Densho Digital Archive - Fred Korematsu - Kathryn Korematsu Interview (denshovh-kfred

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TK: Let me just go back to the initial Supreme Court case. Lawyers know who argued the case for you. Could you tell a little bit about that period -- 'cause you were in camp -- who argued the case, what you think about how the case was handled, even though you were in Topaz during that.

FK: Well, I think the case was handled very well. I think Mr. Besig and Wayne Collins did a very good job. I don't think there was any attorney that could do better than they, they did on the civil rights case. And so I give them credit.

TK: Could you describe your relationship with Mr. Besig and Mr. Collins?

FK: Well, I was not too close to Wayne Collins, more or less more with Mr. Ernest Besig. He was the one that came to me, and felt he was the one that was responsible for me being in court about the, about my case, and he really took care of me. And kept close in touch with me, if anything, whatever happened in court, in various courts, he let me know. He sent me all kinds of, of whatever happened in court, all the information about, regarding to court actions and so forth. And besides the letters and so forth that he sent me, so he was the one that really did a good job.

TK: Were there other attorneys involved along with Mr. Besig and Mr. Collins in preparing for the first Supreme Court case, or are there court cases that you'd like to mention?

FK: No, I can't.

TK: Do you know how they prepared for the Supreme Court case, how they gathered materials to present to the Supreme Court on your behalf?

FK: No, on things like the details, they, they never let me know on that, yeah. Because I'm not a lawyer, so therefore, they did not do that, because it would just take, you know, their time and so forth, and so I wouldn't get what they were saying.

TK: We know how Mr. Besig came to you, how did you meet Mr. Collins?

FK: He brought Mr. Collins to me at one of the meetings that we had at Tanforan at the guest time, we'd all go up on the, certain part of the grandstand where guests who were, could be there for visiting. And so every week Mr. Besig would come and see me, and he brought Mr. Collins with him.

TK: The first time you saw Mr. Collins, what was your reaction? We know what happened, about your reaction with Mr. Besig, how would you, what was your reaction about Mr. Collins?

FK: Well, he was a very intelligent man, and he was the kind of person that if he took a job, that he was gonna go through with it. That's the way I saw him. And then he did that, so he wasn't the type that just, you know, take one job and take another, and if he didn't like it, then drop it. He went right through with, with Mr. Besig, both of 'em. Besig picked a good man.