<Begin Segment 17>

RP: So describe to us, did you play a part in the evacuation process?

MI: Yeah.

RP: What were your responsibilities? How much time did you have to prepare to go to Manzanar? Give, lead us through that part of life after Pearl Harbor.

MI: Some of that I'm finding out to be, it's getting to be a little bit vague. I remember doing volunteer work at Maryknoll signing up evacuees, helping them with their property, where to store their furniture and belongings. And Maryknoll came in on that and it was stored in the classrooms. And the brothers. This is again the brothers, stored it in the classroom because there's no more school, schoolwork, you know. And so we had, let's see, the main floor, second floor, and the third floor. So there's three floors of classrooms that was used as storage.

RP: Storage.

MI: Yeah. And so people who needed help then I would help with directing them where you go to fill out the form. And that was about the extent of it. And then there were a lot of speeches, pros and con. "Yes, let's go peacefully." "No, we have our constitutional rights." And all that arguing going on.

RP: This was going on within Maryknoll group?

MI: No, it was the whole community.

RP: The whole community.

MI: The Maryknoll facilities were being used, the auditorium.

RP: Oh, for these discussions.

MI: Yeah.

RP: So you, right, so there was all these different divergent points of view --

MI: Right.

RP: -- being expressed.

MI: Right.

RP: And you were there for this?

MI: Yeah. So I heard a lot of it. But then I was there as a far as assigning of or needing help for their property. And these were the early departure people.

RP: These are people who are going to Manzanar.

MI: Yeah, early.

RP: Uh-huh. And did the church provide vehicles and things that would go and pick up people's goods and bring them...

MI: That I don't know. I, my gut feeling is yeah, they probably did. 'Cause not all Japanese families had a car.

RP: Right. So...

MI: So we basically did, we tried to help each other out.

RP: Right. Were there other, other groups that also collaborated with you? For instance the Quakers or other church groups in --

MI: Oh, to help out?

RP: -- in Los Angeles that were coming and saying, "What can we do to help?"

MI: Oh, no, I don't think so.

RP: It was kind of really centered --

MI: It was pretty centered among the Maryknoll and the Japanese community.

RP: -- just with the Maryknoll. The Japanese community trying to help itself. So that must have been a pretty crazy scene...

MI: It was.

RP: People bringing furniture and everything else. Those rooms must have looked crazy.

MI: Oh, I remember walking into it. Gosh it was just stacked from floor to ceiling. That was awesome. Even in my home, you know when the FBI would come? They would come at night and you could always tell a FBI agent. Always they wore this hat, you know, felt hat. And they wore dark suits and overcoat and they would come in pairs, and...

RP: Did they visit your house?

MI: Yeah, they did. I don't know why that came back to me. But I was wondering why my dad didn't go. 'Cause, see, they were picking up anybody who was active or elders in a church. Well my dad wasn't what you call real active 'cause he had his business. But he donated and helped out at Maryknoll. I think that night... you know, my dad would come home for dinner and he took off back to his restaurant. And that's when this, these two men came over. So I have a feeling that if my dad was home, they would have taken him. But that's only speculation. I don't know. Because Mr. Ogura, whose wife I stayed with when I came back to L.A., you know, for WRA, he got taken and he was one of the elders of the church.

RP: Of the Maryknoll church?

MI: Maryknoll.

RP: Do you know any other folks that did?

MI: Oh, I'm pretty sure there were others, but Mr. Ogura was the one that really stood out because he was so active and I stayed with his wife, you know. Yeah. And he was married to a Polish woman.

RP: Yeah, you mentioned that. That you stayed with her.

MI: Yeah, I stayed with her. And that was the one reason why my mother and dad said yeah, okay, you could go if you stay with them, with her rather.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.