Densho Digital Archive - Ayako Tsurutani Interview (denshovh-tayako-01-0011)

<Begin Segment 11>

RP: Do you remember the conflicts in camp between Kibeis and the Niseis?

AT: Yeah. We just heard that this Fred Tayama, who's a good friend of ours, was, I think he was hurt. Anyway they moved him out, out of the camp. In fact he was living right next, above us or was it the same... he might have been in the same block as ours, only up further.

RP: Fred Tayama?

AT: Yeah. And then, and then I think my husband heard something, I don't know who he heard it from, but they were gonna come after him since he had, with the Citizen League he had connection. So this one Kibei that was in the room with us came out and said that anyway, even if they come, he said, "I can't help you," you know, "I won't do anything." Well, this friend of ours who's a, he's a Nisei, he said, oh, he's really... he's got a stick someplace and he had it right besides his bed. He was willing to help my husband. But nothing happened. No one came around. Although we know that this one other fellow was in our block was saying something about my husband. But the wife, I think it's because she heard, she knew about that. She knitted something for me. You know, she thought maybe it'd help me. So... and she was the kind of wife that couldn't talk to, you know, say anything to her husband. But other than that I didn't hear much about the conflict.

RP: Do you, what do you recall about the riot that occurred?

AT: Yes, that's what they said was it must have taken someplace way down the, nowhere near our...

RP: So, your husband wasn't taken out of camp, was he?

AT: No, no. He wasn't.

RP: And nobody came looking for him?

AT: No, no.

RP: Did you feel any sense of threat or fear about...

AT: Well, I was kind of worried but I figured, well, it will turn out okay. And as it is, nothing happened.

RP: Did you know Mr. Ralph Merritt at all?

AT: Mr. who?

RP: Ralph Merritt, the director?

AT: No. No, I never had. I wished I had kept that letter that he wrote to my husband. I don't think I threw it away but I just don't know where I put it.