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TI: Tell me about your relationship with not only Senator Inouye, but the other Japanese American senators and congressmen.

FS: Well, I met with Senator Dan Inouye, and I knew his staff well. Senator Sparky Matsunaga, he was on the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, and I met with him often. In fact, when I became the IG at VA, he sent me a nice gift, which is an ashtray from the U.S. Senate. And there was something else... he'd always send me gifts, typical Japanese, and he was always gracious to me. When I'd appear before the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, he always was very kind and said some very nice remarks about me and introducing me. And so I can't say enough about the man. Of course, Bob Matsui I knew, but I didn't know that well. And I didn't really get to know Doris that well. Gosh, I'm drawing a blank now.

TI: Well, and Norm, Norm Mineta.

FS: Norm, of course, we had a really close relationship over the years. I knew Norm and his first wife, May, well. We'd always spend New Year's together, and he was very helpful to me always. We would (attend) a reception at Mike Masaoka's house on Kentucky Derby day, and it was always a fundraiser for Norm. And June and I participated, we've had that kind of relationship for many years, and I've known Deni, his current wife, from day one. When June and I left Washington, Hideki had a nice party for us and Norm and Deni were there. It's that kind of a relationship we've had.

TI: How about that... there was another, I want to say Japanese American, maybe Japanese Canadian senator, S.I. Hayakawa. Did you have a relationship with him?

FS: I met with him early on, but I have to tell you that I didn't have any personal relationship with him at all. I met with him once, and of course, it was after that, the next election, he was out. So I never met with him again.

TI: Well, another man you mentioned, Mike Masaoka, what role did he play in redress?

FS: What role did he play?

TI: He was around, he was there, but he wasn't visible from what I can tell. I don't hear much about him, but yet, he was there, and I was wondering if, again, behind the scenes, was he playing an inside game? Was he using his influence to talk to people, was he advising, was there any of that happening?

FS: You know, as near as I could tell, I met with Mike fairly often when I was national president, and of course, we met with Mike and Etsu socially at parties at their house. Insofar as redress is concerned, he, I think, was more behind the scenes and advising, but he didn't take, as far as I know, any direct action. But I think his work was being done through Norm. As you know, Norm is a brother-in-law, and it's through that process that whatever advice he had was going that direction, I think.

TI: There was something else that Roger Daniels told me about Mike Masaoka. During the redress period, as there were various hearings, that Roger Daniels mentioned how, during one, that I can't remember who it was, but there was someone prominent from the African American community that testified on behalf of redress, and he thought it was through Mike Masaoka's efforts because the JACL historically had been supportive of the Civil Rights Movement and things like that, that that helped in terms of, again, his relationships that he had developed getting some of these other caucuses involved. Did you hear or see anything of that?

FS: You know, I'm not aware of that. All I can say is... I'm drawing a blank, the Coalition on Civil Rights, that group was always supportive of JACL from Mike's time, and I know that Ron Ikejiri, when he was Washington, D.C., rep, was always in contact with that group. And through that group, the black groups and all the other groups who were supporting us, there's a lot of good things that were done by our people that people, I don't think, fully appreciated. I got to know Ron Ikejiri very well, because he used to always call on me and he'd say, "Hey, what are you up to and what can we help you with?" And it was that kind of a relationship. But I know that he was always working with that coalition, and being very helpful soliciting their help to us and vice versa.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 2017 Densho. All Rights Reserved.