Docent Tour

[Frederic Vial]

Our guide was 6 years old when he was taken to an interment camp in Utah.  I was impressed by our guide's vivid memory of the night they were forced to leave their home. His recollections were, indeed, heartbreaking.  His continual reference to his not speaking Japanese denoted an element of shame, one which he admittedly referred to as the reason he was now "making-up for it" by serving and working at the museum. Being guided through the museum by a primary source individual was very special. I feel fortunate to have had the experience and opportunity to simply listen to our guide's stories.

As others have stated, I was also unaware of the Munson Report and wonder why the Roosevelt Administration did not adhere to its findings. I can only be left to assume it was due to political reasons. A theory exists that the Roosevelt Administration knew the attack on Pearl Harbor was going to happen but buried the information since it was the only way to get public support behind the war. Prior to Pearl Harbor, Americans did not want to get involved in the European conflict. Once US soil was attacked, this public opinion quickly changed. I can only deduce that the reason to ignore the Munson Report would have been to maintain this public support for going to war by instilling a sense of paranoia amongst US citizenry.