About this episode

The episode discusses the repatriation of American civilians trapped in Japanese-controlled territories after Pearl Harbor, featuring insights from guest Evelyn Iritani.

In the wake of Pearl Harbor, more than ten thousand Americans living abroad became trapped in Japanese-controlled territories, and with rumors of ill treatment and torture, the U.S. State Department was desperate to bring home its citizens. Despite the intense acrimony between the warring governments, a tireless State Department official, James Keeley, helped hatch an extraordinary plan through diplomatic back channels: each country would send a ship filled with civilians through war-torn waters to a neutral port city where their passengers could be safely exchanged. Today’s guest is Evelyn Iritani, author of “Safe Passage: The Untold Story of Diplomatic Intrigue, Betrayal, and the Exchange of American and Japanese Civilians by Sea During World War II.” While the U.S. and Japanese governments both assumed their enemy non-combatants--including many in relocation camps and jail cells--would welcome their new "tickets to freedom," the reality proved more complicated. For those who had sunk deep roots in their adopted homelands, the exchanges offered an agonizing choice. And for some patriotic Americans of Japanese descent, there was no choice at all: as the State…

People in this episode

Host: History Unplugged

Guest: Evelyn Iritani

Topics covered

• World War II
• diplomatic history
• repatriation
• American civilians
• Japanese-controlled territories
• Pearl Harbor aftermath
• cultural identity

Keywords

• repatriation
• Pearl Harbor
• Japanese Americans
• diplomatic negotiations
• civilians in war
• James Keeley
• Evelyn Iritani
• World War II history
• cultural conflict

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. State Department

Books & works: Safe Passage: The Untold Story of Diplomatic Intrigue, Betrayal, and the Exchange of American and Japanese Civilians by Sea During World War II

Places: Japan, United States

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