American families have received a formal apology.

Anyone with a public library card can view the film free on Kanopy – type Kanopy and the name of your library into your search engine.