<Begin Segment 23>

TI: So you mentioned, so at Tule Lake, you were there, and then at some point, the government passed out a, what's called the "loyalty questionnaire." Can you talk about that in terms of what the reaction of you and your husband were when you first saw this?

BI: Well, around that time, I think after talking, after he had made friends with Dr. Ichihashi and Mr. Shirai, at that time he mentioned, "Well, maybe we'll go to Japan." And I said, "Well, I'm not going. If you're, if you're going to Japan, you're going alone. I'm not going with you." [Laughs] I didn't want to go to Japan.

TI: Now, why did your husband consider going to Japan? What was he, what was he thinking or saying?

BI: I, I don't know. I think he just felt that he would be of better service in Japan. I think he always wanted to get into diplomatic service, and when he volunteered, I'm sure that he thought that his language skills would be helpful because he could read and write Japanese quite well.

TI: Earlier you mentioned that he, he tried to volunteer but was refused. But later on they opened things up, and in fact, they were recruiting people with Japanese language to join the military intelligence service. Was he ever contacted about that or considered...

BI: That I don't know. That I don't know.

TI: So let's go back to the, the questionnaire. So he, you said you didn't want to go to Japan, he was considering, so what, what did the two of you end up doing?

BI: So, well, we signed "yes-yes," and then, of course, then they started segregating the "yes" and "nos," and so he asked me where I, I wanted to go, and I said, "Well, might as well go to Minidoka," where my mother and my parents were.

TI: Did your parents to directly to Minidoka, or did they go to Tule Lake first? I thought...

BI: They were in Tule Lake for a little while.

TI: Okay, and then they transferred to Minidoka.

BI: Uh-huh.

TI: Okay. And they transferred to Minidoka because more friends were there, or why did they...

BI: I think most of the Seattle people were sent there.

TI: So they, so you wanted to go to Minidoka, and your husband said "yes-yes," so you went to Minidoka. And what was Minidoka like compared to Tule Lake?

BI: Well, it was much smaller, and we were at one end of the camp. And there were, by that time, just sort of got immune to all the problems. Couldn't let everything bother you. So, but Ken was working for the administration down there, and then I got pregnant with my second child and became very ill. I started having -- you know, with almost two years of being under stress, and I started developing heart palpitations when I was pregnant, and passing out, so they had to hospitalize me. And I was in the hospital about six months, and Mother took care of Ayleen -- well, Dad and Mother took care of Ayleen while, while I was in the hospital. And delivered Glenna at camp.

TI: And so how would you describe the health care in those six months while you were in the, it was a camp hospital?

BI: Uh-huh.

TI: What was that like?

BI: Well, you know, it was just a barrack with beds, and well, for a while they put me in a private room, but I can't remember too much, just being there.

TI: Now, were the personnel, were they Caucasian or Japanese?

BI: Japanese.

TI: So the doctors and nurses were...

BI: Japanese, uh-huh.

TI: And so you said you were pregnant, so did you deliver your second child?

BI: Yes, uh-huh.

TI: And what, what was the name of your second child?

BI: Glenna.

TI: Okay, so any, any, now that you're back with the Seattle people, were there any, again, any comments about the trial? Did people bring it up?

BI: [Shakes head]

TI: But people knew about this, right? I mean, they just --

BI: Well, I would think so, but it was never mentioned.

TI: It was never mentioned.

<End Segment 23> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.