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MN: And so you mentioned Pearl Harbor. What were you doing on that Sunday, December 7th?

JK: Oh, boy. Was it kind of scary. We had made plans, half a dozen boys, to go to professional football game at the Gilmore Stadium. So on that day, we met downtown, "Okay, you got your money for the ticket, right?" "Okay, let's go." Go to the parking lot, park the car, walk in, buy the tickets, then we hear FDR's voice over the telephone, over the loudspeakers. I don't know how we started, I've forgotten. But he announced that America was now at war. When that happened, we just turned around, walked back to the car, got in the car, not a word spoken. Came back to First and San Pedro, went to the pool hall, turned on the radio to hear, and heard the bad news.

MN: So when you're in the pool hall, what were you boys talking about?

JK: The consequence of the war. How is it gonna affect us? What's gonna happen to the folks? What's gonna happen to the store? Nobody expected a mass evacuation. Gee, that was the least, I thought. That didn't come to any of our minds.

MN: Now you're in the pool hall, you're in Little Tokyo. What was Little Tokyo like on Pearl Harbor day?

JK: It was a mess. Everybody hear from sheriff, g-men, policemen, firemen, everybody in their uniform, made it their business to confront Japanese, you know, Issei. Yeah, I know a lot of them were namaiki, you know. We had no business, but some of the FBI were gentlemen, because they acted like it was a big thing. But it affected so many families. Not my family, but my wife, future wife's family, they were just [inaudible]. I felt sorry for them.

MN: Yeah, you mentioned that affected Masa's family. How was her family affected?

JK: Her father was very important in downtown. He was sort of a secretary to the club.

MN: Chamber of Commerce.

JK: Yeah. So he was picked up at home, I guess.

MN: By the FBI?

JK: Yeah. So they were... I've forgotten. They were in a camp, then they were sent to Wyoming.

MN: Is that Tujunga?

JK: They were in Tujunga.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.