SERIOUS TROUBLE NOT LIKELY WHEN JAPS COME BACK - SAYS DILLON MYER

Pointing out that there have been 67 war casualties among Japanese-American service men from the Seattle area, Dillon S. Myer, director of the War Relocation Authority, lashed out at so-called "exclusionist groups here," and predicted there "will be no trouble of a serious nature" when Japanese return here from relocation centers.

Myer said it is too early to discern the pattern of movement from the centers, but the movement east is substantially greater than expected.

Myer mentioned three Seattle Japanese who distinguished themselves as heroes in the European and Pacific theatres.

"I don't anticipate serious trouble," Myer said. "I don't believe the West Coast is infested with bands of anarchists who want to disrupt the process of law and order. The talk of trouble is coming from bullies who don't usually do anything but talk.

"I don't believe there are many people who are going to subscribe to the idea of taking away the citizenship of such men as Corp. Shiro Yamaguchi and Corp. Henry Gosho, both of Seattle.

"Yamaguchi won the Bronze Star for bravery in France. Hank Gosho served with Merrill's Marauders in Burma. One of Hank's comrades has stated a platoon owes its life to him.

"Another man is William Kenzo Nakamura, who was killed in action and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously for extraordinary heroism in Italy.

"I don't believe, either, that the people of this area would refuse to do business with Yamaguchi or Hank Gosho, or Nakamura if he could come back."

Myer said there had been 94 casualties among Japanese-Americans from this state, of whom 24 were killed; 67 of the 94 were from the Seattle area.

"Nor do I fear the attitude of returning service men from the Pacific," Myer went on. "Too many of our soldiers are familiar with the exploits of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Italy. And too many of them are familiar with the work being done by Japanese-Americans with our forces in the Pacific right now.

Hundreds Like Hank

"For security reasons no precise mention of this work can be made, but Hank Gosho is not the only man out there. The fact is there are hundreds more like him."

Myer said that 70 to 75 per cent of the younger Nisei have resettled in other areas and that the majority of persons left in the relocation centers were the older generation or the very young. The W.R.A.'s goal, he added, was to close the centers by January 1, 1946.

Myer explained there would be no return of their decision would be made individually. Many of the Japanese, he declared, have been employed in ammunition depots in Utah and Nebraska, and he saw no reason why they should not engage in war work here if war concerns chose to employ them.

Schools to Close

Myer said spring planting would not be undertaken at the relocation centers, and the schools would be closed at the termination of the school year. Japanese remaining in the camps when it was found advisable to close them, he said, would be turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"We are no longer judge and jury in screening out any undesirable," concluded Myer. "Our duties now are purely those of a relocation agency."