European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 13, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I the government has cheeked and double checked these citizens of Jap but some West coast neigh Bors dont want them to come by James Oneill yank staff writer is in californian Sag covered Owens a couple of Hun dred Miles Northeast of los lies a Cluster of tar papered Barracks so much resembling an army base from a distance that the approaching visitor half expects to a see a Batch of dust caked rookies shuffling around in a vague approximation of Clos order this is no military base it is the Manzanar War relocation one of 10 such installations set up in 1942 following an emergency order issued by the compelling All persons of japanese ancestry living within 200 Miles of the Pacific coast to move out of the area by later presidential into segregation the order was considered imperative at the time because right after Pearl held the upper hand in the and the facing a threat of Felt obliged to take any and All Steps to guard the nations safety in time of last the army decided that the japs had been sufficiently whipped to make the segregation of persons with japanese blood in their veins no longer Neces and the emergency order was at that time there were japanese americans confined in the 10 the singular fact is that in five months after the people in the Camps had been enthusiastically encouraged to Only of the had chosen to do so the remaining were sitting preparing to remain where they Hind barbed this seemingly Peculiar attitude Doest mean that the average japanese american is any Hap pier than the next Man about living in what it does mean is that Many of the japanese americans who have stayed on in the relocation centers in preference to regaining their Liberty Are afraid of the treatment  get at the hands of their former neighbors if they leave the Protection of their it is a situation that has been creating a headache for officials in Washington and on the West coast for the past several Takeyoshi a former produce dealer of los is one of the japanese americans at Manzanar who has Felt it Best to stay re seated with some members of his family in one of the Bare Little apartments into which the Manzanar Barracks have been he explained his Point of i would like to take my people Back he but there Are too Many people in los Angeles who would re sent our these Are troubled times for Why should i cause this country any More trouble Arikawa dilemma would seem awkward enough if he spoke Only As a japanese born Loyal to the country of his adoption but inevitably suspect until proved innocent be cause we Are now at War with his native what complicates a rational approach to Arikawa which is similar to hundreds of other is the fact that he has three sons in the All it should be said he had three sons in the army Frank was killed in action in Italy on july the other two were fighting right up to veday with the 442d regimental combat an outfit that made a distinguished name for itself in France and Germany and was rewarded by a presidential old Takeyoshi Arikawa is an meaning that he is a japanese born in Japan As can never under our present Laws become an american his having been born in the states of japanese Are called like the Arikawa Many other Nisei gis have turned in outstanding performances in this the for is composed entirely of and so is the 100th infantry which also fought in France and Germany and won a presidential it reads the fortitude and intrepidity displayed by the officers and men of the 100th battalion reflect the finest traditions of the army of the United Takeyoshi As feels there Are too Many people in los Angeles would re sent our from his Point of if Only one person Felt resentful to the Point of violence that would be too whereas events in re cent months have demonstrated that there Are a considerable number of persons on the West coast who dont want the japanese americans to return and who Are of the Type that will re sort to Stro Garm meth ods to prevent How Large a proportion of the population out this Way feels competent to take the Law into its own hands is anybody guess judging by a recent Yoshio a s left his farm in California to join the army1 Takeyoshi Arikawa sits in Tho Manzanar relocation Center with his wife and Young son John his son Frank killed in action in Italy statement on the subject by Secretary of the Interior Harold the although belligerently is not after announcing that during four months on the West coast there had been 24 incidents of violence and intimidation against persons of japanese descent by hoodlums operating on a Pat Tern of planned Ickes said it is a matter of National concern because this Lawless minority whose actions Are condemned by the decent citizens who make up an overwhelming majority West coast residents seems determined to employ its nazi stormtroopers tactics against Loyal japanese Ameri cans and la abiding japanese aliens in spite of state Laws and constitutional safeguards de signed to protect the lives and property of All the people of this paying tribute to the Nisei who at the moment were engaged in fighting the japs in the Philippines and on Ickes needled the self appointed West coast vigilantes in the spot it probably Hurt he referring to the Nisei Are far More in the american tradition than the Raceb Aiters fighting a private War safely at Here May be a few of the reasons Why so Many Issei and not a few Nisei continue to believe that there better off in concentration Camps in Placer a gang led by an awol army private named Elmer Johnson dynamited a fruit packing shed owned by a japanese american and fired shotguns into a Nisei Farmers it came had gone Over the Hill after being slated for overseas then there was the Case of two Nisei soldiers on furlough who were stoned while passing through on their Way to visit a re location Center at and in Poston it a discharged Nisei Veteran was thrown out of a Barber he probably was foolish to enter the establishment in the first since there was a sign in the window keep you but lie May have believed that his seven decorations one of them a purple plus the fact that he was entitled him to a Little in the Light of such incidents it would not be strange if the japanese americans who were huddled in the safety of their segregation Camps merely shrugged their shoulders when told that two american legion posts on the West coast had refused to place the names of Nisei gis on their second world War the people responsible for such acts Are motivated by continued