<Begin Segment 19>
TI: And we were talking a little bit before the interview, how it was for the Japanese American community during this time. And during this conversation, you talked about how, in your portfolio of things to work on, redress was not a high priority issue, and in some ways, the circumstances allowed you to do what you did at this meeting. But I just wanted to let you know that, from the Japanese American community, there were hundreds of not thousands of people working on this issue, and everyone is doing what they can to move this issue forward. And what's clear to me, given the research I've done, the people I've talked with, what you did in this moment was substantial because of your position. And not just stating an opinion, you understood the issue and presented it in a way that, as a community member, I really can't imagine being done in a better way. So, one, I want to thank you for doing this. And I know you just feel like you were just doing your job, but I just want to let you know that in the scheme of things, people don't really understand, or are still wondering, why did Reagan sign the redress bill? Because of the story that people thought he wouldn't sign it, people thought there was this magic moment. And there were stories that it was Al Simpson convinced him, that Grant Ujifusa with Governor Kean convinced him. But in my research, it's probably a combination of lots of things...
JS: Tom Kean?
TI: Yeah, Tom Kean. That there was a story that Tom Kean in, I think it was a limousine with the president, made the pitch. And this is much later, this is, like, after you had left the administration and that he was the one who convinced the president, is what, there's one story there. So there's lots of stories. There's another story that Reagan decided to sign it because he saw the movie Bad Day at Black Rock, you know, the Spencer Tracy one where his friend Spencer Tracy played this veteran coming back. I think it reminds me of the Owens Valley, or I'm not sure exactly, but that the community had killed a Japanese farmer and his son, served in the 442 with Spencer Tracy. And that the president saw this movie and that compelled him to sign the redress. So there's all these different theories.
JS: Wow. [Laughs]
TI: But what you have presented is actually just the logical way how things are decided. But your story isn't really well-known in the Japanese American community. This whole story of what the JACL did, Frank Sato making this connection with you, and you presenting this at these Issues Lunches to the president, and your sense of the president just wanting to do the right thing. And so this is what I've been working on with all these interviews, and in some ways, you're the culmination of all these different interviews.
JS: Uh-oh. [Laughs]
TI: In that, yeah, you corroborate a lot of what John Tateishi, Frank Sato, and like you, I like to do my homework. If one person tells me something, it's, "Oh, that's really interesting. I need to go talk to the next person and find out more." And so everything's been consistent, is what I'm saying. So, again, thank you. There was no question in there, I just wanted to share kind of what my thoughts are.
JS: Well, I hadn't heard some of those, especially Tom Kean. [Laughs]
TI: Yeah, so that is still, for many people, they think that is the primary reason Reagan signed.
JS: Are they all from New Jersey?
TI: [Laughs] And so you kind of shake your head, so you think that's implausible?
JS: No, I didn't say that at all. I mean, I have no idea. It might well have happened. I mean, I give... well, I give the credit, as far as I'm concerned, to me, to Frank Sato. I give the credit for signing the bill to Ronald Reagan. Because I'm convinced he would sign that bill no matter what. He was from California, and he knew a lot of the issues and he would sign the bill anyway, I'm very confident. Without having a bunch of people, whether it's Al Simpson or me or Tom Kean or whoever, encouraging him to do so.
<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2023 Densho. All Rights Reserved.