14-12-4
Manzanar Calif.

April 5, 1943

Dear Joe,

I have about forty-five minutes to kill before a show so I thought I'd write you. I'm going to see a Abbott and Costello picture entitled, "Who done it?" Well, nothing has happened lately, and the camp is the same old dull place. We've had some dusty weather for about two days straight which is awful griping. I believe I told you that I received the iron and solder, but according to your post card you forgot. Business is picking up pretty good now and I'm getting known more around the camp. Every time I do a place I ask them how much other fellows charge them and undersell them. Quite a racquet, but business is business. Our block held a kind of informal social at which I did for them and wasn't expecting any dough, but received some anyway which was right nice of them. You know what, you told us we spelled Ingleside wrong, but we checked back and found yours was the same so we aren't to blame. Mama and I got a great kick out of that. Gee, everyone seems to be leaving for relocation and sure makes me feel like going. Henni didn't pass his physical so he won't be leaving for the army. He has high blood pressure. However Ko Yamada passed and he'll be leaving very shortly. You mentioned something about relocation in your last letter, could

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you give something a little more definite on it? Fred Ohi is set on comming up to Chicago and he showed me some post-cards on Chicago and they sure were pretty. If you live in a town like that, I'd think it be like heaven. But he tells me its nothing like L.A. In L.A. there are lawns in front of houses, open, etc. But in Chicago, its closed and rather compact. Guess what, some guys, Caucasians, that I went to school with back home came up to see me and boy, were they a sight for sore eyes. We had chats, ate together, went to church together and really had a swell time. They tell me if we were to go home, the attitude of the people would be no different than when we left which is down right encouraging. Also they told me that the government has invented a "disguise" for airplane factories and Douglas has it installed. Small smoke stacks lie all over Douglas in a radius of about five miles and when a air-raid warning occurs, smoke or fog comes out of these stacks and hide Douglas. It is odorless but very dense, just like fog, a really great invention. Well I guess this about all for this time so until next time I'll be signing off.

Sincerely,

Towru Nagano

P.S. enclosing another Manzanar free press later in bigger letter. Your small pox certificate will come shortly.