<Begin Segment 6>

RP: Before we get, get into camp a little bit more, tell me, your father's wholesale grocery business, did it deal predominately with Japanese foods?

MW: Right, predominately with, with Japanese food. And then that's the reason there were a lot farmers, Japanese farmers, and they lived out in west Covina or back then all that area was all farming. So he, he would deliver, they would deliver out there. Predominately Japanese food, yes. And, like I said, he had twenty-six employees and I remember the... what is that? The adding machine? Yeah.

RP: So you visited the store as a kid?

MW: Yes.

RP: Do you remember the store?

MW: Yes. And I remember when the war came and they said, "You gotta get out of there." People were there like hawks saying, "Fifty cents." I remember fifty cents. I remember people saying that. And I remember one man saying, "Oh, you don't know where you're gonna go so fifty cents is better than nothing." And of course I didn't realize the impact at that time. And so, yeah, it was the toughest for them.

RP: There were a lot of rumors about, going around at that time just after Pearl Harbor, about if you had anything with Japanese writing on it or photographs or that type of thing that the FBI might be paying a visit. Do you recall that happening in your family?

MW: Right. I remember it was just my mom and myself and these people came. I think they were three men and I don't know, they must have been the FBI. Because you could, I remember... and they said, "You speak Japanese?" And my mom, you know... And they ask me, "Little girl, you translate for your mommy." And I said, "Okay." He says, "We're the FBI and," he says, "We're gonna go in your house and search." So I told my mom, "He said they're gonna go in the house and look." So what could we say? They went through and they rifled through all the drawers and whatever had Japanese writings or it looked Japanese, they made a pile in the back and they lit a bonfire. They lit a fire to it.

RP: So they actually burned...

MW: They burned it.

RP: They burned it.

MW: And I was carrying this little Japanese doll my dad had brought from Japan. And guy took it and he looks at it and he says, "Oh, it's a Jap doll." And he threw it in the fire. So then my mom and I got really scared. We just hung on to each other. I remember that part. Yeah.

RP: And, yeah, so it was just you and your mom. Your dad was at work and...

MW: Right.

RP: Did they, did they question your father or did they visit again to talk to him?

MW: Right. Fortunately, my dad was so busy with the store or something, I guess, he wasn't in any organizations or anything like that. 'Cause he was... Sunday or any day he was constantly working all the time. So they, they didn't take him away like they took the other fathers, some of the other fathers away. And so we were able to go to Manzanar together as a family.

RP: But you knew of... did you have other friends whose fathers...

MW: Yes.

RP: Just disappeared?

MW: Yes, yes, yes. And of course we went directly to Manzanar. We didn't have to go to Santa Anita or any other place first.

RP: Do you recall anything about the time that you were preparing to go to Manzanar? Do you remember packing a suitcase or what you took with you or what your mom told you to take?

MW: Right. And she says, "Well, put everything you want in the suitcase." Of course I was young so I wanted my toys and my dolls and stuff like that. But, and so that's all I remember is, is taking what I liked, some of my favorite dress or something, and the toys.

RP: And do you recall how you felt? I know you were very young but did you have any kind...

MW: Well, I always thought...

RP: ...of overall feeling about what, what's going on?

MW: What going on... yeah right. Because I'm young.

RP: Did somebody, did anybody try to explain to you what... "We're going somewhere else" or...

MW: Well, we're different. I mean, all I know is we used to play with this girl down the street and one day she says, "Well, I can't play with you because my mom, mom said you were bad." So I said, "Oh." So I asked my mom. I said, "So and so won't play with me because she says I'm bad." Of course how could... they had no explanation either. They're just older Japanese and they, they are, as far as authority, they respect authority, they listen to it. I mean, I'm sure you've been told about the Japanese, how they were. So that... and the young kids today, like after I, after I retired, I went to get my masters and my thesis was on Manzanar. And I interviewed several people and they said, the younger kids, some of 'em, "Really?" They said, "Really? It was such a thing?" They didn't know such a thing. Or neither did the, some of the older people. But the, the older people did tell me, "Oh Margie, it was for your benefit because it was a terrible time." They says, "You would have been hurt or something. So it probably was better that you wen," 'cause they would throw balls and cans at the Japanese houses, their windows and stuff. So some of 'em... it was a varied opinion. Everybody had a different opinion about it.

RP: The statement, "It was for your own protection."

MW: Pardon?

RP: That the rationale that was offered was, "This was for your own protection."

MW: Right, right. And the young kids, of course they all said, "Well, why didn't you fight? Why didn't you fight it?" I was just amazed at the difference of opinions. And it was interesting. Because whether you were old or young, white or black, they all had various opinions. So I found that to be interesting.

RP: And so your father basically lost his business?

MW: Yes. Yeah. All I know is my brother, when he was older -- my brother worked for him. He's thirteen years older than I am. And he says, "Oh yeah," he says, "Pa really lost a lot, a lot of money." But we all did. All the people lost their business. And so I... one time I went to a chiropractor and he said, "Oh, I understand you were in camp. You're Japanese are you?" I said, "Yes." And he says, "Well," he says, "you know, my uncle lost all his property too so it's not just you people that lost it." And I said, "I'm sorry but..." I mean, it was ironic that he would bring it up and tell me well, just because you lost it... and, and I understand that. There were many, many Americans that also lost their homes, their jobs, everything because they had to go to war. And, but I tried to tell him, "Well I'm an American. I'm on your side." You know, but they can't, they just don't see that 'cause the, 'cause of our faces. So, that's why we have to educate the people. But it seems you get two steps ahead and one step behind somehow.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright &copy; 2011 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.