ABSTRACT
Alien internment in the Second World War has received only passing attention from general historians and is usually viewed as no more than a panic measure due to the military crisis in spring/ summer 1940. This article argues that ideological factors have not received sufficient attention, specifically the debate about 'Englishness' which was a constant issue in twentieth century Britain. In the crisis period, when most of the internments were carried out, forces whose ideology was shaped by the world-view of clubland dictated government policy over 'enemy aliens'.
