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Enemies: World War II Alien Internment
They were called aliens and enemies. But the World War II internees John Christgau writes about were in fact ordinary people victimized by the politics of a global war. The Alien Enemy Control Program in America was born with the United States’s declaration of war on Japan, Germany, and Italy and lasted until 1948. In all, 31,275 “enemy aliens” were imprisoned in camps like the one described in this book—Fort Lincoln, just south of Bismarck, North Dakota.
In animated and suspenseful prose, Christgau tells the stories of several individuals whose experiences are representative of those at Fort Lincoln. The subjects’ lives before and after capture—presented in five case studies—tell of encroaching bitterness and sorrow. Christgau based his accounts on voluminous and previously untouched National Archives and FBI documents in addition to letters, diaries, and interviews with his subjects.
Christgau’s afterword for this Bison Books edition relates additional stories of World War II alien restriction, detention, and internment that surfaced after this book was originally published, and he draws parallels between the alien internment of World War II and events in this country since September 11, 2001.
In animated and suspenseful prose, Christgau tells the stories of several individuals whose experiences are representative of those at Fort Lincoln. The subjects’ lives before and after capture—presented in five case studies—tell of encroaching bitterness and sorrow. Christgau based his accounts on voluminous and previously untouched National Archives and FBI documents in addition to letters, diaries, and interviews with his subjects.
Christgau’s afterword for this Bison Books edition relates additional stories of World War II alien restriction, detention, and internment that surfaced after this book was originally published, and he draws parallels between the alien internment of World War II and events in this country since September 11, 2001.
216 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2001
22 people want to read
About the author
John Christgau
15 books2 followersFrom Wikipedia: Christgau was born in Crookston, Minnesota. He later moved to California, where he attended San Francisco State University. He taught at several high schools and coached Crestmoor High School's first varsity basketball team, in San Bruno, California. He lived in Belmont, California.
His books have dealt primarily with sports and American history. His book, Michael and the Whiz Kids (2013), is the story of Christgau's experiences as coach of a championship, lightweight basketball team that featured the first African American athlete in Crestmoor High School's history. This book was followed by Incident at the Otterville Station: A Civil War Story of Slavery and Rescue, the true story of the rescue of slaves that were to be shipped from Missouri to Kentucky, in defiance of federal laws.
Christgau died following a heart attack on August 21, 2018.
His books have dealt primarily with sports and American history. His book, Michael and the Whiz Kids (2013), is the story of Christgau's experiences as coach of a championship, lightweight basketball team that featured the first African American athlete in Crestmoor High School's history. This book was followed by Incident at the Otterville Station: A Civil War Story of Slavery and Rescue, the true story of the rescue of slaves that were to be shipped from Missouri to Kentucky, in defiance of federal laws.
Christgau died following a heart attack on August 21, 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 21, 2021
This is an important book about an important topic that, unfortunately, continues to this day.
I have lived in Bismarck, ND, for the past quarter century. I have previously heard of the internment camps at nearby Fort Lincoln, but this book greatly enhanced my knowledge and understanding of them.
The book has been updated with an Afterward in 2009. This not only included some additional stories of WWII internees, but also the shameful and continuing legacy of Guantanamo Bay. (Just yesterday [July 2021] a detainee was repatriated to Morocco. He probably WAS a bad guy, but never had been charged, let alone tried or convicted.). It’s like we never learn.
Because of its importance, I want to give it 5 stars. Unfortunately, as a book, it needs revision. As important as the subject is, the book is rather dull and sometimes plodding. There is no reason this should be! These are fascinating and horrible stories, and yet I frequently fell asleep while reading it. Really, only one chapter, involving an escape, was exciting.
Making the reading even harder, the author would sometimes use an individual’s last name, and then his first name, and perhaps then back to his last name. Hard to keep the people straight at times.
Another peeve is the presence of photographs. Not the fact that there were photos, but they were lumped at the beginning of each chapter. It would be much better to intersperse them within the chapters, or even at the end, after you knew something about the people and places. I also think they should be edited. Many have rather poor contrast, for example. I suppose in the first edition the technology, if available, might have been cost-prohibitive, but Photoshop has been around quite a while now.
Do read this important book! I only hope for an updated edition some day.
I have lived in Bismarck, ND, for the past quarter century. I have previously heard of the internment camps at nearby Fort Lincoln, but this book greatly enhanced my knowledge and understanding of them.
The book has been updated with an Afterward in 2009. This not only included some additional stories of WWII internees, but also the shameful and continuing legacy of Guantanamo Bay. (Just yesterday [July 2021] a detainee was repatriated to Morocco. He probably WAS a bad guy, but never had been charged, let alone tried or convicted.). It’s like we never learn.
