<Begin Segment 9>

FC: Would you describe the... a Nisei, someone picks up the questionnaire, what do they see?

MW: They see too many questions. It's very intrusive.

[Interruption]

FA: Michi, can you just describe physically what people saw when they looked at the leave clearance questionnaire?

MW: Are you talking about leave clearance or the military? The leave clearance?

FC: These were the same.

MW: Actually, yeah, it was titled differently, but... okay, ask...

FA: Can you describe what a Nisei would see when he looked at, first looked at the leave clearance questionnaire?

MW: Well, first, of course, "leave clearance," which nobody in their right mind would even think of wanting to be cleared for leave. Certainly when they were trying to organize, reorganize this totally discombobulated life and so that was totally intimidating. "Leave clearance, forget it.. That's not something I want." And then they saw all these very intrusive questions about what newspapers you read, what schools you attended, do you have brothers and sisters in the military, do you have people who are serving in the military in Japan.

FA: And at the bottom of the questionnaire, what did they see?

MW: They said if you... failure to answer these questions would make a fine of $10,000 or twenty years in jail mandatory. That is, that is totally awesome.

FC: And was this a genuine, were these penalties genuine?

MW: So it said. So it said.

FA: But later, did, what did camp directors later find out about whether this questionnaire was compulsory?

MW: Well, the War Department itself on February the 23rd -- remember the registration started around the 11th -- on the 23rd they said it is not compulsory. That notice was sent around to the project directors, but the project directors had all been so eager and gung-ho about establishing the "best record" for their camp, that they didn't want to know about that, and they kept on persecuting these young men who simply refused to cooperate.

FA: Were the internees ever told that failure to fill the questionnaire out was... were the internees ever told that filling out the questionnaire was compulsory?

MW: Was compulsory?

FA: Were they ever told, were they ever told it was not compulsory?

MW: No, not even Dillon Myer, it was his job to say, "Hey guys, I know you're trying to get these fellows to volunteer for the army, but the War Department says it's not compulsory," and it was his responsibility to remind the project directors that they were pushing it unnecessarily.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 1998, 2005 Frank Abe and Densho. All Rights Reserved.