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Return to Los Angeles

Here I was in this camp and the news came out that they were reopening the west coast. Anyone that wanted to go back would be allowed to. There was a great deal of reticence on the part of the majority of people who were interned. They were cursed on, cursed at, yanked out of their homes, ripped off of their possessions and thrown into this place with barbed wire. It wasn’t that easy of a decision for them to say OK we’re going back to this place where all that happened.

I was young enough, naive enough to decide “I’m going back.” that’s where Jefferson High School comes back into play because I figured if anything happened and things became unpleasant I’d go run and hide into one of those areas like that. I’d probably still maintained a few high school friends, at least that was my thinking. Came out and settled into a hostel that existed in Boyle heights. I think it was on Evergreen. I have an idea that was where I made phone calls to Disney studios.


California concentration camps Los Angeles Manzanar concentration camp postwar United States World War II World War II camps

Date: August 6, 1998

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Janice Tanaka

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio
Iwao Takamoto (April 29, 1925 – January 8, 2007) was a legendary animator for Walt Disney and Hanna Barbera, most famously designing Scooby Doo in the late sixties. Incarcerated at Manzanar after graduating high school, Iwao leveraged his art skills into a job at Disney upon returning to Los Angeles, working on classic animated films like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. He would go on to mentor other Japanese American animators such as Willie Ito, who worked with him on Lady and the Tramp. After leaving Disney for Hanna-Barbera in 1962, Iwao continued animating, as well as producing and directing films like Charlotte's Web (1973) until his retirement. (June 2021)
Francis Y. Sogi
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Sogi,Francis Y.

Remembering December 7, 1941

(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation

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Francis Y. Sogi
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Sogi,Francis Y.

Meeting Japanese Americans from the mainland in MIS

(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation

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Francis Y. Sogi
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Sogi,Francis Y.

Awareness of concentration camps as a Japanese American

(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation

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Fred Korematsu
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Korematsu,Fred

Manhunt

(1919 - 2005) Challenged the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066.

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Fred Korematsu
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Korematsu,Fred

The Final Verdict

(1919 - 2005) Challenged the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066.

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William Hohri
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Hohri,William

Trying to get back into camp

(1927-2010) Political Activist

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William Hohri
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Hohri,William

Education in camp

(1927-2010) Political Activist

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Dale Minami
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Minami,Dale

Reasons for conformity and competitiveness in Gardena, California

(b. 1946) Lawyer

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Dale Minami
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Minami,Dale

Role of the redress movement in helping Nisei to open up about their wartime experiences

(b. 1946) Lawyer

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Mako Nakagawa
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Nakagawa,Mako

Search of family home by the FBI following the bombing of Pearl Harbor

(1937 - 2021) Teacher

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Mako Nakagawa
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Nakagawa,Mako

Not recognizing father after reunion at Crystal City, Texas

(1937 - 2021) Teacher

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Mako Nakagawa
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Nakagawa,Mako

A child's memories of activities at Crystal City, Texas

(1937 - 2021) Teacher

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Jimmy Ko Fukuhara
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Fukuhara,Jimmy Ko

Hearing about Pearl Harbor

(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan

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Chiye Tomihiro
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Tomihiro,Chiye

Too Ashamed to Tell

Chaired the Chicago JACL's Redress Committee.

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Chiye Tomihiro
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Tomihiro,Chiye

Don’t Make Waves

Chaired the Chicago JACL's Redress Committee.

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