Because of its importance, I want to give it 5 stars. Unfortunately, as a book, it needs revision. As important as the subject is, the book is rather dull and sometimes plodding. There is no reason this should be! These are fascinating and horrible stories, and yet I frequently fell asleep while reading it. Really, only one chapter, involving an escape, was exciting.
Making the reading even harder, the author would sometimes use an individual’s last name, and then his first name, and perhaps then back to his last name. Hard to keep the people straight at times.
Another peeve is the presence of photographs. Not the fact that there were photos, but they were lumped at the beginning of each chapter. It would be much better to intersperse them within the chapters, or even at the end, after you knew something about the people and places. I also think they should be edited. Many have rather poor contrast, for example. I suppose in the first edition the technology, if available, might have been cost-prohibitive, but Photoshop has been around quite a while now.
Do read this important book! I only hope for an updated edition some day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2023
Decent book about a little talked about topic. There are five separate stories told about specific internees held at Fort Lincoln internment camp.
The stories are told in kind of a run on rambling fashion. Makes some of it a bit tiresome. It does give some insight on what it was like for the internees at the camp, as well as the conditions. Most interesting is how different political groups formed based on their allegiance to their “home” countries.
I think a book like this is important historically. I would bet almost no one in North Dakota knows there was an internment camp in Bismarck.
Worth a look if you are interested in American or North Dakota history.
The stories are told in kind of a run on rambling fashion. Makes some of it a bit tiresome. It does give some insight on what it was like for the internees at the camp, as well as the conditions. Most interesting is how different political groups formed based on their allegiance to their “home” countries.
I think a book like this is important historically. I would bet almost no one in North Dakota knows there was an internment camp in Bismarck.
Worth a look if you are interested in American or North Dakota history.
May 24, 2017
Well written. These stories are taken from internees held at Ft. Lincoln on the Missouri River in Mandan (Bismarck) North Dakota. This is the same Ft Lincoln where George Armstrong Custer was stationed. I found this book exceptionally interesting because I live in Bismarck, ND, and have been to Ft Lincoln many times. This is an historically interesting story.
October 31, 2023
As an author of historical fiction, discovering this book was like finding a hidden pot of gold as I research a book that has a character who spends time at Fort Lincoln as an Enemy Alien.
January 16, 2016
This is another book dealing with World War II internment of people in the U.S. but unlike most books this one also includes Germans and Italians along with the persons of Japanese ancestry.
A lot of the Germans who ended up in the camps were men that had been on merchants ships. Like the Japanese-American internees they were divided politically into those who were fanatically loyal to their government and those who wanted just to stay in the U.S. and make something of themselves. The book goes into a lot of details of particular people and events in the German camp where events, including beatings of those who didn't toe the fanatical line, happened just like it happened at Tule Lake.
It also covers various escapes and escape attempts from the German internment camp. In investigating what was going on in the camp rumors were considered similar to the 'spectral evidence' used in the Salem witch trials to find someone guilty of wrongdoing even when they had done nothing wrong.
There's a lot of coverage of the internees in the various camps who wanted to renounce their American citizenship although this was sometimes caused by threats of violence given out by the fanatics. The information on the Japanese internees covers their removal from Tule Lake to Ft. Lincoln.
There is no doubt that the civil rights of many of these people in Ft. Lincoln and other INS camps were violated, yet it's also true that many of the people in those areas were fanatics who were quite willing to fight against this country, unlike the vast majority of the people in the camps holding persons of Japanese ancestry who wanted to just get by. Some of them even ended up fighting for American in the special all-Nisei regiment the 442nd.
It's a good book and as I said earlier it covers things most other books on the subject don't.
A lot of the Germans who ended up in the camps were men that had been on merchants ships. Like the Japanese-American internees they were divided politically into those who were fanatically loyal to their government and those who wanted just to stay in the U.S. and make something of themselves. The book goes into a lot of details of particular people and events in the German camp where events, including beatings of those who didn't toe the fanatical line, happened just like it happened at Tule Lake.
It also covers various escapes and escape attempts from the German internment camp. In investigating what was going on in the camp rumors were considered similar to the 'spectral evidence' used in the Salem witch trials to find someone guilty of wrongdoing even when they had done nothing wrong.
There's a lot of coverage of the internees in the various camps who wanted to renounce their American citizenship although this was sometimes caused by threats of violence given out by the fanatics. The information on the Japanese internees covers their removal from Tule Lake to Ft. Lincoln.
There is no doubt that the civil rights of many of these people in Ft. Lincoln and other INS camps were violated, yet it's also true that many of the people in those areas were fanatics who were quite willing to fight against this country, unlike the vast majority of the people in the camps holding persons of Japanese ancestry who wanted to just get by. Some of them even ended up fighting for American in the special all-Nisei regiment the 442nd.
It's a good book and as I said earlier it covers things most other books on the subject don't.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews