Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Walt Woodward Interview
Narrator: Walt Woodward
Interviewers: Donna Harui (primary), Mij Woodward (secondary)
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington
Date: May 11, 1998
Densho ID: denshovh-wwalt-01-0008

<Begin Segment 8>

DH: You said when we talked last time, that you remember getting a call from Moses Lake, from, from some islanders...

WW: Yes, I do.

DH: Can you tell me that again?

WW: It was...

DH: I think it might have been... George Shibayama?

WW: No.

MW: Mo Nakata?

WW: Nakata.

MW: Was Mo Nakata...

DH: I don't think the Nakatas were at Moses Lake.

MW: Oh...

DH: But it, but it could have, but who ever it was...

MW: He said it was the leader, one of the leaders of the Japanese...

DH: That's right. The last time you said it was Don Nakata, but I'm not sure...

WW: Don Nakata...

DH: I think he would have been too young, but I... but anyway, tell me, yeah, but tell it again.

MW: Even though we don't know who it was... [Laughs]

WW: What?

MW: Tell the story anyway. [Laughs]

DH: My family was at Moses Lake. And that's why I thought it was so interesting, because my family, the Haruis, and the Sekos and the Shibayamas were at Moses Lake.

WW: We got this call from... it was Don Nakata, wasn't it?

DH: Okay.

WW: Yeah.

DH: Maybe.

WW: And he got me on the phone. He was calling from Moses Lake. And I was happy to talk with him... he wanted to know whether, whether he should come back. My reply to him was, "I'll break every bone in your body if you don't."

DH: But they were worried whether it was safe to come back here.

WW: I beg your pardon, what?

DH: They were worried whether it was safe to come back here, because of the anti-Japanese sentiment?

WW: Well, no... he... he called from Moses Lake.

DH: Uh-huh.

MW: Was he afraid to come back to the island because there might be some kind of...

WW: Yes... he was, he was afraid. He had his family, but he knew he should come back. So, I took advantage of that. And I said, "I'll break every bone in your body if you don't come back!" [Laughs]

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.