<Begin Segment 6>

CO: Tell us about the climate in San Francisco in regard to the internment. Was it in the papers a lot?

EB: As a matter of fact, we sought to, to determine the point of view within the ACLU itself. And as a matter of fact, the membership was pretty well split on this issue. Well, that isn't too bad for an issue of this type. When there's a war on, people get a little antsy. But my ACLU news carried statements of the opinions of members. They didn't agree with my position necessarily. Some of them did. But the board fortunately supported my position to intervene on behalf of persons of Japanese ancestry. Now throughout the Bay Area, I would say that generally speaking, people supported the exclusion. That was the general wartime position. And the Hearst papers, of course, took that position. Newspapers generally supported the exclusion. And you may recall, of course, Japanese were not the only ones who were excluded. There were some others that were involved. Anybody who was too friendly with the Japanese was excluded, and I remember a newspaper towards the end of this thing referred somebody to the ACLU because he had been excluded from Alaska and his business was ruined by competitors. And he had had no hearing, but ultimately there was a hearing but there was no, nothing against him. But by the time he got back to Alaska, his business was, as we say, kaput, or damaged or destroyed. There were also some Germans who were not regarded as friendly to the government. And there was some problem with respect to them. Of course, if they were American citizens, as far as I was concerned, and they hadn't committed any unlawful action, they were entitled to protection. But the government didn't always take that position. If they didn't like somebody, they wanted them out. And generally they'd exclude 'em rather than to put 'em in detention because they were not aliens. If they were aliens, of course, they could be detained in the camp.

CO: Of which there were a number.

EB: Oh yes, there were a number of camps. There was one not too far away from here.

[Interruption]

EO: But I must say, Mr. Besig, you have been one of the most steadfast people we've ever encountered. It's amazing how you...

EB: Believe in freedom?

EO: Stuck to your principles.

EB: I've always believed in freedom. And I continue to believe in freedom.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 1992, 2003 Densho and Emiko Omori. All Rights Reserved.