It was seventy years ago today that America sent Japanese Americans to our own concentration camps.

[HeiressofBickworth]

83. All I know is what I've read

If you compare the propaganda at the time by the Nazis against Jews and the US against the Japanese, there is little difference in the objective -- to reduce the "enemy" to sub-human, worthless and a foment a desire to rid the population of their presence. The first Nazi camp was Dachau in 1933 which at first used the forced labor of political dissidents, later Jews and other groups were added. They were first deprived of their homes, businesses and possessions and allowed one suitcase to take with them on the expulsion from German territory. Although many deaths were caused by the forced-labor of the first camps, the first camp for the purpose of execution (Chelmno) began operating in 1941.

If you look at the time progression of the US and Nazis, the US had already overcome the first hurdles. Japanese were made first an object of ridicule and then objects of fear, suspicion and terror. Then the Japanese were deemed to be such a threat (real or perceived) that they were deprived of their homes, businesses and all of their belongings save one suitcase, and sent to camps.

So, I go back to my original question, if things had gone badly in the Pacific, how close did the US come to executing Japanese in the camps?