Earl Warren and Japanese internment

Thanks to Mother Jones for the image of George Takei.

In the Mother Jones interview with George Takei he gives a fascinating insight into the role of future-Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren in Japanese Internment and the strategic historical silencing of the internments.

GT: Yes, for America it’s a shameful experience—embarrassing—and for some non-Japanese Americans, it’s something they don’t like to talk about. For example the attorney general of California at that time was very ambitious, he wanted to become governor. He saw that the single most popular issue was “getting rid of the Japs,” and he used this to get elected. After two terms he went on to become Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. His name was Earl Warren—a so-called liberal justice. He was prodded and challenged by Japanese Americans throughout his career. He only spoke about it when he was near the end of his life. That’s one reason why our history books are rather mute.

via George Takei, the Best Driver in the Galaxy | Mother Jones.