Densho Digital Archive - Minoru J. Shibata Interview (denshovh-sminoru-01-0017)

<Begin Segment 17>

KL: How else was life different based on that attack?

MS: Life was different because we were put in a different environment. When we had to leave, like it was mentioned that my father had already been taken in.

KL: Tell us about that. What happened?

MS: Okay. On that day, when the war began, my father was out on a boat on a fishing trip. And I don't know what happened, I guess these boats were commanded to return to Terminal Island, I guess, wherever they were usually had the boats parked or whatever. And all I remember is that my father arriving home with, I don't know how many FBI agents, I'm assuming it was FBI agents, just packing his clothes and leaving with them, that's all. And it wasn't a very long time, he wasn't able to do anything else, prepare anything for the family or anything. Just pack his own clothes and leave with those people who was waiting for him.

KL: You were at home when that occurred?

MS: Yes.

KL: Did he speak to your family members?

MS: He didn't explain anything. And I don't know what he may have told my mother, but hardly any conversation.

KL: How did he seem, his state of mind?

MS: No expression of anger or anything, he was just trying to obey what had to be done.

KL: Did the agents interact with you?

MS: They were... I can't say they were rude or anything like that, you know, I think they were just doing their duty. And it wasn't picking on anybody or whatever. So the event was uneventful in that way, that my father just packed and just left. Which left, I guess it must have happened to most of the families in Terminal Island, so therefore it left all the womenfolks to take care of everything and prepare for evacuation. So it really created a burden for all the wives and other family members to prepare.

KL: What were conversations like, like for your family later that night? Do you recall your mom talking to people trying to figure out, or know more about what had happened?

MS: Yeah, I can't recall anything outstanding about any conversation that went on. It was just preparing to burn whatever we thought was not necessary to have, and decide what to do... well, my mother had to decide what to do with the furniture or whatever we had belonging to us.

KL: What information did you have or did you think about where your father was going?

MS: We had no information, we just found out after the fact where he ended up.

KL: How much later was it?

MS: To me, it was... let's see. All I knew was he was away. I didn't even know where he was or where he went to until really much, much later.

KL: Were you still on Terminal Island?

MS: No, no, not when I found out. As a matter of fact, even when he returned, I didn't know what he was returning from. That was in Utah. And when he returned, I think I was told. Because as a matter of fact, recently, that he was able to return because he was sponsored by the same people who sponsored our stay in Utah, the Utah farm.