<Begin Segment 29>

AH: So, in any event, you were on the stop list, and so they put a stop to you either working or going to school. So what you had to do was to stay there and witness these kinds of things that you'd just been telling me. Now, when did this discontent start to take shape towards the specific issue of military service?

JA: Okay, now, I got involved or I heard about the Fair Play Committee in Heart Mountain. And I got the information through Jim Omura because he was making a report in the newspaper, his paper, so I was getting information of what was going on in Heart Mountain. And they were organized, and they were being financed, so forth.

AH: Wait a second I think we're jumping way ahead of this. That's in 1944.

JA: '43, '44...

AH: That's after they... well, '44, where they re-institute the draft. But -- in fact, he doesn't start working for the Rocky Shimpo until in early 1944 -- but a year earlier than that, there is a registration, a big loyalty registration at Minidoka and the other camps. And you're given the famous, or infamous questions...

JA: Right, 27 and 28.

AH: ... 27 and 28. So I'm really interested in what your thinking was, and what your behavior was, at that particular time because you're starting to get pissed off about what's going on in the camp -- the draft and the things. And the all of a sudden the government comes in here -- you tried to get into the military, as you said, in your high school you're trying to get into the National Guard, when you're in college you're trying to get into the ROTC -- and then here's this registration thing, the military comes in and it has to do with two things. You're on a stop list, so you can't go out and resettle and the WRA is giving this in order for resettlement, and then the army is giving it in order to be able to get volunteers for a combat team. So what's the situation for you personally?

JA: Okay, so now I'm going back and I'm saying... I heard about the Fair Play Committee in Heart Mountain, but so far, up to that time, there is Min Yasui, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Korematsu -- Fred Korematsu. They tried, they didn't follow the curfew and they went, they turned themselves into police, "Hey, I'm going to violate." So they got put in, and during the trial, they gave their reasons. But they said, "Well, that's all moral." Well, I didn't think it was a moral, I think there was a violation on part of the government -- on their part. And one thing was, I could... what a citizen is, or citizenship is... so if you look in the book, I've got that book right behind you stating what a citizen and citizenship is. And it's nothing that you could give, take, give, take, at the government's will. And I was kind of ticked off about that, about... how can they without cause or due process... what can they do? Here, one time I'm a 1-A, then next time I'm a 4-C. 1-A, 4-C, and to me, citizenship is nothing that can be shifted back and forth at government's will. Okay, so I'm going back and say, "Well, what is this whole thing?" Well, what they want to do was, they want to use us as a hostage -- number one, then prisoner of war -- number two, and three -- cannon fodder, meaning 442nd. So, all right, if that's the case, then I'm going to say, "Let's make it legal." You violated me and you made me into a 4-C enemy alien and look under their classification, 4-C, no military obligation. Therefore, I'm saying, "Okay, government, I'm putting this on your back."

AH: Okay, now, Jim, were you thinking this at the time of 1943, or is this a year later in '44? At the time of the registration, when you go in, what did you sign?

JA: What do you mean, regis-,

AH: 27 and 28?

JA: Okay, I said I would go anywhere if they want to send me, but I said "no" to number 28. Why? I saw it, I'm incriminating myself, and it was a very cause that why the government put us into camp is that they didn't trust us.

AH: Okay, repeat the language of the 28. What's the essence of it?

JA: Uh, okay, the essence of it is, pledge your unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and foreswear your allegiance to the Japanese Emperor or...

AH: Any other foreign power.

JA: Yes, and foreign power. So I said... I saw that, hey, I see what they're doing, they're making it so that the blame will be on me, and I didn't want to incriminate myself. If I had said "yes," that meant the government had every right to put us in camp, do whatever they did. And one of the things they did was to take our 1-A... took away our citizenship and made us an enemy alien, then the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, President's oath, all of that didn't affect us, so they could do anything, abuse us. And to me, that was very important, it was a very dangerous precedent that the government set.

AH: Did you write that down when you, did you qualify your "no" answer? Did you put an explanation, or not?

JA: No, it was just yes or no.

AH: Okay. So you did put "no," though?

JA: I don't remember.

AH: But you put "no"?

JA: Yes.

AH: And did your brother put "yes-yes" or "yes-no" or what?

JA: No, I don't think so. Yes, he might have said "yes-no." I can't answer for him, but 28, he said "no."

<End Segment 29> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.