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Confidential report dealing with conditions at the Puyallup Assembly Center dated August 14, 1942

Confidential report from the Headquarters Western Defense Command and Fourth Army (Seattle branch) dealing with conditions at the Puyallup Assembly Center dated August 14, 1942. United States. Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. Papers of the U.S. Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. Part 1, Numerical file archive.. Frederick, Md. : University Publications of America, 1984. Reel 7, 0856.

Page 1, Confidential report from the Headquarters Western Defense Command and Fourth Army dated August 14, 1942 Page 2, Confidential report from the Headquarters Western Defense Command and Fourth Army dated August 14, 1942

 

HEADQUARTERS WESTERN DEFENSE COMMAND AND FOURTH ARMY
Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff G-2
Presidio of San Francisco, California
SEATTLE BRANCH, 837 Dexter Horton Building August 14, 1942

SUBJECT: Conditions existing at Japanese Evacuation Center, Puyallup, Washington.

TO: Assistant Chief of Staff G-2, (CIB), Western Defense Command and Fourth Army, Presidio of San Francisco, California. Attention: Major Pash.

 

  1. This letter is to bring you up to date on the situation in the Evacuation Center at Puyallup, Washington.

     

  2. The removal of HOSOKAWA, ITO, SUYETANI, and MASUDA to different relocation centers has had a very good effect at the Camp. Not only has it removed these four subversive characters to separate locations, but it has indicated to persons remaing at the Camp that disciplinary action may be the result of un-American agitation.

     

  3. It is recommended by this office that the following individuals, in addition, should be moved to separate relocation centers: S. HOSOKAWA, KENJI OKUDA, WILLIAM MIMBU, and FRANK Y. KINOMOTO. Those four individuals are considered subversive for the following reasons.

     

  4. S. HOSOKAWA is the father of WILLIAM HOSOKAWA and was largely instrumental in encouraging THOMAS MASUDA to be active in the Japanese Association, and further was associated with MASUDA in the Japanese Prefectural Club.

     

  5. KENJI OKUDA is the son of HENRY OKUDA, recently and unfortunately released by the parole board from internment and now residing in Spokane. The father, HENRY OKUDA was considered by the local Japanese Issei to be the No. 1 Japanese propagandist in this territory. KENJI OKUDA, in addition to being the son of HENRY OKUDA, is dangerous on his own part for the reason that he is active in the publication of the Pacific Cable, a publication of the American Friends Service Committee and the Seattle Youth Fellowship of Reconciliation. KENJI OKUDA is further reliably reported to have stated before the War, “I’ll be damn’d if I’ll serve Uncle Sam.”

     

  6. WILLIAM MIMBU is the past President of the Seattle Junior Japanese Association, a very pro-Japanese organization, and his wife was formerly the executive secretary of the Japan Society and a sister of THOMAS MASUDA. MIMBU’s wife, Merrie, is likewise active in the publication of the Pacific Cable.

     

  7. FRANK KINOMOTO, a Kibei, was known as one of the staunch supporters of THOMAS MASUDA and labeled his No. 1 stooge. He was also active in the Junior Japanese Association.

     

  8. It is sincerely felt by this office that if these four addtional persons were sent to separate relocation centers, it would likewise have a salutary effect on all concerned.

     

  9. It should be mentioned in passing that the Pacific Cable is a new publication which is receiving considerable attention from this office.

 

Notes:

1. Examples of the Pacific Cable have been digitized. Bylines are uncommon so any articles written by Kenji Okuda cannot be identified.