Here are two errors I need to correct. I reported them to my publisher some years back but was unfortunately informed that there won’t be a new printing (even of the e-book) or an errata insert. I apologize for the shortcomings and welcome reports of any others.

Page 121

About one-third of the way down this page I wrongly attributed a quote to Earl Warren. It was General John L. DeWitt (whom I quote later in the paragraph) who stated that a lack of evidence of sabotage by Japanese Americans during World War II was “a disturbing and confirming indication that such action [would] be taken.”

As cited in note 18, my understanding of arguments by Warren and DeWitt for the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans was first informed by reading Years of Infamy by Michi Weglyn, who points out on pages 37-38 that Warren made arguments that were echoed by “the Army” (namely, DeWitt). But to be clear, Warren did not use these exact words. I just mixed them up back when I was taking hand-written notes.

LA Times columnist Michael Hitzik has an accurate quote from Warren that I should have used:

“Many of our people and some of our authorities … are of the opinion that because we have had no sabotage and no fifth column activities in this State since the beginning of the war, that means that none have been planned for us.” But “that is the most ominous sign in our whole situation,” he testified. “I believe that we are just being lulled into a false sense of security and that the only reason we haven’t had a disaster in California is because it has been timed for a different date.”

Page 190

On February 17, 1945, the New York Times published an editorial chastising the American Legion post of Hood River, Oregon for removing the names of sixteen Japanese Americans from their county war memorial. Citing the NYT, I wrote on page 190 that war hero Frank Hachiya was one of the sixteen names removed. But the Times got it wrong, so I did too.

There’s no doubt that the Legion, which was acting out of rank bigotry, would have removed Hachiya’s name if it was on the memorial. But Hachiya’s name was not on the memorial at the time the Legion crossed out the names because he was still alive at that time.

The Japanese American Museum of Oregon provides a list of the actual 16 names with a brief history. I first realized my error when I was read Linda Tamura’s book Nisei Soldiers Break Their Silence: Coming Home to Hood River.