Analysis: Excerpts of the Munson Report
The topic of the Munson Report delves into the complex dynamics of Japanese immigrant and Japanese American communities in the United States prior to World War II. As tensions with Japan escalated in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought to understand the loyalty of Japanese Americans, particularly the Issei (first-generation immigrants) and Nisei (American-born children of Issei). Curtis B. Munson, appointed by Roosevelt, conducted an extensive investigation across the West Coast and Hawaii, gathering insights from various stakeholders, including community members and military officials. His findings suggested that the majority of Japanese Americans were loyal to the United States, countering prevailing suspicions of disloyalty. Munson’s report emphasized the assimilation of the Nisei into American society and highlighted the potential for them to act as allies in the event of war. He concluded that while some individuals might pose a risk, they were already under surveillance, and the broader community should not be seen as a threat. The report underscored the need for careful handling of Japanese American property to prevent any misuse during wartime. This analysis invites further exploration of the implications of the Munson Report within the context of American history and civil rights.
Analysis: Excerpts of the Munson Report
Date: November 7, 1941
Author: Curtis B. Munson
Genre: report
Summary Overview
As war with Japan became increasingly likely throughout 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt felt that he did not have reliable information on the loyalty of Japanese immigrants, called Issei, and the first-generation American citizens of Japanese descent, called Nisei, who were centered predominantly on the West Coast and in Hawaii. Curtis B. Munson was tasked with finding out the answers to Roosevelt's questions. Munson conducted a thorough investigation, traveling throughout the West Coast and speaking with intelligence agents, military officials, Japanese Americans, and people who lived in the same communities as Japanese Americans. The report that Munson produced, which reached Roosevelt one month before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, presented detailed information on the Japanese immigrant and Japanese American communities, drawing conclusions about their loyalties and offering concrete recommendations as to the best way to proceed should war break out with Japan.
Defining Moment
Japanese immigration to the United States began in the late nineteenth century, particularly in the 1880s as Japanese legal restrictions on emigration from that country began were relaxed. Between 1886 and 1911, some four hundred thousand Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States, settling predominantly along the West Coast and the US-controlled islands of Hawaii. Though they faced discrimination and a legal system stacked against them in the United States, many became successful farmers and business owners. In fact, as of 1940, Japanese Americans owned nearly half a million acres of farmland in California. In 1941, nearly 40 percent of the Hawaiian population was of Japanese descent. Discrimination was a fact of life for most ethnic minorities in the United States, and the Japanese were no different. They faced legal restrictions on immigration and land ownership as well as widespread social discrimination.
The so-called Gentlemen's Agreement between the United States and Japan in 1907 ended segregation in San Francisco's public schools (considered an insult to national pride in Japan) in exchange for curtailing further emigration from Japan to the United States, with the exception of certain professionals. California's Alien Land Law of 1913 prevented immigrants who were ineligible for US citizenship from owning land in California. The US Immigration Act of 1924 implemented a national origins quota for immigration to the United States and ended immigration from Japan and other Asian nations completely. On top of such legal restrictions, the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 made things even worse for Japanese Americans, as many white Americans saw them as competition for scarce jobs. Japanese Americans responded to widespread discriminatory practices by creating organizations such as the Japanese American Citizens League, both to fight discrimination and to create infrastructure to support the Japanese community.
Throughout the 1930s, it became apparent that the Empire of Japan had plans to expand into both China and the islands of the western Pacific. The United States, wishing to maintain naval supremacy in the Pacific, began to view the Japanese as a potential threat. When war broke out, pitting Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom and France in 1939, the United States went out of its way to emphasize its neutrality, and most Americans had no desire to become embroiled in another foreign war, whether in Europe or the Pacific. However, as the conflict grew, it became apparent to many that American involvement in World War II was simply a matter of time. In light of this, the Alien Registration Act was passed in 1940, requiring all foreign-born noncitizens over the age of fourteen to register with the federal government and submit fingerprints. US officials began conducting intelligence operations to formulate federal policy regarding Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans in the United States in the event of war with Japan, and in 1941, Curtis B. Munson was tasked with assessing the loyalty of the Japanese American community.
