TO: THE HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION ON WARTIME RELOCATION & INTERNMENT OF CIVILIANS

FROM: TAK KUBOTA, PRESENTLY ADMINISTRATOR & CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF KAWABE MEMORIAL HOUSE (162 UNIT HOUSE FOR THE ELDERLY & HANDICAPPED)

MR. CHAIRMAN:

HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION ON WARTIME RELOCATION & INTERNMENT OF CIVILIANS.

MY NAME IS TAK KUBOTA.

FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK YOU AND EXPRESS MY PERSONAL APPRECIATION TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION FOR THE THANKLESS TASK OF THE COMMISSION IN LISTENING AND EVALUATING THE COUNTLESS THOUSANDS OF TESTIMONY BY THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN THE VICTIMS OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066, AND FOR THEIR PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING.

I MIGHT ADD THAT IN THE SPRING OF 1943, I WAS ONE OF THOSE WHO VOLUNTEERED FOR MILITARY SERVICE FROM THE MINIDOKA RELOCATION CAMP TO SHOW AND PROVE OUR LOYALTY TO THE UNITED STATES ON A PERSONAL APPEAL BY ONE OF OUR TRUE NISEI PATRIOTS LIKE MASAOKA, WHO I KNOW IS NO STRANGER TO THIS HONORABLE BODY.

INSTEAD OF ACCEPTING ME AS A SOLDIER, DUE TO MY EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND IN THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE, I WAS GIVEN THE CIVILIAN TITLE OF "INSTRUCTOR" (LATER ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF JAPANESE) AND WAS ATTACHED TO THE U.S. MILITARY INTELLIGENCE LANGUAGE SCHOOL AT CAMP SAVAGE, FORT SNELLING, MINNESOTA AND PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA UNTIL 1949.

I AM FIRMLY CONVINCED THAT THE PRIMARY ISSUE IS FOR THE COMMISSION TO RECOMMEND TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE THE "INJUSTICE" OF THE ACTION OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT DURING WORLD WAR II.

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DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE COMMISSION HAS HEARD TESTIMONY FROM THOUSANDS OF FORMER EVACUEES CONCERNING THEIR PERSONAL LOSS AND INJUSTICE SUFFERED AS THE RESULT OF THE ISSUANCE OF PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066 AND OTHER ASSOCIATED ACTIONS OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, I THEREFORE, WILL NOT ELABORATE FURTHER ON THAT SUBJECT AT THIS TIME.

THE FOLLOWING IS A QUOTE FROM WILLIAM HOSOKAWA, A FORMER SEATTLEITE. GRADUATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AND PRESENTLY EDITOR OF THE DENVER POST, DENVER, COLORADO, WHOSE VIEWS COINCIDE WITH OURS:

"LET'S TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE OBJECTIVES OF THE REDRESS CAMPAIGN. I HAVE BEEN ASSURED BY EARNEST ADVOCATES THAT THE MAIN AIM IS TO IMPRESS ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THE INJUSTICE OF THE EVACUATION AND TO ESTABLISH FUNDS FOR CARRYING ON ON AN EDUCATION PROGRAM. THIS BEING THE CASE, IS THERE ANY REAL JUSTIFICATION FOR SEEKING INDIVIDUAL CASH PAYMENTS? AS AN ALTERNATIVE, WHY SHOULD WE NOT SEEK A LUMP SUM APPROPRIATION, LET'S SAY $200 MILLION -­ A TENTH OF THE AMOUNT PRESENTLY TARGETED. AND THEREFORE POSSIBLY CLOSER TO ATTAINMENT -- TO ESTABLISH AN AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN MEMORY OF THE WARTIME SACRIFICES OF JAPANESE AMERICANS.

THERE CERTAINLY OUGHT TO BE A BETTER NAME FOR SUCH A FOUNDATION, BUT NO BETTER GOAL, IT SEEMS TO ME SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD BE A CLEAN, SIMPLE WAY TO GET OUR POINT ACROSS, WOULD NOT BE HANDICAPPED BY THE APPEARANCE OF BEING SELF-SERVING, WOULD BE OF BENEFIT TO ALL SEGMENTS OF THE NATION, AND STILL BE A MEMORIAL TO THE EXPERIENCE OF JAPANESE AMERICANS DURING WORLD WAR II.

OPERATING IN A MANNER SOMEWHAT LIKE THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION, FOR EXAMPLE, ITS PRIMARY PURPOSE WOULD BE TO SUPPORT RESEARCH EDUCATION AND PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, IT COULD PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS, SUPPORT PUBLICATIONS, FINANCE EXPERIMENTAL PROJECTS, IF A $200 MILLION ENDOWMENT COULD BE SET ASIDE, FROM $15 TO $20 MILLION

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WOULD BE AVAILABLE ANNUALLY FROM INCOME FOR OPERATIONS, ONE OF THE FOUNDATION'S TEMPORARY FUNCTIONS, TO BE PHASED OUT IN TIME, COULD BE TO GIVE DIRECT ASSISTANCE TO NEEDY ISSEI AND NISEI, OR EVEN OTHER VICTIMS OF DISASTERS LIKE THE INDOCHINA BOAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXHAUSTED OTHER SOURCES OF AID.

JAPANESE AMERICANS SHOULD HAVE SUBSTANTIAL INPUT INTO THIS PROPOSED FOUNDATION'S ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION. BUT ITS STRENGTH, ITS BEAUTY AND ITS ACCEPTABILITY WOULD BE BASED ON THE DETERMINATION OF JAPANESE AMERICANS TO SEE THAT THE INJUSTICES THEY EXPERIENCED WOULD NEVER BE REPEATED AGAINST ANY MINORITY, SUCH AN IDEA WOULD ELIMINATE THE FEELING THAT WE ARE TRYING TO "PUNISH" THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR WHAT WAS INFLICTED ON US, A VINDICTIVE THEME THAT UNFORTUNATELY CROPS UP IN ARGUMENTS FOR REDRESS, THE FOUNDATION I HAVE IN MIND WOULD BE A LIVING MEMORIAL TO OUR SACRIFICE, AND IT WOULD AVERT THE CRITICISM THAT, THE JAPANESE AMERICANS, THE "MOST SUCCESSFUL MINORITY," ARE TRYING TO RIP OFF THE GOVERNMENT FOR BILLIONS. THIS IS AN INEVITABLE CRITICISM THAT WILL STIR OLD HATES, HINDER OUR PROGRAM, AND DESTROY MUCH OF WHAT WE SEEK TO ACCOMPLISH BY SEEKING REPARATIONS.

TO SUMMARIZE, A FOUNDATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS WOULD SEEM TO BE A CONSTRUCTIVE PROJECT, AND SOMETHING THAT COULD BE MADE INTO A VIABLE, USEFUL ORGANIZATION WITH SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, IT WOULD AVOID THE NEED FOR TRYING TO DETERMINE WHO GETS PAID OFF, AND THE BUREAUCRACY FOR MAKING THE PAYMENTS, IT WOULD BE OUR CONTRIBUTION TO UNDERSTANDING, NOT A PROPOSAL TO GET A HANDOUT,"

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THE GENERAL CONCEPT OF WHAT HAS BEEN STATED ABOVE, HAS BEEN ENDORSED BV OUR SENIOR SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, THE H0NORABLE HENRY JACKSON, WHO HAS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE SO-CALLED "FOUNDATION CONCEPT." WE HOPE VERY SINCERELY THAT THIS COMMISSION WILL ALSO SUPPORT THIS APPROACH.

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT OUR VIEWS ON THIS POSSIBLE SOLUTION OF THE REDRESS MATTER.