<Begin Segment 18>

RP: Just going back into the mid and late '80s, were you involved at all in the effort to obtain redress or an apology from the United States government for the camps?

JN: I followed it, no, I was not active in it. I was a member, I am still a member of JACL, but our chapter is in the city, and as crazy as it sounds, I'm only thirty-five miles away from the city, but it's like being, it's easier for me to go to Los Angeles than it is to go to the city. No, I'm exaggerating, but I don't, I'm not an active member of JACL. And they were indeed the front-runners for redress and whatever, in my opinion anyway. Although the group in Seattle was incredible in what they did. Those young kids, the young lawyers.

RP: Right, the lawyers. And did you have any thoughts about the day that you got the letter of apology and the payment, $20,000?

JN: Well, I told you earlier that I'm the ever-optimist, talk about the good things of evacuation, but it was about when I was twenty-three, twenty-four when I realized -- pardon the vernacular -- what a screwing we got. And it just, I couldn't believe what my government did. Indeed, I keep thinking right now, why does not the Japanese American community, that is the Niseis, the people that are, say, here at this convention, why don't they talk about it more? And I think it's because, in my case... let me tell you something. I thought it was embarrassing for me to tell you, a non-Japanese, about my experience, thinking that your government and mine would do something like that to a group. And I think that is, to some extent, why it's not more well-known. Now, conversely, let me tell you another good thing. I was just saying as we first started our session today, Ken Burns' War, unbelievable. I could not believe what that three-hour program did for the Japanese American community in the snippets that they used to show the evacuation portion of The War. Everybody that I know of in my little social group in Long Island knows about evacuation to this day, thanks to that guy. And we, really, and this media that you are using is going to be a great thing to promulgate the Minidoka camp, what went on there, and it's not, and there's nothing wrong with what I saw at (...) Manzanar last, last year, last summer, and it's incredible what happened there, what you did there. But it's so remote for anybody. It seems like it is not a destination point unless you're Japanese American and really interested in wanting to see Manzanar. It's a casual thing that people, "Hey, let's..." you go off the road for, what is that, 395, and go into the camp to see (the exhibit). But I think this (media, TV), might help tremendously, I hope.

RP: Since you were involved in the camp experience and also experienced 9/11 and the aftermath of 9/11 and backlash toward Muslims, did you feel like maybe the nightmare was starting again?

JN: I really did. I was so proud that the museum took a stand on the part of the Muslim community that was incarcerated -- not incarcerated, that's not, you know, we have a tendency of over, over exaggerating events with words, it was not that. It was, I think, I can't say a normal reaction, but it was a reaction that I think... well, it was normal. But I was so proud that the museum took its stand and immediately said to the Justice Department or whoever that it was wrong. Now, that was a proud moment for me anyway, or I'm sure for a lot of Japanese American people.

RP: James, if you have any other stories or comments that you'd like to share, otherwise we'll thank you very much and for your time here and the very special stories, very heartfelt.

JN: Yeah, well, thank you very much for permitting me to sound off. I've always wanted to write something about the younger people's point of view of evacuation. Indeed, I've got a couple pages written already, sort of abandoned that on the side.

RP: I'm sorry, I might add that at Manzanar, we're in the process of developing a book called The Children of Manzanar specifically from the perspective of kids and teenagers.

JN: There is indeed one author that I read about. I can't remember the name, I bought the book, maybe it was... oh, Topaz. Do you recall that book?

RP: Journey to Topaz?

JN: Yeah, yeah, right. But it wasn't, well, I can't remember what the content was even, but I wasn't too impressed is what I'm trying to say. [Laughs] Yeah.

RP: Well, maybe that's something you can, maybe you can expound on it.

JN: Well, you know, people just say, "Heck, it's at age seventy-seven, he can't do it." But let me tell you, it ain't gonna ever happen because we're not going to be around. And to get it third-hand is completely different. It's incredible what you're doing, really.

<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 2007 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.