<Begin Segment 26>

TI: Yeah, I wanted to now go to when you graduated from the University of Washington. So this is 1940 that you graduated from the University of Washington.

HH: Yes.

TI: And at the end of the year, after the graduation, the Japanese Society would host a graduation dinner.

HH: Not the Japanese community, but Japan Society that they had, which was a separate organization from the Japanese Association.

TI: So would they host it for all the graduates, all the Nisei graduates?

HH: All the Nisei graduates.

TI: Why don't you just describe to me sort of what that event was like, and then in particular, you met someone at that event that I want to talk about also. But first tell me about the event. What was that like?

HH: Well, it was a dinner, and always held at the Chamber of Commerce building. And I remember that that was an annual thing because the Japan Society and this Japanese Association were in very close ties. In fact, I think Mayor... one of the mayors...

TI: The Seattle mayor?

HH: Seattle mayor was also president of the Japan Society. So it was kind of about the only organization, community organization or city organization that was in contact with the Japanese community.

TI: So let me understand this. So this society, was it made up mostly of Caucasians?

HH: Yes.

TI: Okay, and a lot of the leaders of the community were part of this.

HH: Yes, uh-huh.

TI: And they would once a year have this banquet for the Nisei graduates.

HH: Yes.

TI: Okay. In that year, who was the president of the Japan Society?

HH: Well, the president, I didn't know the name, but at the time -- this comes later -- but this Collins, who was a lawyer, was president. But I didn't know this until -- this is going ahead to my being recruited by the OSS -- that he was my commanding officer as a colonel. I didn't know at the time.

TI: Yeah, so during this banquet, did you have, did you have a conversation with Collins or anything? Did you get to know him?

HH: No, no it wasn't. It's just that it was a round table, and I think we had four students and two members from the... and it happened to be after I got introduced to, I had to meet the colonel of the OSS group that I was assigned to, that he's the one that mentioned to me about that dinner. And he said, "Do you remember who were the other students?" And I said, "No, sir. I don't think I can name any of the students, but I know there were four students and I was one of 'em." And he says, "You know, do you know who the host, hostesses were?" And I said, "No, sir." He says, "Well, I was, and my wife were the host and hostess along with another couple, and I was sitting next to you." And so I said, "Oh, is that right, sir?" [Laughs]

TI: So, so during this banquet, you were sitting next to...

HH: The president of the...

TI: Who was this lawyer named Collins.

HH: Yes.

TI: And you didn't remember that, but apparently, and we'll find out later, he remembered you.

HH: Yes.

TI: And probably even talked to you during the dinner, you probably don't remember.

HH: And I have a feeling that maybe he's the one that probably knew that I graduated from the University of Washington, and also I was able to speak Japanese, something like that. Maybe he had something to do with my recruiting, they sent a recruiter.

TI: And in addition to not only being a graduate of the University of Washington and speaking Japanese, but your major was political science.

HH: Yes.

TI: Sort of Far Eastern studies, which then you had knowledge about what was happening in Asia.

HH: Yes, and the language. I think language was very important because everything was done in Japanese language.

TI: So also during this time, so you graduated from the University of Washington, this is before the war started. But as a Far Eastern sort of major, did you have any sense or warning that war might be possible between the United States and Japan?

HH: No, I don't think anybody, any Nisei or Issei. We said, "No, no possibility." Because by that time, things were going very good with Japan. Japan became one of the nations that, after the Russo-Japanese war and all that, and also Communism was quite... that the U.S. was concerned about the Communism and Russia and also China because of the Mao Tse-Tung and all this.

TI: So Japan wasn't as... yeah, wasn't the concern as much.

HH: Yes.

<End Segment 26> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.