Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order

Episode 1: "Safecracker"

Release Date: December 1, 2025
Host: Rachel Maddow (MS NOW)

Main Theme

The first episode of "Burn Order" introduces listeners to one of the darkest decisions in American history: the government’s executive order to forcibly round up and incarcerate Japanese Americans during World War II. The episode weaves together suspenseful historical narrative and investigative journalism, focusing on the unsung heroes who stood against this injustice—most notably amateur researcher Eiko Herzig Yoshinaga and naval intelligence officer Kenneth Ringle. Their stories reveal the brazen lies, suppressed truths, and government cover-ups that led to and sustained this policy, as well as the bombshell evidence that helped bring it into the light.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Accidental Historian: Eiko Herzig Yoshinaga

• Eiko’s Archival Obsession

  • Eiko, a retired housewife in suburban DC, began researching at the National Archives as a hobby (01:22–02:46).
  • She was meticulous, developing a unique system for cataloguing and cross-referencing documents—years before digital databases.
  • Quote (about her method):

    "She took such meticulous notes. Every piece of paper that she saw was given a number so that she could keep track of them. And this was way before computers. This was all hand done."
    —Eiko Herzig Yoshinaga (04:38)

• The Chance Discovery

  • One day in 1982, Eiko spotted a document that, according to all records, should not have existed—it was supposed to have been destroyed by fire (05:07–07:10).
  • The document contained marginalia and notes that revealed the government’s efforts to suppress the truth about the Japanese American incarceration.
  • Quote:

    "We all instantly understood that if this gets out, the government is going to look really, really bad. This was something that nobody could have foreseen in their entire life... it changed my life."
    —Eiko Herzig Yoshinaga (07:55)

Wartime Paranoia and Intelligence: Kenneth Ringle

• Early Espionage and Japan Experts

  • Kenneth Ringle, naval intelligence officer and fluent Japanese speaker, was trained in Japan as part of a program to "totally immerse" US officers (11:00–14:22).
  • Ringle leveraged social immersion and intelligence gathering, attending Japanese American community events and building trust (21:22–22:44).

• The Safecracker Episode

  • With the help of a safecracker from San Quentin prison and the support of the LAPD and FBI, Ringle orchestrated a break-in at the Japanese Consulate in Los Angeles (25:00–26:32).
  • Their target: Documents naming Japanese government spies and, critically, evidence about the perceived loyalty of Japanese Americans.
  • Quote:

    "We couldn't have been caught. We had the Los Angeles police outside, we had the FBI with us, we had everything. We'd even checked our own SafeCracker out of San Quentin."
    —Kent Ringle’s son (25:35)

• What the Documents Revealed

  • Ringle discovered not just the agents' names, but that the Japanese government actively considered Japanese Americans untrustworthy and did not recruit them for espionage (27:32–28:32).
  • Quote:

    "My father believed that most of the Japanese Americans were loyal and he wanted proof of that... I don't think he quite realized that they would have in There as many statements about don't trust the Japanese Americans."
    —Kent Ringle’s son (28:44)

The Suppression and the Rewriting of History

• Ignored Evidence

  • Despite Ringle's findings and his direct reports up the military and political chain—including to the President—he was sidelined (32:22–33:32).
  • The government, eager for a scapegoat, ignored his intelligence, instead constructing a false narrative to justify Executive Order 9066.

• The Cost and Consequence

  • Japanese Americans, who posed no threat, became the objects of mass suspicion, removal, and internment (34:31–36:23).
  • Quote:

    "Everything was done on the fly. America had never incarcerated, you know, a mass body of its citizens before."
    —Kent Ringle’s son (34:48)

  • The episode grapples with the legacy of those decisions, the trauma inflicted on families, and the rare courage of those who tried to stop it.

The Role of Hidden Heroes

• Exposing the Lie
  • Eiko’s tenacious discovery decades later provided the "smoking gun" proving the government had lied to justify its policy and had destroyed evidence to conceal the truth (36:28–36:48).
  • Quote:

    "Those documents made it clear the decision of the Supreme Court were tainted, were tainted with illegal and unethical conduct by our own government."
    —Eiko Herzig Yoshinaga (36:28)

  • The narrative closes by reflecting on the necessity of individual action—and the significance of standing up to unconstitutional government conduct, regardless of the era.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments with Timestamps

• On Discovery and Fate:

  "It was luck. If I hadn't walked in that day, it might not have been there."
  —Documentary Narrator (07:09)

• On American Values:

  "If I believe in a constitution, I've got to object to this."
  —Ralph Townsend (08:49, 36:15)

• On Japanese American Loyalty:

  "They were not just loyal to the US, but they were actively working against the militarists."
  —Kent Ringle’s son (31:26) "The best Americans are those who haven't come here yet, who understand the promise of America... the Japanese Americans exactly exemplify this 100%."
  —Kent Ringle’s son (32:02)

• On Government Malfeasance:

  "A new story had to be created to replace the truth that Ken Ringle had uncovered and corroborated and documented. We would need a false story ginned up by some of the highest-ranking officials..."
  —Bryant Gumbel (32:38) "This is the story of one of the most shocking US government decisions in our nation's history and the strange and very specific reason that decision was made."
  —Bryant Gumbel (35:17)

Segment Timestamps

• Eiko’s Background and the Discovery: 01:22–08:38
• Introduction of Kenneth Ringle: 10:49–14:22
• American/Japanese Espionage and Community Engagement: 14:22–22:44
• The Japanese Consulate Break-in: 24:30–26:44
• Revelations from the Documents: 26:44–29:18
• Ignored Intelligence and Policy Move Toward Incarceration: 32:22–34:31
• Aftermath, Trauma, and Resistance: 34:31–37:02

Tone & Style

Rachel Maddow and the show's contributors use a suspenseful, investigative tone, blending empathy with incredulity as they uncover this history. The episode maintains a sense of urgency and reverence for its subjects, highlighting both the systemic failure and individual heroism that defined this chapter in American history.

For Listeners New to the Series

This episode sets the stage for understanding not just what happened to Japanese Americans during WWII, but why—and how flawed intelligence, racism, and deliberate deception at the highest government levels led to tragedy. It also reveals how ordinary citizens’ tenacity can change the course of history.

Further Listening

The episode ends by promising deeper dives into the people who perpetrated and resisted the policy, how the truth was hidden, and, ultimately, how it was exposed.

For more information and resources, visit the show's website: MS NOW Burn Order.