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BY: One question I want to ask, Tom, and I've got about maybe ten more if you think you're up to it, and that is, what can you tell us about the motives of groups organized in Seattle against the return of Japanese Americans to the area? How much of it in your sense was financial, racial, or just ignorance?

TI: That's a good question. I think it's all of those things: ignorance, racism, and financial. I think of... again, I think of the stories, and I think of the difference one person can make. In our community we have the example of Bainbridge Island, where you had Walt Woodward there who was a newspaper publisher, writer, of the Bainbridge Island Review, or the Islander, the Islander, I think they call it. But he made it a point to, when Japanese Americans left Bainbridge Island, to stay in touch with them and have them write in the Bainbridge Island, and so that people wouldn't lose touch and knowing them. And their return was a welcome. And to this day you have these really strong relationships based on that, and I think a lot has to do with the Woodward family.

In contrast, you have Bellevue, where there was a group to, in some ways, block or prevent Japanese Americans or dissuade them from coming back. And you have there, back then, one of the leaders in Bellevue was Miller Freeman. And Miller Freeman was one of the strongest proponents of this anti-Japanese sentiment, for them to be removed. And I think that had a lot of influence in Bellevue, and I can't help but believe some of that was economic. That in 1941, the floating bridge went in that connected Seattle to Bellevue, and whereas previous to that, Bellevue was very difficult to get to and was viewed as a very rural area. With the floating bridge, Bellevue, the property, the value of land there skyrocketed. And prior to World War II, Japanese, primarily through leasing, controlled about forty percent of the land in Bellevue. And to not have them return is an economic boon to people in Bellevue.

BY: And then Mr. Freeman was involved in the real estate business or land development?

TI: Yeah, so Miller Freeman is the grandfather of Kemper Freeman, who is well-known in business, so the Freeman family, they controlled a lot of the land in Bellevue. So that's an example of two communities, other sides of Seattle, very different stories. And such a contrast in terms of, one, very welcoming, a difficult situation, not welcoming, and people profiting from that.

BY: Has anybody really written about that comparison and fleshed that out?

TI: Not that I'm aware of.

<End Segment 25> - Copyright © 2020 Densho. All Rights Reserved.