The Japanese in Our Midst [cover title]

[Denver: Colorado Council of Churches, 1942. Very good.. 8pp. (including text block numbered 3-7 plus wrappers). Original printed self wrappers, stapled. Minor edge wear and some soiling to wrappers, short split at top of spine. Vertical crease throughout. A rare informational pamphlet issued by the Colorado Council of Churches, treating with the issues surrounding the internment of the Japanese American community in the West, and specifically the effects of internment and resettlement on the local community in Denver. The pamphlet discusses the background of Japanese immigration to the United States; the differences between Issei, Nisei, and Kibei; the evacuation orders; the question of Japanese American loyalty; resettlement; the problems faced by Japanese Americans trying to resettle; and more. The penultimate section of the pamphlet begins with a question: "Has Religion a Stake?" The Council argues that churches "have a duty to Japanese Americans" in the interest of "the universal brotherhood of man." The concluding section lists five "Suggestions for Christian Action" which may assist the Japanese American community in Colorado. The most startling section of the pamphlet is headed, "Shall We Ape Hitler?" This section discusses the bigoted treatment of Japanese Americans and their forced removal in the name of "military necessity," with the section title drawing obvious parallels to the Holocaust being carried out by the Nazis in Europe. A second and expanded version of this pamphlet was issued the next year with a similar title. An uncommon entry in the historical controversy of Japanese American internment, with just a few copies in OCLC.