<Begin Segment 21>

MN: Tell us how you were able to leave.

AI: Order for people may not attack me, so what they do is they bring the box, GI box to pack my things middle of the night, two o'clock in the night, they dropped it. Then the next day they come and pick me up two o'clock in the morning, took me out to the administration area and we wait 'til little bit later in the morning, probably about I assume was six or seven o'clock, took us to I think was the Klamath Falls Greyhound bus station. I got the greyhound bus and sheriff took me to there and he stayed until the bus started moving. And the bus trip was something else, worse than the train trip because I was by myself, rest of them is all Caucasians and I know on the bus may not do anything but if I get off the bus may, so every bus stop everybody get off, I stayed on the bus until I got to the Minidoka. So no breakfast, no lunch in between, finally I went to Minidoka, Idaho, then I have to get off the bus so that's where I took a bite.

MN: What were you doing in Minidoka and how long?

AI: I just visit there. The other thing is I didn't want to say I came out of Tule Lake so at least I say, "Oh, I came from Minidoka," which is really true. And friend was there before me so I kind of visit him for one month there.

MN: What did you do in Minidoka for one month?

AI: Nothing. We just kind of... I surprised myself of what did I do one month there? I met one girl there and later on I met her in New York but I guess it's just roam around, that's all.

MN: How would you compare Minidoka to Jerome and Tule Lake?

AI: You know, Minidoka I wasn't there long enough to find out anything there so I can't compare.

MN: Was Minidoka having problems like Tule Lake?

AI: I don't think so.

MN: Because you had to leave at two a.m. in the morning. If they found out --

AI: That's Tule Lake.

MN: Now if at Tule Lake, if they found out you were going to leave would they have beaten you up?

AI: Most likely, very possible. But you know that time there was two young sisters left Tule Lake same time I did. I don't know where they went but they were there two o'clock in the morning administration area also. That was the army's things that they didn't want anybody to attack us so that's why they picked us up at two o'clock in the morning.

MN: So was there a lot of pressure to renounce your U.S. citizenship in Tule Lake at that time?

AI: No, Tule Lake like until that hearing came there was nothing that like I said we kind of stayed away from everything. Fortunately we were away from central area so really not.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.