Densho Digital Archive - George Matsumoto Interview (denshovh-mgeorge

<Begin Segment 28>

KP: I'm about ready to wrap it up and I think we probably should get out of here. Any last questions?

RP: You were separated from your parents and the rest of your family for two years.

GM: Two years.

RP: How did, did you keep in touch with them?

GM: Oh, yeah, every, every week I used to send 'em letters, but most of the letters was to write, I was too busy to write, so I would send them my homework from my Japanese course, so when I went back to Chicago my mother had stacks like this that I sent. I couldn't believe it.

RP: The other question, George, is the government allowed people in Tule Lake, citizens, Niseis, to renounce their citizenship.

GM: Yeah, some of 'em did. Yeah. Kibeis.

RP: Kibeis?

GM: Kibeis. But this guy Collins, he was instrumental in rescinding that. It's as, as if nothing has ever happened.

RP: Were you, were you pressured by any elements in camp to --

GM: Most of the elder... I had three brothers that, Tanaka brothers, that were very into this pro Japan thing, and they, they would run around the camp with their headband and they had bugles and those kind of things, and they told me that I should do the same and I did that a couple times with them. Then they said I should apply to get into their organization, but when I tried they said, "No, you can't join us." I said why not? They says, "Well, your father, for one thing your father isn't in Tule Lake and he has to be a member of the parent group, so you're denied." I said thank you and I left, so I think I was saved because the Tanaka brothers later on, they were sent to Santa Fe.

RP: They renounced their citizenship?

GM: Yeah. But I was saved, 'cause I was lucky that my father wasn't in camp, so I was kinda glad.

KP: Well, I'd like to go on and continue this interview, but we both have to be going, and so thank you very much, George, for spending time to do the interview with us today. And on behalf of myself and Richard and the Park Service we'd like to thank you.

GM: You're welcome.