Editing Sixth Column (section)

==Portrayal of racism==
{{see also|Robert A. Heinlein#Race}}
The book was serialized in early 1941, at a time that the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]] was in its fourth year and large parts of China had been occupied in brutal fashion by the Japanese. The book is notable for its frank portrayal of [[racism]] on both sides. The conquerors regard themselves as a chosen people predestined to rule over lesser races, and they refer to white people as slaves. "Three things only do slaves require: work, food, and their religion." They demand outward signs of respect, such as jumping promptly into the gutter when a member of the chosen race walks by, and the slightest hesitation to show the prescribed courtesies earns a [[swagger stick]] across the face. One character is Frank Mitsui, an [[Asian American]] whose family was murdered by the invaders because they did not fit in the new PanAsiatic racial order. The Americans in the novel respond to their conquerors' racism by often referring to them in unflattering terms, such as "flat face" and "slanty".

''Sixth Column'' and ''[[Farnham's Freehold]]'', another novel by Heinlein, both center on the issue of race.