Myer, Director of W.R.A., Clashes With Anti-Jap Group

[Photo caption]: CORYDON (NIFTY) GARRETT (left) and DILLON S. MYER. They discussed the return of Japanese

The views of Dillon S. Myer, War Relocation Authority director, and the Remember Pearl Harbor League met head-on today as Myer listened to a first-hand account of anti-Japanese feeling in the Puyallup and White River Valleys.

Myer, who is conducting a series of conferences with area supervisors, said he had not included Seattle in his itinerary expressly to deal with the organization formed to prevent the return of Japanese to this area.

The attitude of the league was presented by Corydon (Nifty) Garrett of Sumner, a member of the executive board.

Not Inciting Riot

"The Remember Pearl Harbor League does not have the intention of inciting to bloodshed and riot," Garrett told Myer "but there is blood in the eyes of the people of this valley."

"And there will be blood in the eyes of boys who come back to find that we're fighting the war over here," replied Myer. "They're going to be particular about what liberties are taken with our Constitution. Let those who want to fight go overseas to do it."

"What we want," said Garrett, "is to save fighting the Japanese later."

Myer refused to accept that view. "I think you'll find most people are going to be fair in their attitude after the war," he said. "I'm not afraid that there is going to be bloodshed. At the most we may expect only a few isolated incidents created by hotheads who have been drinking too much."

Equal Rights Guaranteed

"We feel," persisted Garrett, "we should dispense with the Japanses [Japanese] now, while the problem is in its infancy."

"That is the point of view of people who refuse to accept the Constitution of the United States, which guarantees equal rights to all colors and creeds," said Myer.

"I understand," Myer continued, "your organization advocates taking their citizenship away from these people. When they do that, they are monkeying with your citizenship and mine, and I don't care for that."

"I'm not afraid of rejecting their citizenship," said Garrett.

"Thank heaven there are lots of people who are," Myer replied.

Competition Feared

Meyer [Myer] said he believed the source of the friction was largely economic, and that competition offered by the Japanese was feared.

"Evidently this movement has been started by some misinformed and misguided people," Meyer [Myer] said. "They forget we have some 12,000 Japanese-Americans fighting with our armies, some of them in the South Pacific.

"In one relocation center recently we had 46 Gold Star mothers whose sons had been killed in action. In one battalion there were 54 holders of Silver Stars and more than 1,000 men with the Purple Heart."

Also attending the press conference held in the office of Claude G. Walker, W.R.A. area supervisor, was R.B. Cozzins, assistant W.R.A. director, whose headquarters are in San Francisco.