Visitors to WWII Japanese American incarceration sites urged to report ‘negative’ US history narratives

The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) has criticized signs installed at former World War II incarceration camps that ask visitors to report historical content they consider negative toward the U.S.

The reporting system stems from President Donald Trump’s March 27 executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” followed by a Department of Interior memorandum on May 20 and National Park Service guidance on June 9. The signs use QR codes and targets materials that officials say “disparage Americans”

Around 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated in various locations during World War II, which now feature the new signage. At Manzanar National Historical Site, which locked up some 10,000 people, one notice specifically asked passersby to report “any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.”

JANM President and CEO Ann Burroughs released a statement on June 18 criticizing the reporting system. “JANM is deeply disturbed by this new directive, especially at historical sites like Manzanar and Minidoka where Japanese Americans were unjustly incarcerated during World War II,” Burroughs said. She called the broader policy an effort to “suppress historical narratives that challenge their preferred version of events” and “erase the contributions of people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals and other marginalized communities.”

The museum, which supports diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies amid government pressure, has already lost about $1.7 million in federal funding, including a $175,000 education grant that supported teacher workshops reaching more than 21,000 students. It was also damaged by graffiti in the recent immigration protests, though some demonstrators stepped up to clean the mess.

Burroughs defended the museum’s historical approach, saying history “does not yield to censorship or political ideologies” and that learning requires honest examination of the past. Dennis Arguelles, Southern California director of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), expressed similar concerns, telling KPIX, “it seems like a clear attempt to whitewash history.” He believes National Parks has “no choice” but to comply with the directives.

JANM pledges to continue its current historical programming despite the policy changes.