Living conditions
The "assembly centers" were hastily erected quarters located throughout the West Coast at fairgrounds, racetracks and other similar facilities. Conditions at these locations were appalling. People were housed in animal stalls and barracks with communal bathrooms and mess halls. Privacy was next to nonexistent. Most families lived in a 20-by-20-foot room separated from the next "apartment" by wood partitions that did not reach the ceiling. Shortages of food and deplorable sanitation were common. Overcrowding, uncertainty, and stress created tension in the "assembly centers," even as the demoralized camp inmates tried to improve living conditions.
World War II
(231)
Temporary Assembly Centers
(232)
Living conditions
(395)
![Letter from Mrs. L. [Lester] Suzuki to Rev. [Wendell L.] and Mrs. [?] Miller, May 5, 1942 (ddr-csujad-20-4)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/43/1a/431a0c14824530083647fc993bf5e9ae.jpg)
![Postcard from Anna Brooks, 1942 June 8 (ddr-csujad-20-23)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/32/c9/32c964aa60d30e5dcc1965de1df985ea.jpg)
![Letter from L.W., circa 1942 (ddr-csujad-20-25)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/f6/14/f614908c122ca28a0f3606bc4d7d3289.jpg)
![Letter from Henry [Katsumi] Fujita to Mr. H. A. Strong, Electrolux Corporation, August 9, 1942 (ddr-csujad-23-13)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/14/24/142413aac9733a9c7ff730c050eb232e.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Fumio Fred and Yoneko Takano, May 20, 1942 (ddr-csujad-42-44)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/de/1f/de1fafc65e5152fbb32d9c3ae476c256.jpg)
![Letter from Kumaji Meguro to Fumio Fred and Yoneko Takano, July 21, 1942, English translation (ddr-csujad-42-57)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/5d/09/5d09b68b90184b3853d3293e23878572.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Fumio Fred and Yoneko Takano, May 20, 1942, English translation (ddr-csujad-42-45)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/9e/d4/9ed4f978ade01795ae93c3e89eb27f83.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Yoneko Takano, June 1942, Japanese typescript (ddr-csujad-42-52)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/ec/5e/ec5e00d66096b7a5813eeb3d7b44453f.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Yoneko Takano, May 30, 1942, English translation (ddr-csujad-42-48)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/b6/7f/b67f9ac320d6f1270fd1d4b90667bc06.jpg)
![Letter from Kumaji Meguro to Fumio Fred and Yoneko Takano, July 21, 1942 (ddr-csujad-42-56)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/9c/0a/9c0a1aff93202323105d60c3680a6bfd.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Yoneko Takano, May 30, 1942 (ddr-csujad-42-47)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/8f/a3/8fa3a140546913357ab6610555d123b0.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Fumio Fred and Yoneko Takano, July 13, 1942, English translation (ddr-csujad-42-54)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/e6/1d/e61dbc51258314da1ceeb00baff2d68a.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Yoneko Takano, June, 1942 (ddr-csujad-42-50)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/fb/c9/fbc9fdd43061432c28e086c5a227afa2.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Yoneko Takano, June 1942, English translation (ddr-csujad-42-51)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/fa/40/fa4030ad5d5155bb1ad7ae037faa91a0.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Yoneko Takano, May 30, 1942, Japanese typescript (ddr-csujad-42-49)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/0e/6d/0e6da958faf268eaf7880b840b2a20c6.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Fumio Fred and Yoneko Takano, July 13, 1942, typescript (ddr-csujad-42-55)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/2a/0f/2a0fa13261b51a4cc335778e2b3d1f07.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Fumio Fred and Yoneko Takano, May 20, 1942, typescript (ddr-csujad-42-46)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/70/09/70098f4f5382ec66cd81036831845522.jpg)
![Letter from Tsuruno Meguro to Fumio Fred and Yoneko Takano, July 13, 1942 (ddr-csujad-42-53)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/6a/48/6a483f807cd2e0c33422731a6d0f3b87.jpg)
![Letter from Kumaji Meguro to Fumio Fred and Yoneko Takano, July 21, 194, typescript (ddr-csujad-42-58)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/ab/3c/ab3c26acea068684bb05e5ab1afdf8c1.jpg)
![Sherman Kishi interview (ddr-csujad-6-13)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/a6/d8/a6d8d9469e8f94668b3a5fd831880338.jpg)
![Dr. Kikuo H. Taira (ddr-csujad-8-70)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/6d/bd/6dbdb2ad74982e31c19daf0aa366f6cb.jpg)
![Dr. George Suda (ddr-csujad-8-65)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/6b/53/6b5324126a52dfc2693e3e10013d4ecd.jpg)
![Dr. Fusaji Inada (ddr-csujad-8-26)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/52/d0/52d01a98158b4323b7ca720cbed1c5d5.jpg)
![Naomi Tagawa (ddr-csujad-8-69)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/7f/75/7f75c8822d00f0ecd83daf23ec395f50.jpg)
![An Oral History with Lillie Y. McCabe, Part II (ddr-csujad-29-17)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/8c/a2/8ca292d6efd6f399a62518c38b85c013.jpg)