fears of espionage and if such is the it is Clear on the basis of the record that their fears Are about As Little grounded in fact As were the hysterics Over witches in new England Back in the 17th All the japanese Ameri cans during their stay in segregation Camps have been questioned in detail concerning their knowledge of the japanese the number of trips if any they handmade to the identity of their japanese their religious affiliations and their financial a the army said when it told the japanese americans that they could leave the Camps these people Are the most carefully scrutinized minority in compared with the dope the government has on each japanese american it sets the average gis 201 card contains about As much information As a laundry few people in the East or South know much about japanese americans Many of them have never even seen a although the japanese started immigrating to the states away Back in few have Ever strayed far from the West where the majority of them have shown a Strong Clannish talking the other Day with a West coast Man who plainly didst care a great Deal for his Japa nes american i asked him what grudges he and his friends had against he those people Breed like theres at least a million of them out Here on the West they use human manure As fertilizer on their they stick to themselves and there All agents of just look where they next to some of our biggest naval government officials say that most of these accusations Are Way off the japanese Ameri i do not Breed like rabbits on the from 1930 to 1940 the number of per sons of japanese ancestry in the slumped nearly 9 far from there being a million japanese americans on the West at the time of Pearl Harbor there were Only of them in the whole and no of have come in japanese americans who farm do not use human manure As fertilizer and considered by agricultural experts to be As progressive and scientific As any Farmers on the Pacific on the other i was theres no deny ing that in the past plenty of japanese americans have lived near important naval most of them were legitimate fishermen along with other legitimate fishermen of Portu italian and mexican in centers like terminal Island at san whether or not All the japanese americans had Good reasons for living where they the fact remains that since Pearl Harbor there Hast been a single Case of sabotage of any significance on the West whats High ranking naval intelligence officers say that japanese americans have been among their Best informants on entry life is not easy for those japanese americans who have ventured Back to their old Homes on the although when i visited a few of them not Long ago i found them for the most part if not entirely the first place i stopped at was the farm of and Hitoshi a few Miles outside of Santa the Wittas were married while both were in turned in the Colorado River relocation Center and now have a year old the a graduate of the California polytechnic has a temporary deferment from his draft Board so that he can get the farm in after which he plans to enter the army and leave his 62 year old father to carry both and Nitta Are natives of Santa Ana and belong to the methodist Church Wittas a graduate of the univer sity of Southern has a Eichi who served in France with the she told me that she and her husband had been warmly welcomed Back to Santa Ana by neighbors who had known them All their including Roy whose Roy Corry was killed on she some  to the Community had been less the first Day we were she a group of people dropped by in two they told us wed better get out of Santa Ana or there be we listened to but we didst say anything and we didst the Nitta went two More groups called with the same and then a few Days after that a nondescript character who had once worked on a nearby farm dropped he reminded the Wittas that he was a Friend of theirs and told them that most of the people in Santa Ana resented the couples theres a mob getting together he and they plan to come out and shoot the place up Nitta notified the police and a Deputy sheriff was sent out to the but nothing Hap that was the last time the couple were i dont believe the majority of the people want us to Nitta Treyve had lots of chances to show their feelings about i go into town shopping at least once a Day Tryone has been very Nice to i think there being Nice because they want to with the situation the Way it is in some they certainly dont have to be hypocritical about her husband i had to get some parts for a he and getting parts these Days is pretty but by running around be tween half a dozen firms i managed to get most of they were All cooperative and willing to help my dad and i had traded with most of them before the there was one fellow who said he  do business with a japanese but would give me what i wanted if id Send around a mexican who works on the i no Nitta was upset about the death of Roy was one of my Best he we went to the same school and played softball to i feel As bad about roys death As i do about some of my Nisei friends whole been killed in when my deferment is in going into the ill be proud to be an american Soldier with a Chance to fight for my you cant blame people for hating the enemy of our but in an Ameri who has known me since i was a understands that and so do my other Cau Casian i think the rest of the country i also stopped by at the ten acre farm of 62 year old Ginzo who lives with his Crip pled and four minor children just outside at his Nakada Doest View life As cheerfully As the Wittas in Addi Tion to the kids at he has seven sons in the two of them with the 442d Nakada finds it Tough supporting his family on his 10 especially since he has few implements to help him with the the government requisitioned his tractor and some other equip and what the government didst Requist vandals it took me quite a while to build this place so that i could make a living for my Nakada told now in almost Back to where i started 40 years when the War is Over and my sons come Back i ought to be Able to make things run but right with the War and so Little to work with and the Way people feel these its but Well Nakada showed me a letter from pfc Saburo one of his sons in it struck a brighter in Young Nakada boasted about the citation his outfit had asked for a Fountain told about getting a pfc Stripe after three years in the and wound up by writing Guys in other outfits treat us swell and the division were working with is Damn proud of dont worry too much about going Home to i think now the people will old Gino Nakada Hopes they Page 23