Title:
Letter from Paul H. Kusuda to [Afton] Nance, 1942, May 18
Creator:
Kusuda, Paul H., 1922-
Subject:
"Nance, Afton Dill "
Japanese Americans-- Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
Description:
Handwritten letter from Paul H. Kusuda to [Afton] Nance, 1942, May 18.
May 18, 1942 Dear Mrs. Nance: How are you? This will be among the first batch of letters to come from the Manzanar
Reception center from me. I arrived here Saturday afternoon at 3:00 after about five hours or more of riding on a Greyhound
bus. The mail goes out of here at 4:15 P.M. every day except Sunday, so that is the reason for the short delay. At the
present time, I am visiting the “Main Library” which is one barrack with about a half a dozen (regular, not baker’s dozen)
wooden tables and about twice as many benches. The number of books is just about enough to start a small fire. There seems
to be about three times as many magazines as books and about one-third as many books as magazines. Now, you know as much
as I do about the reading matter here. Most of the patrons here are young people of about grammar school and of junior high
school ages. However, I am here, too, as well as three Issei. The only unfortunate thing which leads to the scarcity
in reading matter in the library is the fact that when any book is donated, it is donated for keeps. For that reason, I cannot
‘lend’ my copies of the “Readers’ Digest” to the Library. If you express curiosity about our living quarters, I might write
about that. But, I am warning you ----- it’s darn poor! The atmosphere is such that it doesn’t lend very much of an incentive
to writing, so don’t expect too much information. Speaking of “information”, I found out from someone that the “Manzanar
Free Press” was not supposed to be sent out of here. That is so you who are not here will not know the “inside dope,” I suppose.
Boy, the place is really large. And, there certainly are a lot of Japanese around here. I wonder why? Since the rate
of pay will be so damnably low (have you seen it in the newspapers?), I am not going to work for a couple of weeks. Darn
it ---- who in thunder wants to slave for about 4¢ (four & one-half whole cents) per hour. Gee, what a big future I can build
with that! After we are released, how bright our future is! Darn it ---- I’m good and sore. That isn’t American ---- at
least that isn’t what we were taught when we were given (by the grace of God, I suppose) a liberal education. But, that was
before we were saboteurs, wasn’t it? Don’t worry too much about my morale ---- I’m just blowing off some steam. I hope you
don’t mind too much. I was just kicked out of the library --- it seems that a class in English is to be held for the Issei.
(In case you are of the ignorant variety, Issei are the parents of the Nisei). Soooooooooo ----- now, I’m lying in Shizuo
Hori’s cot (springs in it, mine is a folding cot) as I am writing this. He says to give you his love. At the present time,
Shiz is writing a note to Mr. Richardson. If squeaking will do any good, give me a couple of addresses ---- I shall squeak,
but good --- a la Kusuda style, with epithets and stuff. Well, toodle oo & ta ta. Cheerio & stuff. By the way, if you
have any good old and/or new magazines and/or books, please send them to me. Of course, if you do, it will be with the understanding
that I keep them for good, so think twice before you do anything drastic. If anything extra – ordinary like a revolution
or massacre occurs, I’ll let you know the horrible details. Hasta luego, Paul H. Kusuda My address:
Paul H. Kusuda B 19 – 9 – 2 Manzanar Reception Center Manzanar, California
Publisher:
Japanese American National Museum
Date:
1942 May 18
Type:
text;
Format:
1 item ( 6 p. letter) ; sheet 21 x 13 cm.
Identifier:
JANM_061
2001.175.7
Language:
eng
Relation:
Coverage:
Manzanar (Calif.)
Rights:
Copyrighted;
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Hirasaki
National Resource Center at the Japanese American National Museum (hnrc@janm.org).
Japanese American National Museum
Letter from Paul H. Kusuda to [Afton] Nance, 1942, May 18