Author Biography
As President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought intelligence to determine whether Japanese Americans might pose a threat to the United States if the country went to war with Japan, Curtis B. Munson was appointed a special representative of the US State Department. His task was to supplement espionage on this issue by the Federal Bureau of Investigation or other official federal investigative services, including the Navy and Army intelligence services. Munson, a Chicago businessman, was granted investigative powers to formulate conclusions regarding the loyalties of the Japanese population. Munson covered three naval districts along the West Coast and Hawaii in October and early November 1941, and his findings supported the conclusions of the FBI and military intelligence agencies that the Japanese American population at large posed no discernible threat to national security. Munson was married to golfer Edith Cummings and died in 1979.
Document Analysis
Curtis B. Munson provides a snapshot of Japanese immigrant and Japanese American society in his report to President Roosevelt, and in so doing, gives insight into how he thought their loyalties would play out in the event that the United States went to war with Japan. Though he breaks down Japanese American society into a number of different groups, the two that primarily concern Roosevelt—as they accounted for the vast majority of the community—are the Issei, immigrants from Japan, and the Nisei, the first-generation American children of the Issei.
The older, Japanese-born Issei, according to Munson, although still culturally Japanese, have chosen a life in the United States, turning their backs on Japan. He notes the pride with which they watch their children participate in American life, including service in the armed forces. In an effort to connect his evaluation with something Roosevelt would know, he compares the Issei with the “pilgrim fathers,” who had turned their backs on England to come to America. As older people who have consciously broken with their past, Munson does not consider the Issei to be a threat.
Similarly, Munson describes the Nisei as “pathetically eager” to demonstrate their loyalty to the United States. Born and raised in the United States, they are American citizens, yet they face widespread discrimination. Munson suggests that even the smallest gesture of acceptance or protection by government authorities would essentially complete the community's cultural conversion. Though there is a small portion of the Nisei known as the Kibei, who received part of their education in Japan, by and large Munson viewed the Nisei as completely assimilated to American society and a reliable ally in time of war. He observes that the Hawaiian Japanese American population is even more Americanized than Japanese Americans on the West Coast, as they are considered locals and are largely accepted by other ethnic groups in the state.
Munson concludes with an assessment and a recommendation. First, he plainly states that “there is no Japanese ‘problem’ on the Coast.” He asserts that the vast majority of the population will remain loyal to the United States in the event of war with Japan. Though a few might cooperate with Japan, they have already been identified by intelligence agencies and are under close surveillance; even those who are willing to conduct sabotage against the United States will have a difficult time conducting covert actions due to their “easily recognized physical appearance.” He recommends increased security measures at potential targets for sabotage, such as power plants and dams, arguing that “it will be hard for them to get near anything to blow up if it is guarded.” Finally, in order to minimize the possibility of Japanese property being used against the United States, Munson recommends that the federal government oversee the transfer of property from the Issei to their children, as he sees the Nisei as the most trustworthy part of the community.
Glossary
preponderance: superiority in weight, number, power, etc.
Bibliography and Additional Reading
Kumamoto, Bob. “The Search for Spies: American Counterintelligence and the Japanese-American Community 1931–1943.” Amerasia Journal 6.2 (1979): 45–75. Print.
Muller, Eric L. American Inquisition: The Hunt for Japanese American Disloyalty in World War II. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina P, 2007. Print.
Takahashi, Jerrold Haruo. Nisei/Sansei: Shifting Japanese American Identities and Politics. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1997. Print.
Weglyn, Michi Nishiura. Years of Infamy: The Untold Story of America's Concentration Camps. Seattle: U of Washington P, 1996. Print.
Yoo, David K. Growing Up Nisei: Race, Generation, and Culture among Japanese Americans of California, 1929–49. Urbana: U of Illinois P, 2000. Print.