One of the more complex and premeditated acts of covert violence during World War II concerns the American surveillance, arrest, and incarceration of thousands of resident Japanese immigrants prior to and upon the outbreak of the Pacific War. While briefly outlining the historical and political context of this mass incarceration, specifically pertaining to the Territory of Hawaii, this essay examines two documents and the rhetorical strategies they employed. Both documents were written from the Santa Fe Internment Camp in New Mexico: a large group petition and an individual petition--the former using a collective autobiographical experience, the latter personal narrative, for political purposes, as rationale for the reversal of the government's decision for mainland exile, and the return of the internees to their island homes. Despite disenfranchisement on various levels, the petitioners were arguing for political subjectivity and voice within the discourse of their oppressors. (Contains 15 notes.)