<Begin Segment 15>

LH: Yeah, and you were in the position of being a two year old at the time...

FK: Right.

LH: You had no choice...

FK: Yeah.

LH: You had no choices.

FK: And I think a lot of the adults felt the same way.

LH: Right.

FK: I think the prevalent attitude at that time because of JACL, came in a leadership role. And I think most of the JACL people were... well they had to be, they had to be Niseis, because I think the JACL was only taking citizens as members at that time. If it was Japanese American Citizens League, and if you were Issei, you couldn't be a citizen because there was no way you could be one until 1952. So the prevalent attitude, attitude at that time was that you cooperate and show you're an American. And that cooperation would be, would be better because... talking against what was happening and so forth was, would just inflame things even more. And, and at the same time the Japanese culture was, even for Isseis, was that you respect authority. That you don't... talk against authority because in a lot of ways that's shameful and it's... not something you do. You assume, if someone's in charge or is in a power position that they know what's best for you and that's why they're there. See, so, you don't, you tend not to question authority because they should know what is best. So, that's culturally, that would have been the situation also with Isseis, so...

LH: So pretty much this whole Bainbridge group, you felt, sort of reflected that feeling?

FK: I think most of us did. I think most of us... again, I think most of the leadership role fell to the Niseis and they, and they kind of felt that way. I, I don't think it's... it's stereotypical, because you don't think... It's not everybody really, really felt that way, I'm pretty sure... I mean, some of the younger guys talk about how they really felt about things. By younger, I mean, people that were in their early twenties and stuff at that time. And how, one guy mentioned, how he was drafted but he was moving around. So, the (draft notice) would always get there a few (moments) after he left this place. And he said, the comment he made to me was, he was willing to go in (the army), but they'd have to find him first. He wasn't going to help them find him. I mean he's, he was just, he wasn't moving to get, to avoid it, but if he moved and the letter got there late, he wasn't going to call them up and say, "Yeah, I'm here now." So, but... and he did serve in the army eventually and so forth. (Narr. note: Military Intelligence School)

But the, the feeling was, I think the feeling was, really prevalent that among the younger guys was, "Hey, what is this... you're trying to get us to do this stuff and still you're treating us this way." I know one of the guys said, when he came to that questionnaire, he refused to sign it. And he, and he said there was a lone army personnel that was questioning him about this because he didn't sign it. And he said, he said, "Sure I'm loyal to the United States. And sure I, you know, I've got nothing to do with the Emperor of Japan. And it's, this, it's, it makes me angry that you even ask this question." But he said, "As long as I'm not free or whatever, I refuse to sign it." But he said, "If you, if you do draft me, I'll go." So... and I said, "Why?" I said to him, "Well, didn't you get in trouble for that and not signing?" He said, he said, "No, I never signed it." He said, "I think that the soldier, that I talked to, understood."

LH: Really.

FK: But I know a lot of cases where guys didn't sign it because of the same reasons; they ended up being rounded up and given prison sentences and stuff for being draft resisters. So I think, it's interesting, because it depends on who was with you, and how sensitive someone was, and what kind of feelings they had toward you. And I think that was even the case with judges. Some people got real harsh sentences for doing something and some people got less because the judge, the judge person understood. And, and knew what was going on. It was, it was kind of like you were at the mercy of whoever was there and how that person was feeling about the situation more than anything else.

LH: Interesting, interesting.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.