Like Friends, Like Foes

Japanese Americans and Nevada through World War II

Andrew B. Russell

• Publisher: University of Nevada Press
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781647792435
• eBook ISBN:
  9781647792442
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

Like Friends, Like Foes offers a comprehensive analysis of how Nevada residents responded and reacted to the "Japanese Question" during World War II. Both before and during the war, the experience of Japanese American residents of Nevada varied widely. Once the war started, Japanese immigrants experienced an unusual case of mass internment from the mining towns of Ruth and McGill, Nevada, while Japanese American railroad workers and their families, scattered across the state, faced sudden layoffs and evictions. At the same time, most of the Japanese Americans living in Nevada fared much better than their counterparts who resided in the surrounding states.

Andrew Russell's study examines how variations in local history and local circumstances generated starkly different perspectives and responses to the supposed "Japanese problems" confronting Nevada's small communities, the state, and the larger region. While Russell's interpretive history spotlights some highly unusual developments, it nevertheless offers fresh evidence of how individuals or small groups can play significant roles in combating the abuse of civil rights during times of fear and uncertainty.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Map. Nevada 1942: Major Roads and Railroads
• Foreword
• Preface
• List of Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter One. The Nikkei in Nevada, 1900–1940
• Chapter Two. The Japanese and the Company Towns
• Chapter Three. Nevada’s Mysterious Case of Mass Internment
• Chapter Four. Friendlier—but Mixed—Responses to the First Japanese Question
• Chapter Five. Hostile Answers to the Second “Japanese Question”
• Chapter Six. Wartime Experiences in the Battle-Born State
• Conclusion: Nikkei Nevadans at the Margins and in the Mainstream
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author