<Begin Segment 18>

MA: So why do you think your father was targeted by these FBI or authorities that came over?

KB: Well, he was considered one of the leaders in the community, the South Park Japanese Association, and also the Nichiren Buddhist Church. He did services for the church, and also they had officers in the Japanese Association, and I can't remember, I mean, they probably took turns at the different offices. And he also had some communication with the Seattle Japanese community neighbors. So the people who were picked up were actually the leaders of the community, but he was one of the first ones in South Park. And some of our neighbors who also were active, kind of, it's funny in a way, but they were waiting to be picked up, and they actually were, two or three days later they were all taken to the immigration station.

MA: So then your father was pretty much, like you said, one of the first ones then, to be taken in.

KB: Yes. I'm not sure exactly when the FBI started to round up the Japanese, but I imagine pretty much after Pearl Harbor happened.

MA: So you found out that he was taken to the immigration, the INS building in Seattle. Did you have any communication from him?

KB: No.

MA: Or were you able to see him ever?

KB: No, we went, my mother and I went the next day when we found out he was there. They wouldn't let us see him, they just said he was there. And one thing we were concerned about was financial, because he was in charge of all the money, and he knew where the banks were, and he'd write the checks. So then I got, I had to get a -- what do you call that now? I've forgotten. Some kind of permission from him to, some authorization -- there's a certain term for it, I just forgot that now -- to draw money out of the bank account and to write checks, that sort of thing. But it was all (done) without seeing him, they wouldn't let me see him. They took care of it, the officials took care of that. And let's see. That was one day, and then the second time -- oh, we got a phone call saying, "Please bring a suitcase with his clothes." So then we did that, and then the next day we went back, they said he was no longer there, that we will be hearing from him about where he is going to be.

MA: So they moved him within days.

KB: Yeah, it was like three or four days without ever us seeing him. And then I can't remember, maybe like a week or so later, we found out that he was in Montana.

MA: What was that time like for you, I guess, as the eldest child? Did you have to take on more responsibilities with your siblings, younger siblings?

KB: That's right. I think my mother and I shared the responsibilities, but I felt I needed to help her because of her lack of language ability, and also she really didn't have that much information about finances and so forth. So we kind of tried to work things out together.

MA: And at that point, what happened to the farm? Were you able to maintain the farm in those months after Pearl Harbor, after your father was taken?

KB: We did, but see, that was in the wintertime and there isn't a whole lot to do on the farm in the winter. My brothers, and then I think we always had some other helper around, so they were able to take care of the farm. Let's see, and then we were there until May, is when we had to move to camp.

MA: What was the feeling like in the South Park community in particular after, you know, the Issei men were taken away? What was the talk in the community at that point?

KB: Well, I'm not so sure. I think everybody just tried to get along the best they can. There might have been some feeling that they should return to Japan.

MA: The family should go back to Japan?

KB: Right, some families were thinking about going back to Japan. I'm not sure if anybody did, though, but it was very, very disturbing for everybody. I think we tried to make the best of it, as far as my family was concerned. We continued to go to school, and tried to get by the best we can.

MA: And you had younger siblings, five younger siblings.

KB: Right.

MA: Who were all in school at that point.

KB: Right, uh-huh.

<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.