"A BENEVOLENT DICTATORSHIP"
Self-Government at Amache Camp
BLOCK MANAGERS
There were two facets to self-government at Amache Camp. The first was the Block Managers’ Assembly, a group comprised of primarily Issei (first-generation) appointees. The Block Managers held much of the political clout among Amache inmates because they handled the requests on “housing, heating, and household supplies, assisting the family in case of death in making all needed arrangements...and also to advise the personnel director on employment.” (Harvey 94)
Block Managers in front of Town Hall. Image Source: The Bancroft Library, University of California. Berkeley, California.
TOWN COUNCIL VALUES
The Town Councils, though they had less political clout, are representative of the allegiance to America that the majority of the inmates still felt. They formulated a town charter themselves, “based on the Mayflower Compact and various New England town council charters.” The Council was made of elected representatives from each block, and generally comprised of Nissei (second-generation) and Kibei (usually Nissei, but who returned to Japan for education) inmates. The Town Councils carried a more symbolic role, but they spread patriotism through community gatherings and schools, creating systems of reward for diligent and loyal inmate behavior. (Harvey 93)
A Councilmember delivering remarks to young people. Image Source: The Bancroft Library, University of California. Berkeley, California.
A LIBERAL LEADER
The camp’s director, James G Lindley, was considered “politically liberal.” As the excerpt to the right shows, Lindley and others in the WRA were on occasion heavily invested in encouraging American democratic ideals among the inmates. In this letter, Lindley expresses disappointment at the result of inmates’ self-government, calling it a “benevolent dictatorship” rather than a representative government. In reality, the republican and representative systems of camp politics were more closely aligned with the reality of American political life than the direct democracy Lindley desired. (Saiki 15)
Image Source: California State University, Dominguez Hills Special Collections and Archives
Sources:
Harvey, Robert. Amache : the story of Japanese internment in Colorado during World War II. Lanham, Md. : Taylor Trade Pub. : Distributed by National Book Network, 2004.
Saiki, Mark K. Cooperation, Compliance, and Resistance at Amache. Master’s Thesis, University of Northern Colorado, 2006.