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EG: Let's talk a little bit about the redress movement. You were one of the early people advocating this, and formerly, you advocated to some committee that was involved in the setting up of the program or something?

FS: The ironic thing was that Gordon Hirabayashi -- Nisei, convicted criminal, ex-prisoner -- sued the government with the help of some friendly lawyers, and won. Won first an apology and then an actual money compensation. I don't think Gordon was ever in a camp. My daughter Esther had been a classmate of Gordon's at the University. Both of them acquired Master's degrees in Sociology, and he had spent quite a lot of time at our place in Lake City. And Esther volunteered to drive a truck from one of the Japanese farmers who had gotten a job outside the barbwire and was therefore permitted to leave and needed his truck. Gordon was in Spokane at that time. Esther picked up the truck in Auburn, drove to Spokane where she picked up Gordon, and then they drove together to Minidoka in Idaho. And I guess on that trip they became engaged, and they were married somewhat later in Spokane, I think. I don't know. This doesn't gel when I attempt to recall, but where they were... I know Gordon was on trial in Spokane. I remember a jury was being selected. Each side had the privilege of refusing certain jurors. I remember... my memory doesn't hold water. Anyway, Esther objected to one of the jurors and Gordon asked her, "Why did you object to this person?" She said, "I didn't like his looks." It was the best excuse she had.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.