Interviews
On hearing of CWRIC selection from Senator Inouye
I had no reaction one way or the other. Really, I didn’t. I did not call the senator back, and I know [US Senator] Dan [Inouye] probably remembers (chuckles) my failure to call him back, but the reason was simply this, one of the reasons [is] I did not use my judge’s telephone system to make toll calls chargeable to someone else. I want to keep that record clean.
I know this may sound [like I’m] being overly sensitive, but you got to, because, otherwise, people will pick on you that you use the municipal system for private business or non-municipal affairs. So I did not call Dan back. Now, yes, I could have gone to a public phone, but by the time I finished my day at work, and I would go to a public phone, I’m sure Dan’s office would be closed. And that situation just continued on and on. I never called Dan and acknowledged the fact that he was instrumental, which I believe he was.
I’m not sure that he was instrumental in having me appointed to the commission [Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians].
Date: August 27, 1998
Location: Pennsylvania, US
Interviewer: Darcie Iki, Mitchell Maki
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
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