Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Fred Korematsu - Kathryn Korematsu Interview
Narrators: Fred Korematsu, Kathryn Korematsu
Interviewers: Lorraine Bannai (primary); Tetsuden Kashima (secondary)
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: May 14, 1996
Densho ID: denshovh-kfred_g-01-0018

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TK: Did you have a reaction when Peter Irons called Fred?

KK: He sent a letter, and he said he was writing a book. This is a two-page letter. And he said he was writing a book. Fred says, uh-oh, you know, "Here's somebody else just wants my story." But on the second page, he said that he had found some information that might be able, that might make it possible to reopen the case, and he would like to talk with Fred. That's what got Fred's attention, not the fact that he was writing the book. And so then he called Fred -- we were listed in the phone book then. [Laughs] That's how people called us from time to time. He made the appointment to come on a certain time, and I was going to be there, but I, our daughter had been out of town, she's an interior designer and she'd been out of town on a job and I was picking her up in her car from the San Francisco airport. On the way, the car quit on me, so I had to call Fred, come back, he had to come get me and we left the car there, and I took him back home to meet with Peter. And I went to the airport, picked up our daughter, and when we got back to the house, the interview was finished and Peter was leaving. So we didn't get to really only say hello then. But he came back later. I believe the second time he came, he had Dale with him, Dale Minami, who became the lead counsel in the coram nobis case. And there was more talk, and eventually, you know, one thing led to -- I mean, then later on, I think the next time he came, it was Dale and Don with him, and then eventually a group of attorneys came over one evening. And they treated us just like clients, they asked us our opinions all along the way, if there was a decision to make, they let us make it. As far as, you know, as far as it was our involvement to do so. And they're a great bunch of people.

<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 1996 Densho. All Rights Reserved.