Is it true that only Japanese Nationals (adults) were interned, not Japanese-American citizens?
These days, the wartime terms “internment” and “relocation” are often confused and used interchangeably. Only enemy aliens were interned, but not all of them. Resident enemy nationals (German, Italian, Japanese) arrested by the FBI on security charges were given individual hearings and either paroled or interned. No Japanese-Americans were interned unless they had first renounced their U.S. citizenship. Internees were placed in Department of Justice camps under Army control to await deportation and repatriation. Non-alien family members (spouses and children) were allowed to accompany them as “voluntary internees.” Many enemy aliens were not interned but were evacuated from the West Coast war zones. They either moved elsewhere on their own or, in the case of most Japanese, entered relocation centers. Relocation centers were separately operated by the civilian War Relocation Authority.
