<Begin Segment 24>

TI: And so when you return to Boyle Heights and you have some time, what are you thinking about what you want to do next?

CS: Well, I had to find a job. [Laughs] So I went, there was the Helman Building on Spring Street, which housed all the U.S. Customs house, plus all the brokerage were all in the same building. So I went, there was a GI Bill of Rights where if you worked for an American company, the government will pay the first month's full salary, and then the next month they'll deduct one month, and eventually in one year, the employer would have to pay the full salary. So I went around to all these companies saying, "You want to hire somebody for nothing?" and I'd leave my name. By the time I got home, I had a phone call, "Come to work." So I went to work.

TI: And who hired you? Which company was that?

CS: W.J. Byrnes.

TI: And what kind of work did...

CS: It was a custom house brokerage. And I was interested in foreign trade already, so I learned a lot there. Of course, I started off as a messenger boy there.

TI: And did they specialize in any type of special...

CS: Yeah, all the, anybody importing, imports from Japan were just starting now, and they were customs and paid the duty.

TI: And so did your Japanese language abilities help you?

CS: No, didn't help. No need for it. But I had a, we had a Chinese customer, and he was importing from Shanghai and all that. So he asked me to help him on Saturdays. So I used to, weekends I used to go help him. And at the end of the year when I was supposed to get the full salary, they didn't want to give it to me and so I quit and went to work for this Chinese who wanted me to work for him. So the next day I'm calling my former boss and giving him orders. [Laughs]

TI: Now, this is right after the war, and you're working with a Chinese American. Were there any tensions, given during World War II, the animosity between China and Japan, the war?

CS: No, I was with this Chinese company, so I met all the Chinese businesses and all of 'em. In fact, one funny incident, there was a Caucasian customer, and she thought I was Chinese, naturally, working for Chinese. Boy, she was badmouthing the Japanese, you know, and I didn't want to lose the sale, so I agreed with her, "Yes, yes," and got the sale. [Laughs]

TI: Oh, that's a good story.

<End Segment 24> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.