As part of a relatively quiet government program, thousands of WWII enemy soldiers were brought to Iowa as prisoners of war. What began as an experiment eventually led to more than 400,000 soldiers interned in the United States, including two camps in the state of Iowa. Professor Chad Timm will discuss the creation of POW camps in Iowa, life in a prisoner of war camp, community relations, the POW labor program, branch camps in more than 30 Iowa communities, and the arrival of Japanese prisoners at Camp Clarinda in early 1945. The story of POW interment in Iowa is a fascinating story of Iowans being confronted by the enemy: an enemy they not only needed to help them meet their wartime goals, but also challenged them to find their humanity. This program is sponsored by Humanities Iowa and is free and open to the public.