Title:
Letter from Paul H. [Kusuda] to [Afton] Nance, 1942, July 12
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, July 12.
B 32-3-3 War Relocation Area Manzanar, California July 12, 1942 Dear Mrs. Nance: How
are you? Do you enjoy the summery heat? How is your nephew, John, now that he has had a chance to be pampered by you? I
hope that he does get a “proper start!” Don’t “butch” everything for him. (Because you are a school marm, no doubt, you may
not know the meaning of “butch.” It means ruin in one sense of the word.) Instead of pampering him too much, you may try
to help me by suggesting how I might be able to continue my education. You may be interested to know that my college record
wound up with about a 1.3 point grade average which means that I had just a little better than a “C” average in all the work
I took. (“A” = 3 POINTS, “B” = 2 POINTS, “C” = 1 POINT, and “D” = 0 POINT). Because my grade is so very low, I don’t think
(in fact, I am positive) that I have a ghost of a chance to receive any sort of a scholarship. Therefore, if I expect to
go out of here for a continuance of education, I shall have to go out entirely on my own. As things stand now, I have less
than five dollars to my name (Paul Five-Dollar H. Kusuda). In other orders, I shall have to do either or both of two things:
(1) save money from what I shall get paid here --- 8 ⅓ ¢/hr or $16 per month since I am considered a skilled worker; (2) try
to get employment near a college or university which I might attend. Please advise me as to what I should try to do.
I took pre-electrical engineering at the Los Angeles City College for two years and eight weeks. However, if I do go to another
institution, I shall take up a liberal art course, so that I may know something of the world in which I now live. Then, after
about a year or two of that, I expect to continue with an engineering course. Now, I shall get right down to answering a
couple of your questions (school-boy countenance) The articles in the Asia Magazine are very fair, it seems to me. As I
peruse through the articles in my quaint fashion, I shall relay my opinions on to you. Is that fair enough. At the present
time, I am trying to read Raoul de Roussy de Sales book, “The Making of Tomorrow.” That is rather interesting. I have read
the last two issues of Time (June 22 & 29) which you sent to me. Those were very good. Concerning that “Report”: a copy
was sent to Mike Masaru Masaoka (who wrote the Nisei Creed about two years ago --- it’s in the Congressional Record) and -----------
( I forgot the first name Inagaki. They went to Washington D.C. and saw Mr. Eisenhower, the director of the WRA (War Relocation
Administration) -------- that is, according to plans. I know for a fact that they went to Washington, but I don’t know whether
they were able to see the head man. I was really surprised to receive such an answer from the aide to the Secretary of
War. It is truly gratifying to know that he spent so much time in explanation or rather enlightenment. And good intentions
do count! No matter how anything happens to be twisted through no one person’s fault, if the heart is there, I think that
feelings are much better between the parties concerned. The reason why my letters are so few and far between is that after
I put in my 8 hrs. work, I help with the tutoring of high-school students in English and junior high school students in Mathematics.
So, my day is occupied with something to do all of the time. I am enclosing the form which is used in the Census in case
you are interested. I am trying now to become a coding analysist or something so that I can help code each record on #27
OCCUPATION. This system follows that used by the Department of Employment of U.S., so the experience & training should come
in handy later ----- I hope! Who is it that “goes into the mid-day sun?” Don’t worry about my working too hard --- I never
over exert myself. Cordially, Paul H.
Publisher:
Japanese American National Museum
Date:
1942 July 12
Type:
text;
Format:
1 item ( 4 p. letter ) ; sheet 26 x 17 cm.
Identifier:
JANM_065
2001.175.21
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, July 12