<Begin Segment 20>

AI: And when you were presenting your own testimony that day at the hearing, what was your own feeling as you were doing that?

EH: Well, I had typed and re-typed this thing -- [laughs] -- so I was willing to just read it as it was. I have to admit that when they sent us notifications about the redress schedule, the notification must have come in a red, white and blue envelope, kind of... and there were so many advertisements and things, you know, Reader's Digest and things that come, I didn't pay any attention to it. And it turned out that I probably didn't respond adequately or something, maybe that was the notification of the schedule, the timing that I was... and I had responded to other things, because they knew I wanted to say something. So when I got to, I think I had to miss the first day because something at work, that I couldn't miss a meeting, and I got there the second day, and I was greeted with, "Where have you been?" I said, "What do you mean? I just came to hear." And she said, "But you were scheduled yesterday at four o'clock," or something. And I said, "Gee, I didn't know that. How was I supposed to know that?" And somebody said, "Didn't you get an envelope with such-and-such?" And I said, "Gee, maybe I did and I probably, not aware that that's what it was. I didn't really read it." And so then they scurried around, they said, "We have to squeeze you in." And at some point, they wanted me to sit up front because, "You're (going to) get called after So-and-so." But I certainly, I regretted not, I regretting missing that first day. I think I heard maybe two days of it.

But I really appreciated hearing... you know, the other... no, I guess that wasn't the, the Episcopal priest was at another incident. But there was an army sergeant who spoke about having to help people in Yakima get on trains to come. And he said, he told... I forgot who, his commanding officer or somebody, that, "These people are harmless; I know." And he must have lived somewhere in the state or on the West Coast and saying, "These people are harmless. This should not be happening." And he was there testifying. That was impressive. That's where the Aleut picture was a very different picture that we got from that testimony, compared to what we heard recently.

AI: I wanted to ask you, did the commissioners ask you any questions when you were giving your testimony?

EH: (Yes), I think maybe one or two, but mine was a hurried situation, and the other people did. My husband didn't, Ralph didn't know I was (going to) say all this, and he was just dumbfounded at it. [Laughs] But Frank Abe, who runs that mechanic shop, or owns the mechanic shop at Maynard, he was there and I had taken my car there for a couple of years, and he told me what his reaction was. He was seven, and he said, "At that time," he said, "when I was in camp, I always wondered what they had done wrong," thinking of the, that the, that the army guys had done something wrong, that they had to be on the other side of the fence -- [laughs] -- and he didn't consider himself having been, at seven, he didn't consider himself to be restricted, and he was having fun, probably. But (yes), I think it's, the whole issue... I told you about my problem right now in North Carolina, I have to dig up some government material. I was just going to look at your, the Park Department, Forest Department's Minidoka plan.

AI: The National Park Service.

EH: I'm not sure that's (going to) satisfy this guy, but there is a federal, there is a federal department that would have probably maybe used the term "concentration camp," so I have to look at that and see if I found my solution, though I think I have to find two or three more solutions. This fellow is, doesn't want the relocation camps to be called "concentration camps."

AI: Well, I wanted to ask you, after you gave your testimony, did you, what was your feeling about the chances of redress actually being approved in Congress and signed into law? Did you think it was (going to) happen? 'Cause some people thought it was, had no chance whatsoever.

EH: I guess I'm an optimist -- [laughs] -- and I, for one thing, I really thought the public needed to be educated, and I thought if only for the education, that was going to be worth -- I think I, I really, I was impressed with the caliber of people. There was this Massachusetts black senator... Edward somebody. Anyway, and another person that was on that staff was either Magnuson or Jackson's staffperson. It was a very good person who was from this area. Bill Maruyama? Murayama, was on that commission. But I just think that they had to do the full scale of what needed to be done, and they were traveling. San Francisco, I think, Los Angeles, Chicago, forgot where else. But it was a real learning experience for all of us, and I think it's stimulating. The people that worked on redress really did a noble job. That took a lot of work. Molly Yasutake Fujioka, who was a Seattle person, spent days and days on the road. And I think by the time that happened -- 'course, it took another ten years.

Mike Lowry, who was the governor here, had said to Norm Mineta and Robert Matsui that he introduced something, a redress for evacuation. And they weren't prepared; they thought, people thought they had to do a lot of good, sound research and count votes and study of who, who's going to be for it, who's going to be sympathetic and who's not. But when Mike Lowry said he introduced this, I remember Robert Matsui and Mineta saying, "You what?" They were horrified. And that might have been a very early, preliminary step. There was a JACL function here, I think maybe it had to do with... oh no, it was a campaign for Mike Lowry's election, and both Robert Matsui and Norm Mineta came up here for that. And Ralph introduced himself as Charlie Hayes's brother. They were yelling, "Hey, this guy says he's Charlie Hayes's brother," and they were, they were elated. Charlie Hayes was Ralph's brother who was in Congress at, with Norm Mineta and Robert Matsui. So that was a good event, but it was also satisfying to think that Mike Lowry was getting that kind of help. It's too bad he isn't on the scene anymore.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.