Densho Digital Repository - Robert "Bob" Bratt Interview (Densho ID: ddr-densho-1020-6-10)

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EK: So I want to go back to your work with the community groups, and what I think is captured in a lot of photos in the first check presentation ceremonies. Can you talk a little bit about that?

BB: That was interesting. So the first check was really the biggest controversy we had on redress. Because it was, the White House had wanted little to do with it.

EK: Under whose administration at this point?

BB: This was under first Bush. And they didn't want a big deal made out of it, basically is what they were saying. And then we at Justice especially had strong feelings, this is a big deal, this is the first check being presented. So we were shooting for doing this in the Rose Garden, doing a White House ceremony, and the White House just wouldn't entertain it. And that was the push, and that's what the community wanted at the time and all. So we got it to be held at Justice. And even at Justice it was one of those things where I wasn't a hundred percent sure that the Attorney General was available until almost right before the ceremony, and that he was going to come down and participate. So we had a backup plan, we had a plan for him when he was there, and we also had a backup plan in case he wasn't available.

EK: And the Attorney General at that point was?

BB: Richard Thornburgh at that time. So that was the part of it that was the difficult part of it. The personal part of it was my second cousin who was going to receive a check was part of it. Got to be made part of the ceremony which was just unbelievably fantastic. This ceremony came off to everybody that was there. The Attorney General came up at the end and thanked me for that day, but when he left, he said, "That was probably one of the best moments in my entire time I was here at DOJ." I mean, it was unbelievably moving, it was unbelievably... so I give credit to the staff, just a fantastic job there putting this together. The input that we got from everybody on that from the community, it was done in the right taste, the right tone and all. And then after the ceremony at DOJ, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and myself hit the road for a number of key cities, and we went out, and here in San Francisco was one of them, and locally presented checks and all. Not much controversy, but one of the things that was asked was every local representative in any place that we were going to, all of sudden heard that we were going to be there, wanted to get involved, which was very limited, and I think we ended up doing too many of those folks coming in. But other than those two things, I think that, on a national level, had the right tone and taste and emphasis on the local level, people loved it. I can remember the one here, and just mobs of people were, wanting to get in to see it and were very, very touching. And being a part of, especially the local ones, where people were, lot of tears and a lot of, it was truly a unique experience.