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TI: So I think back to the interview that we just conducted as well as the previous one, and Lucius, you've lived an extraordinary life and have had to deal with lots of challenges. And I'm curious, you're a Nisei, your parents immigrated to the United States, and I'm curious, were there any values that come to mind in terms of what you learned from that first generation that helped you in your life?

LH: Any number. There's something called nintai. And I think nintai really means "endurance," which I have always interpreted to mean, "Accept what comes your way and make the best of it," and I think that's been the basic philosophy of my life. I've always been an optimist, and regardless of what difficulties, challenges and tragedies that may occur in my life, you get over them as soon as you can. There are always elements within those tragedies that can help you move forward. And whether it's in your career and not making ambassador, but saying, "My God, I did well enough." I mean, for Nisei of my generation and age, I got involved in a profession that was unique, that most people find more than of passing interest, and would gain enough respect and appreciation for my work. But added to the nintai, I think the concept of the Japanese, of girininjo, of always paying due respect and thankfulness to the powers to be, and your parents and your family and your friends, has always been a principle, and basic principle in my life. And I give Maynard a lot of credit, too, because she's very firm in her moral beliefs that I've implemented in my life as well. And somewhat related to all this, I love to gamble, and gamble very heavily. In the '50s, I could win or lose several thousand dollars in a night. But when I met Maynard and we got engaged, and I found out she doesn't like gambling, I quit. I haven't gambled for fifty years. But I give credit to Maynard for that. Now, you know as well as I do that the Issei really felt so strongly about being accepted into the mainstream, and I've always felt that innately. I also feel very strongly that you should help your fellow man, you should, you are a reflection of all Nikkei. And it gives us an added incentive, but it's really a double duty. You want to prove yourself and do right as an American, but you also want to do it because you're a Nikkei. You don't want to bring shame onto the Nikkei community. I think that's one of my several basic principles.

TI: Good, good. So I'm going to ask you another question. I just found out that your son and daughter-in-law, they're expecting, and so this will be your first grandchild. What, how are you feeling about that?

LH: Well, I'm thrilled, as Maynard is, and my son and daughter-in-law are even happier than we are. And I always used to tell Brian, "Whether you get married or not, whether you have children or not, that's all up to you. But if you are going to have a child or more, have it before I'm so old I can't pick it up off the floor." [Laughs] And it's like his career and his education, we left it up to him. We never demanded that he do this, do that, join the Department of State, go to Harvard or Yale. He ended up at Berkeley, he ended up in history as a major, he was Phi Beta Kappa, he was an honors student. And from that point on, it was obvious to me that he was a great writer, even though earlier he was so interested in writing. And never pushed him into a career path. It became quite obvious to us in his adulthood that he was really not cut out for an eight to five job, or eight to five, seven days a week, whatever. He has a brilliant mind, like Maynard. I have an average mind, but I work hard. I'm a real plodder night and day, seven days a week, and a positive attitude. And through his plotting -- or I should say through his intellectual capabilities and his ambition, he's become a member of the Writers Guild of America, so he has a minimum floor for whatever script he writes. He's already been a co-producer and co-writer in a movie that's already been released, he's directed a short film, he's now in the process of -- well, he just selected, had auditions for any number of actors and actresses, and one, now that Twilight is coming out, is Robert Pattinson, was interviewed and selected for this major role in Brian's film. And Robert is already advertised it to the world. He just can't wait to get started in this movie that Brian Horiuchi wrote and is going to direct, and is a "lovely, ethereal piece" that will, in essence, help his career a great deal.

I love children, I always have. I learned magic to show children magic. To this day, I still show magic. I showed that black lady I just mentioned in Hollywood, very successful producer, her young daughter, magic just the other night. 'Cause parents enjoy the fact that someone will pay attention to their children. But they don't want you give them money, candy. So the other one is magic. Children want money or candy or magic. So I was known as the "Magic Man." "Oh, Mama, when is the Magic Man coming back?" Or if they couldn't pronounce Uncle Lucius, "When is Uncle 'Looshoo' coming back?" [Laughs] But I love children, I'm extremely happy, and we just can't wait for the child to be born in May. That's still a few months to go.

I do want to mention one more time, or go into it more thoroughly, how fortunate I feel that I was given the opportunity to serve in the U.S. government for as long as I did. And a lot of people say, "Well, you were lucky." Well, you make your own luck, is my retort. And people may help you open doors, as I mentioned in my first interview, but you've got to be able to prove yourself even though someone helped you open that door. And was there a "glass ceiling" because I didn't become ambassador? I don't know. I was well-qualified, what I had done, what I accomplished. Ambassador, say, to a major country is an extremely far-reaching, difficult job. And if you do it right, as Mr. Kissinger used to say to me quite often, you have to be an expert in linkage. With every problem that you deal with in Japan or Vietnam or Korea or wherever, you have to see how it affects, geopolitically, the whole world. And I will admit I'm somewhat limited in that particular area. It would take people like Maynard and Brian to fill such a position.

TI: Oh, I think you're being much too modest, Lucius. You know, Lucius, I'm afraid we're out of time. We have to run off to the airport, but this was just a wonderful day talking to you. So thank you so much, again, for doing another interview.

LH: Well, Tom, thank you for coming up here, and thank you also to Dana Hoshide, your right arm. I remember her so well from the first interview a year ago, so it's been exactly a year ago, so we now have my first one and my second one, and Maynard's long one yesterday and today, and we look forward to seeing the finished product.

TI: Very good.

LH: Thank you very much, Tom.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.