<Begin Segment 6>

FA: Why did you decide, and how did you decide to join the Fair Play Committee?

SH: We had the same feeling. Like Frank Emi, I believe he's the one, instead of so many organization saying the same thing from different angles, let's all get together. Then he's the one that put all, everybody together. I mean, that's just a general statement, see? Then you know, then we all said, "Sure. Sure, why not?" Then we got a very few people first before you know, we had to have a, we had to have microphones outside the mess hall and everything.

FA: What do you mean by that?

SH: Well, we had first, at first we have a little room like this to go. You know, just the people that were, they were very critical about our, and before you knew, well, people got no place to sit, you know. They want to hear, they want to talk, they want to give their views. So we rented the mess hall. Then before you know, there's more people. They want to exchange view with you. And Paul Nakadate was our, we nominated him as the emcee.

[Interruption]

FA: Tell me one more time, Sam, the meetings got so big, what did you have to do?

SH: We have to put a microphone outside, outside of the mess hall, so the people want to hear. They demand it, "We want." So more, so it just got larger and larger.

FA: How did that make you feel?

SH: Well, well, anyway, I thought we were kind of gathering information, what people think, reviews. And they were young children, young children at the time, you know, there were a lot undecided. And, but with that... synagogue? People gathering together? People made, made their opinions. Some says, "No. I'm going comply." I said, "No, I'm going to bug it." You know, they divided. They drew their own...

FA: Did you ever tell any young boy what they should do?

SH: Yeah, what to do? What do you mean by "what to do"?

FA: Whether to, did you ever tell them that they should resist the draft?

SH: No way. That's not a... no, no, no. That's each individual opinion, decision. Sure, because I got no right to run other people's life. But anyway, that was in that stage. It was in that stage. And, you know, the thing started formulating, so I thought, like I said over the phone, we gotta get, we gotta have ammunition here to, to fight this issue. And we got to have somebody that could speak Japanese language very fluently. And then Mr. Kubota, I met him some time ago, before, and I was talking to him. He has a good voice, good vocabulary, and good speaker. So I asked him, we had this kind of movement, "We need your help. Were you willing to help us?" I told him details about this. "But I don't want you to put, you know, just express your views." So he went on, the, he volunteered immediately. "Sure." Then I introduced him to Frank and Paul. I said, "They will be the key." They will be the, Paul is emcee always, and then Frank will be the correspondent. So any information you want, and we'll stay in the guideline.

FA: Guntaro Kubota was an Issei. You felt it was, you felt it was important to have an Issei.

SH: No, I had to have somebody that can speak Japanese language fluently in order to, we got to have the money. And then you have the tell, express to the, those Japanese-speaking people that, "This is the Fair Play view. And if you have any other opinions or any views, come to the platform. We'll listen to you." That was our whole... but, because I think it was soon after that, some time later, FBI -- [laughs] -- they picked me up, and that's it. It wasn't quite yet fully matured, but it was pretty well in order. And the organization was moving well.

FA: You felt... again, the Nisei, did the Nisei have the kind of money that would support a test case?

SH: Yeah. They did.

FA: Okay. But you told me on the phone that you felt that Issei were the ones who had the money.

SH: Well, they did. You know, they control the purse. So that would help. But you had to understand them.

FA: What kind of -- let me ask you this -- what kind of support for the Fair Play Committee did you find among the Issei?

SH: Well, they will help you, "Go ahead."

FA: Again please.

SH: Yeah. They said, "Go ahead. We'll help you financially." And that's all. But you know, after that I was picked up, I wouldn't know what happened.

FA: Why do you think the Issei said, "Go ahead"?

SH: Well, they thought if you have a cause, you believe in it. And then naturally I said in order to go to court, it takes money. And without the money, we can't proceed with our objective.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 1993, 2005 Frank Abe and Densho. All Rights Reserved.