<Begin Segment 21>

AI: As this coming and going started happening, as I understand it, kind of group by group, people were moved from Tule Lake, out to the other camps. People who had answered "yes" on the questions were moved out, and other people who had answered "no" were moved from the other camps into Tule Lake. What did that do to the nature of the camp?

KO: Well, I remember -- just going back a little bit -- that, having worked on the paper, that I remember this fellow coming in one day and says, "The ax has fallen, Tule Lake will be a segregation center." Or whatever they wanted to phrase it at that time. And so, boy, your mind starts churning right and left wondering what was going to happen, because here we were going into another unknown. And then there was a mad scramble among the people trying to get to certain camps. And they were pulling strings every way they could to see if they could get into the camps where some of their friends or relatives happened to be. I don't know how all this was sorted out, but one day we were on the train, moving, and ended up at Heart Mountain, along with some other people.

AI: Now you were among the last to leave Tule Lake? Is that right?

KO: Correct.

AI: Because I remember you were listed as the last editor for the Tulean Dispatch.

KO: That's right.

AI: What are some of your final memories of Tule Lake before you left?

KO: Well, it was difficult saying goodbye to all the friends that you'd made over the years. I think that was the most difficult part, because you were moving with family and they were with you, so at least you had that comfort. Some of the friendships, it was tough. I guess that's, fortunately, not too many people had to go through that experience. But I don't know how many percent of the people left there or how many percent stayed.

AI: Now, being one of the last, among the last to leave Tule Lake as it was becoming the so-called "segregation center," there must have been quite an increase in the number of people there, the proportion of people who were possibly anti-American, or so-called pro-Japanese. Did you yourself experience any kind of harassment from these people?

KO: No, not really, but I heard there were, in certain areas, there were problems among certain groups of people. So, camp life became somewhat abnormal. I... here again, I think I mentioned before in talking to you that, I often wondered what life was like after we left, because that's kind of a hidden chapter in the, in this Japanese story of the evacuations. Someday maybe we'll know more, and maybe there's more out there than I am aware of.

AI: Right.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.