Densho Digital Archive - Yukiko Miyake Interview (denshovh-myukiko-01-0021)

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SY: Well, at some point did you feel a sense of being suspicious? Was there any suspicion amongst the community of Japanese spies?

YM: No, not when we were living in Seattle, but once we went into the camp, then there were a lot of suspicions, and certain people were called dogs. And the minute they were called dogs, we knew right away that they were spies, and it's too bad because some of the nicest people in the community were called dogs. And they were... I never saw it, but I think they were insulted so I think this one person, I think he left the camp early because he couldn't stand it, and he had been a... really a high community man before the war. They all trusted him and they liked him. I don't know what his business was.

SY: What made people think he was a spy?

YM: I don't know. That is one thing I never knew, but they came and told Henry, Mr. so-and-so is a spy.

SY: I have to just get this clear. Was that when you were in camp?

YM: Yeah.

SY: And so Henry was with you in camp at this time?

YM: I guess, no, he wasn't in camp.

SY: Henry wasn't? And so these people would tell other people?

YM: Yeah, and they would tell me.

SY: I see. And were there many people -- how many people would you say there were that were called dogs?

YM: Oh, not many, maybe three, four.

SY: What happened to them?

YM: They left the camp early. They went to Salt Lake City or if you went to Spokane, you were outside the jurisdiction so you didn't have to go to camp. So they must have gone too, I think. But it is a shame because they were called -- I think they were called dogs for no reason at all because maybe they didn't like them.

SY: So you're not sure if it was actually because they were spies.

YM: No. No. I didn't know them anyway so it didn't make much difference to me, and Henry wasn't here either. Maybe if he had been here, I might have heard a different version entirely.