<Begin Segment 13>

TI: Okay, so we had just talked about, Fred, we had just talked about some of the restrictions that there were for Japanese and Japanese Americans in the Spokane area. And what I wanted to do next was to go back to your experiences at school, at John Rogers High School. And were there any kind of events or incidences that sort of pointed to you being a Japanese American?

FS: Nothing that I recall, nothing overt that, that set us apart. There were so few of us, there's my family, and I don't recall there were other families at that time. If you look through my school annual there, you'll see that there are very few Asian faces. And so, no, I don't think so.

TI: Okay. And then how about, again, like, things that you would normally do at school, like when you're on the annual staff, things like that, that they prevented you from doing?

FS: Yeah, well, the only restrictions, of course, was the ability to move around. We just, my family was very, very conscious of that, and they didn't want me to get involved in things that required us to go any distance. "Don't go, don't go downtown unless you absolutely have to," and all this kind of stuff took place. So, yeah, we were, we were, family was treading very lightly.

TI: And when you say "treading very lightly," can you recall your dad changing how he did business in any way, or was it just his manner, or what does "treading lightly" mean?

FS: Well, he, it just, don't, don't go where people will, where there are crowds, where there are people you don't know who might, might do something overt. That was the idea. I think that it's a Japanese characteristic anyway.

TI: Okay, there was one story I want you to tell me that you mentioned earlier about when you were at high school, you were a photographer for the, the annual. Can you tell me that story?

FS: Well, yes. Well, I, I was the photo editor, and I was always interested in cameras, and so I became the photo editor. So they, the war started, they confiscated our, my photographic equipment along with the sporting guns that we had, my brother had, and the shortwave radio we had. Well, they needed some pictures of the exterior of the building, so I borrowed a camera from a friend, and I was outside taking pictures of the, of the high school building and didn't think anything about it until a few days later, I was called down to the, to the principal's office. And a very menacing-looking man says, "I'm from the FBI," and I identified myself -- he identified himself to me and he said, "You were seen taking pictures of the building. What were you doing?" And I think I got lockjaw or something, but I, I tried to explain that we needed pictures of the outside of the building and I was doing that for our, the annual, high school annual. And of course it was, "Geez, cut that out. You're not allowed to do that kind of stuff." And I was sufficiently intimidated, so I don't think I ever took another picture for years. [Laughs] But they finally had to hire a photographer to do that because I...

TI: Now, the school administrators, they didn't say anything like, "Hey, Fred is a student, he's a good guy, he's the photo editor for the annual, it's okay"?

FS: No, not that I know of, and of course, the war had just started, and I'm sure that under the circumstances, they really didn't feel that they wanted to defend me, or defend what I was doing. Actually, it seems ridiculous at this point, but at the time, it was, to me it was an earth-shaking event. I just, I just thought, "Hey, geez, the FBI." [Laughs]

TI: Now, how do you think they found out that you were taking pictures?

FS: Obviously they, they had gotten a complaint from some woman who had driven by and saw me, and whammo.

TI: Interesting.

FS: And it just seemed like it was... now that I think about it. [Laughs]

TI: Now, the FBI, what other activities were they doing during this period? I mean, you mentioned earlier how the Monday, December 8th, that three or four men were picked up right away.

FS: Yes.

TI: Were they active in other ways, the FBI? Were they doing other things?

FS: Well, not that I know of, but I recall that later on that year, in 1942, my mother and dad were ordered to report to the FBI headquarters, and they were questioned. I don't know if it was as a result of my actions or what it was, but, and I'm not sure that other families were questioned, but they were, they were, I can recall they went downtown, drove downtown and went to the office.

TI: And do you recall, like the night before, or right before they had, how your parents felt about this? They must have been pretty nervous or anxious.

FS: I guess I never knew what my... I knew when my dad was angry at us, but I don't recall that he looked particularly anxious about this thing.

TI: Now, did he go in with any representation like an interpreter or counsel?

FS: No, well, now, and that I don't understand. I don't know who... they never talked about it, about what happened, but there must have been an interpreter in there because my mother, my mother would not have been able to answer very much.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.