<Begin Segment 11>

TL: We've looked at also some other books that discuss some of Clarence's legal work. And one of the most controversial things that he became involved in was with the cannery workers issues.

YB: Yes.

TL: And I'm wondering what you remember about that? Because that did receive --

YB: It was quite frightening because, they feared for me, I had just given birth to our little boy, and I couldn't get out to the office to help him. But he became very good friends with Jack Allingham, who's a private investigator. And he goes around -- and Clarence would go with him, you know, in one room, and then in the next room, he'd connect something to spy in on a double-timing husband or a wife. Excuse me. [Clears throat] And so with that experience, he hired and asked Jack if he would be with him and protect him as his bodyguard. And that's how dangerous it was. It was usually, I think at the time, mostly the cannery workers, the Filipinos, that were after him. But he was fighting for the right for the Japanese to be able to go in, too. And they had been going, but for some reason -- and I don't know too much in detail, how much it involved -- but they were worried for me, if anything should happen to me so I stayed pretty much at home. Yet, he was very good friends with one of the oldest Filipino leaders. Santos.

TL: Bob Santos?

YB: Bob Santos. Knew him very well. And Clarence used to handle a lot of the Filipino legal work. And the Chinese, and the Japanese.

TL: Do you remember anything about how that, the cannery workers issue got resolved? Was Clarence pleased with how it ended, or...?

YB: I think it eventually worked out so that things were ironed out and became peaceful. But later on, I don't think that many Japanese from here went over there to work. Students went because they could earn good money during the holiday, their vacation time, and earn money enough to go to school. And I know a lot of people ordinarily would go every summer to work, and earn enough money and come back. The Chinese would go, too; and that's where Amy came in. Her father evidently was from Seattle, went over there, and had this little girl, daughter, which was part Alaskan and part... part Native Alaskan and Chinese. She was a very brilliant gal, very sharp.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.