Abstract
AUGUST 1943, Galen M. Fisher's seminal essay entitled Our Two Japanese-American Policies appeared in The Christian Century. It portrayed the two diverse policies then employed by the United States government respecting the two large population concentrations of Americans of Japanese ancestry (AJAs). Along the West Coast AJAs had been recently interned by the government. This policy involved removal from their homes and communities and tremendous property losses. In the Hawaiian Islands AJAs had been allowed to remain in their homes and function as a necessary and appreciated part of Hawaiian society. What accounts for this discrepancy? Fisher noted several factors. First, on the mainland, agitation, popular pressure and threats of violence preceded the decision to intern AJAs. The anti-AJA bias of General John DeWitt, then the commander of the Western Defense Command, was also portrayed as a significant factor. By contrast, Fisher commended the calming hand of General Delos Emmons, who served as DeWitťs counterpart in Hawaii. Fisher wrote:
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