Densho Digital Archive - Fred Korematsu Interview (denshovh-kfred-01-0010)

<Begin Segment 10>

Q: Fred, could you talk about what kind of support or what other Japanese Americans said? Did you have any help in making a decision?

FK: Well, while I was in camp, the first time I was in camp, my brother, he was involved in various Japanese activities. And he thought it might be a good idea for me to get some suggestions and opinions regarding to, if I should fight the case or not. So I obeyed because I wanted to know their opinion, if I should fight it or not. So that night, he had a gathering of about thirty young people there, in a room, and they were discussing it to themselves or in little groups. And I stood around and waited for someone to speak, but no one actually came up to speak to me. Finally one did, and he said, "Fred, we're all in camp," and they're undecided on if I should fight the case or not, because... or if it, there's no way that they can help me. So therefore it was up to me to decide on what to do. And I assume that one of the main reason is their families are in camp already, and they don't want to make any more disturbance. Well, they didn't do any disturbance, but anything to upset the parents right at this time because they were too upset already being, just being in camp. So I think that was one of the reasons why decided to not say anything.

Q: I heard that other Japanese Americans view your stand, do people see you as a troublemaker? Was there any support from Japanese American groups in the camp like JACL?

FK: No. They were very quiet about my actions. Maybe majority of 'em just avoided me, so I assume that I got myself in this problem, and therefore it was my problem and not theirs.

Q: That's the, that's the way you felt?

FK: Yeah. So they tried to avoid the question, or they tried to act like nothing ever happened. Therefore I had to take the load myself.

Q: Did you feel like other Japanese Americans could have taken a stronger stand, that they were perhaps too docile in reporting to the camps?

FK: Well... if they weren't in favor of it, I would think that I would be much happier that I had them backing me up on this. But to do, to do this by myself, I just wonder if I was doing wrong or not doing the right thing, or maybe putting them in shame by bringing the issue up again. And because the Japanese people, they liked to... they're peaceful people, and they like to leave things alone if they can, because they were in enough trouble as it is because of this Pearl Harbor attack. They sort of feel, and the country blamed them, so they feel they had this sort of a guilty complex, even though they had nothing to do with it.