Social Science History 2007 31(2):239-271; DOI:10.1215/01455532-2006-022
Duke University Press
The "Other Braceros"
Temporary Labor and German Prisoners of War in the United States, 1943-1946
Barbara Schmitter Heisler
This article explores the contradictions between the bracero program and the temporary labor program using German prisoners of war in the United States during World War II. Despite the bilateral agreement between Mexico and the United States aimed at protecting the braceros, "who came as allies," they remained alien workers and outsiders. In contrast, German prisoners of war, who came as enemies, were often transformed into personal friends "like our own boys." This article uses archival records, in-depth interviews with former prisoners of war, and secondary sources to analyze several structural factors that help explain these divergent outcomes.

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Copyright 2007 by Social Science History Association