Densho Digital Archive - Frank Shinichiro Tanabe Interview (denshovh-tfrank-01-0016)

<Begin Segment 16>

[Ed. note: This transcript has been edited by the narrator]

TI: Okay, so Frank, we're going to get going again on this interview. I want to sort of shift and go to December 7, 1941. And want to have you describe how you found out about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. What were you doing? Where were you? So can you tell us about that?

FT: Well, actually, I was living at the Japanese Students Club. And I guess we were all playing cards or something in the living room, and the radio was on. And then when the announcement of Pearl Harbor came, everybody was (...) shocked. You could just hear a pin drop. And it was quiet almost throughout the announcement, the radio announcement, and it kept going on and on. And I think everybody was thinking about, "What's going to happen to us?" And, "What's my family going to do?" and so on. And most of the people left by the end of the day. They took off and went back home, White River Valley and Yakima, Wapato. Spokane and so on, until there was very few of us left. And we, we were sort of in a state of suspended animation. We didn't know what to do. And there was very little discussion or talk about... it was all contained within ourselves. Everybody was just thinking about themselves quietly, without talking to the other people. It was very quiet.

TI: And do you recall what you were thinking during this time?

FT: Well, I was thinking, of course, "Hey, what's going to happen?" since I was an alien, really. And I didn't know what to do. So I went to, we went downtown and met some of my classmates from Washington junior high and Broadway and in particular, one guy that I knew real well. (...) Anyway, and he (said he) and his family and friends (were) going (...) to Spokane (and invited me to go to Spokane with them. I told him) I'd like that (...). I didn't have any money to (...) move to Spokane (...). I stayed at the clubhouse. And when we wanted to leave the house (there was) a curfew (...). Some people from Chinatown, the Chinese, had (...) badges saying (they were) Chinese (...), and they'd invite us (...) to go out with them to Chinatown. So they'd drive us down to Chinatown and we'd go to some (club) and have a drink (...). They said (not to) worry, if (we) got caught by the cops, (we) can (...) show them the badge and tell 'em (we're) a Chinese.

TI: That's because you were violating the curfew by going out and staying past, what, eight o'clock?

FT: That's about the only thing we did. Rest of the time we just stayed in the clubhouse and played cards.

TI: Now, during this time, did you ever consider going to Montana?

FT: No, because that's the funny part. (...) The family (had) returned to Seattle on 1 December. And they lived in a small apartment on Eleventh and Spruce. So they were back in Seattle then, but I stayed at the clubhouse.