28-5-B
Minidoka Project
Hunt, Idaho
July 16, 1943

Dear Mr. Pace:

Over a year has gone by since I last saw you and so I am wondering if you still remember me. I was operating the Happy Grocery until the Army ordered all persons of Japanese ancestry evacuated from the Pacific Coast. I am very sorry to have neglected writing to you sooner for which I hope you will forgive me.

We are now in a relocation center in Southern Idaho where we live in one-room apartments. We have just one room for the family in which the Government furnished us with beds, blankets, and a stove. The rest of the furniture we have had to either make or buy as best we could. We live in barracks of which there are twelve in each block, and each block has a central mess hall and washroom and laundry. We are not allowed to cook our meals individually but the entire block of approximately 300 persons eat in the central block mess hall. The government has provided schools here for children of school age, and we have a cooperative which operates services such as the canteen, beauty shop, barber shop, and other essential enterprises. All of us who are physically able are having to work eight hours a day as they do in the city. There is plenty of work to be done here for they have a big farm plan underway to say nothing of having to feed, house, and furnish the necessities for 10,000 people. It is a big city in itself. There were originally about 10,000 people on this project but now the number has dwindled down to 7,000 through persons relocating to cities outside the defense zone. We have finally become accustomed to camp life and find that it is far from ideal. We desire to relocate into some American community where we may lead a normal American life such as we were used to in Seattle.

As you know, my husband was interned soon after the war broke out. In order for our family to successfully relocate, I feel that it will be necessary to have my husband join us. We are writing to the United States District Attorney

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requesting that my husband be returned to us and I am wondering if you would be good enough to write a letter on my husband's behalf stating the kind of person you knew him to be. For your information, I am enclosing the letters which we intend to send. If you feel that you are able to do this big favor for us, please address the letter to Mr. Charles Dennis, United States District Attorney, Western Washington, Seattle, Washington, and have the letter notarized so that it will carry more weight. I would appreciate your sending this letter to me so that I may send the complete file to the U.S. District Attorney. My family and I will be forever grateful to you. We have been terribly lonesome without my husband -- my children and I miss him very much.

I trust that this letter finds you in good health and I hope that I may have a favorable reply from you soon. Thanking you in advance for your kindness, I remain,

Gratefully yours,

Mrs. S. Morita