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LD: I'd like to know how it was that you heard about war starting in December of 1941. How did you receive the news?

HT: I guess through the radio and the paper, I think. I didn't have any reaction to the store and such so some people did. Somebody came right in but I didn't have that kind of an experience at all. Through media, I guess, because there again, like our store, you're so involved in your store, the lengths that you're working, you don't even read the paper really, you might say. But every year, [inaudible] was advertising. That's my part, I said, I never got around to. But, yeah, it's, up to that point, I guess it must have been things in the paper. But I never, because I never felt it that's why, so I didn't notice it either, so I think I was lucky in that respect.

LD: How much time did you have to prepare for leaving your store, for getting rid of everything you needed to?

HT: Well, probably about two weeks. I think about two weeks, yeah. There again, people came around and buying your store, you know. With a lump sum, "I'll pay you so much for your stock," and I wasn't about to sell, so, and I think it must have been about two weeks. They really had to put the, you had to make your decision, you had to move, what to do, you know. But until then, you just carried on, you see. It's not that war broke out and you lost all your customers, you know. They were really nice to me, you know. So like I said, I had some... when I left they all wrote me some notes and I thought that was nice.

LD: Would you read us some of the notes that you received from customers?

HT: This is somebody that they wanted to do, you see. This was in March of '42. It says, "Dear friend, it has been a pleasure to know you, and we are so very sorry you have to leave. Hope you will be back soon, and we'll have the Friendly Food Market again. If so, we will still be your customer. Best of luck wherever you go. Sincerely, Laverne Belger and Roberts." I thought that was nice. There's another one here. "To the boys of Friendly Market who used to get my Presto logs now, Mrs. Gear." We used to deliver Presto logs. [Laughs] Oh, I lost that now... "The whole world can't be wrong, so don't be gone so very long. Bill Olson." I thought that was nice. They're so... out of wrap that they want to leave with me. That's going back a few years. 1942, it says on here, '42, sixty years. Like this, they're all so nice, you know. They just felt bad about what happened, and you know, they just want us to come back, so never had any... yeah.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.