Japanese Americans at Manzanar “We had about one week to dispose
of what we owned, except what we could pack and carry for our
departure by bus…for Manzanar.” William Hohri Buses line up on a
Los Angeles street to take Japanese American evacuees to camp.
Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, led the United
States into World War II and radically changed the lives of
120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry living in
the United States. The attack intensified racial prejudices and
led to fear of potential sabotage and espionage by Japanese
Americans among some in the government, military, news media,
and public. In February, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing the Secretary of War to
establish Military Areas and to remove from those areas anyone
who might threaten the war effort. Without due process, the
government gave everyone of Japanese ancestry living on the West
Coast only days to decide what to do with their houses, farms,
businesses, and o