<Begin Segment 37>

DG: So what, was he wanting to maintain ties with Japan, or was he real loyal to America or, do you know, have any feelings there or just to the community?

TS: Well, I think he had his own ideas about what was necessary to remain active as a leader of the community and responsible for taking leadership in community affairs.

DG: Was he detained longer than your father?

TS: Well, he was detained, I'm sure, until the end of World War II.

DG: Oh, is that right. Now did he recruit you?

TS: Well, I was... he didn't call me to a meeting personal, but I think I was given notice to attend a meeting.

DG: Were you one of the few Niseis, early Niseis, or were there others?

TS: Well I don't, I had no information as to who was invited. I do know that there was a bunch of Niseis.

DG: Oh there were, but...

TS: Not, I wasn't the only.

DG: Mostly Isseis still, mostly Isseis. So when was this?

TS: This is I think a late in '48 or '49. Early '50s.

DG: And he had already been using the building that you have down there for housing, right, as people came back?

TS: Well, I think the language-school building was devoted partially to the storage of home, household goods of people who didn't know what to do with their household goods and just stored them at the school during the war. And also Mr. Mihara had the experience of having an office. He just took it as a natural thing to maintain an office to help take care of the office, take care of the building and take care of the needs of the Japanese community. And when people couldn't find a place to stay, he would arrange to try to make space in the classrooms for housing and quite a few families, I forget, as many as twenty families obtained housing in classrooms at the school building. And the Japanese school was started sometime in 1956.

DG: Well there was people still living there?

TS: Until then, yes.

<End Segment 37> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.