Representative John Rankin of Mississippi declared, “This is a race war. . . . I say it is of vital importance that we get rid of every Japanese. . . . Damn them! Let’s get rid of them now!” Another member of Congress, Oklahoma’s Jed Johnson, demanded the forced sterilization of all Japanese living in the United States. Chase Clark, governor of Idaho, said, “The Japs live like rats, breed like rats, act like rats.”
