Enemy in the Heartland: Japanese Prisoners of War at Camp Clarinda During World War II

Between 1943 and 1946 tens of thousands of German prisoners of war were detained in Iowa at two main camps, one in Algona and one in Clarinda. In January 1945 the success of the farm labor program at Camp Clarinda seemed to be in jeopardy, when local residents learned that the German POWs were leaving to be replaced by Japanese prisoners captured in the South Pacific. This presentation will focus on the experiences of Japanese POWs at Camp Clarinda between January 1945 and January 1946 highlighting the role the Japanese played in alleviating local labor shortages. Dr. Chad Timm, a historian and professor of Teacher Education at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, will be our guest speaker.