Alfred Nabeta, a Nisei from Los Angeles living in Huntington Beach at the time of testimony, spoke before the CWRIC about the devastating toll of early removal under Executive Order 9066.

• Forced Out Before Camps Were Ready: As part of the so-called “voluntary” evacuees, Alfred and his family were expelled from Los Angeles before relocation centers had even been built. He reminded the commission that this was not voluntary but coerced under threat of arrest.

• Exile in Utah: The family was pushed into a basement room in Salt Lake City with no jobs, no property, and no government support. They lived in hunger and destitution.

• Father’s Death: His father, though cleared by the FBI in Los Angeles, was interrogated again in Utah. He died soon after of malnutrition, tuberculosis, and what Alfred described as “a broken spirit.”

• Exploitation & Breakdown: Employers took advantage of Alfred’s desperation, paying him little or nothing for hard labor. He suffered both physical injury and a mental breakdown.

• Family Loss: Of nine family members in 1941, only four survived beyond 1946. No funds or provisions were ever offered to them as early evacuees.

• Legacy of Land: Alfred showed the commission family photos, including one of his father farming for the U.S. government during WWI. He noted their lost Los Angeles property would later be valued at nearly $2.5 million, now built over by the state.

• Closing Reflection: He ended by stressing that his health—both physical and mental—was permanently damaged by the government’s actions. He asked that the record reflect the truth: “voluntary relocation” was in fact enforced relocation under threat of prison.