Bayonets in Paradise: Martial Law in Hawaii during World War II

Abstract

Officials in Hawaii in 1942—with its 158,000 Nikkei (ethnic Japanese, both U.S. citizens and noncitizens)—have been applauded for avoiding the unconstitutional actions that were meted out to the 110,000 U.S. West Coast Nikkei, who were incarcerated en masse during World War II. Less has been noted, however, about the military regime imposed on the territory immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In response to the attack, the territorial governor Joseph Poindexter placed the islands under martial law, giving the U.S. Army control over island residents' juridical, economic, political, social, and personal lives. Examples of areas affected include curfew and blackout hours, censorship of mail, the schooling of children, the amount of cash people were allowed to hold, food production, restaurant hours, and the prices of goods. Civilian jobs, wages, and working conditions proved to be a contentious issue between labor unions and the military. The replacement of civilian courts by military tribunals also created sharp public disagreements between military officials and their critics.