Densho Digital Archive - Mary Suzuki Ichino Interview II (denshovh-imary-02-0016)

<Begin Segment 16>

RP: We talked about Barbara Dougherty. Were there any other administration people that you kind of got close to while you were there in camp?

MI: Not what you call real close to, but I got to know him, was Allen Campbell who was the attorney. Because we had to deal with him when, with evacuee property. And, you know, there were some really well known writers but they're not administrators. See, who else would be in that place? Nope, that was about it.

RP: Do you remember a guy by the name of Arthur Miller?

MI: Uh-uh. Who was he?

RP: He was, he was in charge of the housing department or some division in the administration. I think he was also an author, too. He'd written several books.

MI: Really?

RP: More on sort of managing people and that kind of thing. Not as glamorous as the poet, but...

MI: Hmm. No, you know what? The name doesn't even ring a bell. Isn't that funny? Well, of course they shouldn't, there were so many. But the administration really didn't mingle too much with the internees, that I remember. Louis Frizzell did.

RP: You mean socially?

MI: Socially. They liked... they had their own homes with indoor plumbing, and all the luxurious amenities that we didn't have.

RP: You mean the Beverly Hills syndrome?

MI: Oh, yeah, for sure.

RP: So there, I mean, honestly, there was a fair amount of resentment of...

MI: I don't know whether it would have been called a resentment, but it did bring up some social questions. Meaning that when a three year old went to visit one of those places, said, "Well, how come you have a toilet in the house?" Well, see, they have no concept at three that, yeah, toilets are supposed to be in the house, the shower is supposed to be in the house. And it's not supposed to be open where everybody is, you know, naked and... so that's the concept. I think it impacts the younger people. "Why do, how come you don't have to line up for food?" See, this is where there's a breakdown. And so I think that's where the family being tight was so important.