<Begin Segment 2>

FA: First the government issued a military curfew on your movements?

FE: Right.

FA: What did you think about that?

FE: Well, we thought that it was very unfair for American citizens to be treated like that. We couldn't help our parents and other aliens, resident aliens from being --

[Interruption]

FA: Yeah, it was not fair for the American citizens, the Nisei. Did you think about resisting the military curfew?

FE: No, actually, that period of my life, I wasn't too aware of constitutional rights or anything of that nature, so we just, whatever the military said, we figured we wouldn't be able to fight the military or to oppose the military so we just went along with whatever they, the government decided to do. So as far as resisting the curfew or the expulsion, it didn't come to my mind at all. We were very unsophisticated as far as the law went, legally.

FA: How about some of the community leaders in Los Angeles, what were they saying? Do you remember?

FE: Well, the Rafu Shimpo, which carried the English section, always quoted the JACL as saying that we must cooperate with the government. And everybody took that as, you know, the way to go. Because nobody talked about opposing it.

[Interruption]

FA: How aware were you of the JACL?

FE: We weren't too aware of the JACL all this time because they were considered sort of a elite social club of lawyers and rich businessmen, things like that, so really didn't think too much about 'em.

FA: Were they considered the leaders of the community?

FE: Well, it seemed like they took on the leadership of the community. But they were the only organization that existed for the Japanese Americans, anyway, at that time, so...

[Interruption]

FA: Was anyone, were you a member of the JACL?

FE: No, I never was a member.

FA: Anybody in your family?

FE: No.

FA: Anybody in your neighborhood?

FE: Not that I know of.

FA: So, what was your major in college?

FE: I was going for pre-pharmacy, so I was taking science courses.

FA: If you had been able to finish college, what did you want to do?

FE: Become a pharmacist, that was my goal. Which eventually my son became a pharmacist.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 1998, 2005 Frank Abe and Densho. All Rights Reserved.