Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order Episode 5: Sheep and Goats
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Dec 13, 2025 As the Supreme Court hears cases from Japanese Americans about wartime internment, tension brews within the Justice and War Departments. Key naval intelligence reveals the truth: Japanese Americans posed no real threat. Historians unravel the government's cover-up of evidence for internment, while a shocking 'burn order' attempts to destroy critical reports. Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga embarks on a quest for lost documents, uncovering proof of deceit that shapes our understanding of this dark chapter in history.
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Military Intelligence Undermined The Policy
- Edward Ennis discovered Navy intelligence that directly contradicted the Army's justification for mass incarceration of Japanese Americans.
- That intelligence undermined the government's claim of military necessity in Supreme Court defenses.
Key Evidence Was Withheld From The Court
- DOJ lawyers verified the FBI, FCC, and Navy found no evidence of sabotage or signaling by Japanese Americans.
- Despite knowing this, Solicitor General Charles Fahy withheld those findings from the Supreme Court.
The 'Sheep And Goats' Report Was Ordered Burned
- Carl Bendetson wrote a report declaring Japanese Americans an "enemy race" and printed ten bound copies without authorization.
- Assistant Secretary of War John McCloy ordered the report rewritten and all ten copies burned to hide its racist rationale.