Personal memories of the fears generated among German and Japanese-American citizens during World War II have faded with the years. But the fears were very real, not only on the part of those citizens, but on the part of people who felt they had reason to fear Americans of recent German or Japanese heritage.
The stories of the impounding of Japanese-American citizens on the West Coast are familiar to us. But right here in Missouri, a sizable counterspy operation was under way for most of the war, and for good reason. It it was natural for the federal government to be concerned about what might happen with all the Americans on the west coast who have Oriental heritage, it was also natural for people at high levels to worry about what could happen in Missouri, an area where Germans settled in large numbers.
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