"Americans' fears of Japanese invasion of the west coast and of German and Italian espionage and sabotage led to US government relocation and internment of many enemy aliens and some Japanese Americans, Italian Americans, and German Americans as well. This book traces and compares the treatment and experiences of all these groups during and immediately after the war. The author's father and grandparents spent time in an internment camp in Texas. Well researched and thought-provoking."—Richard Breitman, author of A Calculated Restraint: What Allied Leaders Said About the Holocaust
"This book is a work that stands outside what one usually finds in historical accounts, and the reader will become quickly engrossed in Schmitz’s narrative. Well organized, the book contains a timeline of significant events from 1930 to 1949, a comprehensive notes section, and a valuable index to locate specific people or events of interest. This book is a must-read for anyone unfamiliar with the events of those dark days in America. Additionally, academics and public policy experts will benefit from the extensive list of resources and citations that the author used in his work. This is a captivating read, recommended without reservation."—Lt. Col. Carl P. (Pete) Johnson, Military Review
“It might be fair to call Schmitz’s National Archives research heroic. His pages show the impact of U.S. relocation and internment policies and camps on specific individuals and families, impacts that varied wildly from case to case.”—Kenneth O’Reilly, Journal of American History
“John Schmitz makes astute use of previously unused documents to weave together the internment and relocation story, the military situation abroad, and the machinations of American politicians struggling to master it all. Enemies among Us is a unique and important addition to our understanding of this sad episode.”—Stephen Fox, author of Fear Itself: Inside the FBI Roundup of German Americans during World War II
"Schmitz's in-depth study is a useful and much-needed beginning for a new direction in this period of America's wartime history."—Steph Hinnershitz, Southwestern Historical Quarterly
"The breadth of Enemies among Us makes it well suited for inclusion in undergrad and graduate school courses in history, American studies, war studies, and international relations."—Alan Rosenfeld, Michigan War Studies Review
"Enemies among Us will be an indispensable resource for those seeking to comprehend how, during World War II, it came to be that 'Americans created, castigated, and then incarcerated alleged enemies; all this, despite lack of evidence, or worse, evidence to the contrary.'"—William Issel, California History
"Schmitz's work untangles the psychological, political, social, and, yes, racial forces that culminated in a sad historical episode."—Mark G. Brennan, Chronicles Magazine
"Professor Schmitz’s book is a welcome addition to literature on the treatment of enemy aliens in World War II."—Fred L. Borch, Journal of Military History
“Enemies among Us sheds important light on little-remembered but undeniably significant episodes in twentieth century history. By expanding our understanding of American detention, internment, and repatriation during World War II, John Schmitz exposes the dynamics that can lead to the mass violation of civil rights, even by otherwise well-intentioned policy makers and law enforcement officials. As much as it is a historical text, this work also presents an important warning for our world today.”—Bradley W. Hart, author of Hitler’s American Friends: The Third Reich’s Supporters in the United States
