Densho Digital Archive - Jim Akutsu Interview (denshovh-ajim-02-0001)

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FC: Min Yasui has arrived in Minidoka. What's the weather like when you go visit him?

JA: I would say it was quite cold, and I had to make a couple of visits before I was able to meet with him.

FC: He wasn't home the first time?

JA: No, because then I'll come back and say, "I'll come back again," and I did meet with him.

FC: How? What happened when you met with him? Why did you go see him?

JA: Well, number one, the reason is I wanted to know because he was a resister to start with, and I wanted to find out... I had a strategy of my own and I thought I'd put it past him, being an attorney, I thought maybe he could give me a little verification or give me some direction or see, or tell me, "You're going in the right direction." Yeah. That was the basic reason.

FC: What was your strategy?

JA: Well, actually, I lost my citizenship -- given 4-C. That was the biggest thing, 4-C, okay? And --

FC: You, you interpreted the draft classification of 4-C as a loss of your citizenship?

JA: Yes. Because --

FC: Would you say that? "I considered... because I was classified 4-C, I considered that I, the government had taken away my citizenship." Something like that.

JA: Or whatever they did so they could put us into a concentration camp, and I wasn't able to vote anymore... as a citizen that's one of the biggest things. That's the thing you take when you die -- you can't take anything else, but that's the only thing. And that was my main thing. With no cause, no due process, you got put in camp, and I was held there.

FC: Okay, let's back up. Again, say, "I was classified" --

JA: We all were.

FC: Oh, okay.

JA: Yes. We were all classified... see, we were classified once 4-C. 1-A to 4-C. And you were put in camp, and then again, before the segregation -- you know, when you got that question 27 and 28 -- you were given classification again, you were given the 4-C, okay?

FC: And 4-C meant...?

JA: Enemy alien, not obligated for military service.

FC: Did Yasui agree with you?

JA: Well, actually, I told him that, the first time -- I mean, to begin with, I wanted to know a little more about him, and then know why he did it. So I told him that with this selective service reinstatement of volunteering, selective service that was coming up, I said that I have a way that I can beat this thing and that was to prove myself an alien. And to prove myself an alien, I had to apply to the Spanish consul, or the Spanish embassy that I am an alien and I want to be repatriated, and they accepted me, repatriate, okay? Then at the same time, at camp, I, when the naturalization act came up I said I wanted to be repatriated. So WRA, WRA accepted. So Spanish embassy, WRA both accepted my repatriation.