When we first heard about the loyalty questionnaire they said that if you didn’t answer there was gonna be a $10,000 fine or a ten years imprisonment or both or something like that. Which we found out later was all bogus, you know that it wasn’t true. And uh, when I read those two questions, there was only two questions that were controversial. The question 27 that said will you go on combat duty to the most dangerous [inaudible] wherever ordered. And then the second question was will you be loyal to the United States. And the second part was will you foreswear allegiance to the emperor of Japan.
Well, I thought that both questions were ridiculous. Especially under the circumstances we were in. And so uh, I answered it “Under the present conditions and circumstances I am unable to answer these questions.” And uh on second-question 28 on the loyalty thing I just put “No.” Or no, I put the same thing under the present conditions I can’t answer these questions because uh I was you know we were under arrest.
Date: May 9, 2006
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Lisa Itagaki
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
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