<Begin Segment 10>

TR: So then, December 7, 1941 --

AN: Uh-huh.

TR: -- happened. Do you remember where you were when you first heard the news about the attack on Pearl Harbor?

AN: I was in Seattle at the time. Yeah. We had friends there and, yeah. I think it was a Sunday afternoon that we heard that and... yeah. And then people wondered whether, what would happen. They said, "Oh, we're all right. We're citizens." And I remember saying, "Yes, we're citizens, but we never know during wartime what would happen." And sure enough, that's what happened. We, of course, all I had to do was go home, but look at all the rest of the people. That was home.

TR: How long after you heard about Pearl Harbor did you come back here?

AN: Oh, it wasn't long. I came home.

TR: And do you remember what the mood was here when you came back right after December 7th?

AN: Well, no. Of course, the people were the same. I mean, we had friends there, here in this area especially the people that we knew. But I remember when we were, some of the restaurants or a few of the restaurants didn't serve us in Caldwell and in Nampa. Yeah, I remember singing for a wedding in Nampa and sat down to eat, and they refused, no. We didn't sit down. They didn't give us a chance to sit down, refused us, service to us.

TR: Do you remember exactly how they refused service to you, exactly what happened?

AN: "I'm sorry, we don't serve you people."

TR: So it, we've gotten the impression from other people that we've spoken to that while there were instances of discrimination like that, that by and large Ontario was a pretty good place to be?

AN: Yes, it was. The mayor was very friendly and very good to us and very open, I believe.

TR: Do you remember his name?

AN: I'm just trying to think of it. Elmo Smith, is that right?

TR: And in what ways was he good to you?

AN: Well, he was open to the people coming in. I think he was far sighted. He could see that the farmers did a lot to help the area when, in the farm area because they were good, Japanese were good farmers, and they did a lot to help the country and the area with the, help the economy.

<End Segment 10> - Copyright © 2004 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.