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.

Phil Shigekuni, who spent his childhood years at Amache camp in Colorado, testified before the CWRIC about the danger of silence, the burden of misinformation, and the urgent need for redress.

• Childhood in Camp: At eight and nine years old, Phil was incarcerated with his family at Amache. Decades later, as a high school counselor, he still carried those memories while helping younger generations understand what happened.

• Confronting Misinformation: He described hearing colleagues—educated people, even fellow veterans—say things like, “What happened to you is the same as what happened to me in the Navy.” Such statements shocked him, but he realized they persisted because the Japanese American community had long remained silent about its grievances.

• Youth Confusion: Even his students repeated myths handed down from parents—that camps were “for protection” or “military necessity.” Phil’s anger at these distortions fueled his commitment to redress work.

• Commission Concerns: Criticized a commissioner’s public comments about Congress’s unwillingness to fund redress before testimony was even complete. He urged that recommendations be based on evidence and justice—not fiscal climate.

• Faith in America: Stressed that despite humiliation, loss of property, and imprisonment, Japanese Americans had remained loyal to the United States. “The time has come to see that this faith is well founded. Japanese America is counting on you for justice. Please don’t let us down.”

• Debate on Money & Principle: Pressed by commissioners about the realism of Congress approving billions in compensation, Phil acknowledged the dilemma: elders were dying, and justice delayed could mean justice denied. Still, he held that principle must guide the Commission, not political expediency.

• On Heirs & Comparisons: When asked whether heirs should receive compensation, he cited Holocaust reparations as precedent, though admitted he would not press as strongly for heirs if it meant jeopardizing immediate justice for survivors. He distinguished Japanese American redress from slavery by emphasizing direct, documented government action in WWII.

Tom T. Watanabe, a UCLA and University of Chicago–trained physician, testified before the Commission with striking memories of Los Angeles before and during mass removal. His words blended clinical precision with personal outrage, capturing both the indignities of camp and the hypocrisy of America’s values.

• Images of Loss: Recalled women and children on Terminal Island selling possessions to junk dealers, and the sight of Nisei families’ belongings scattered on lawns, marked with insultingly low prices.

• Curfew & Fear: L.A. divided into quadrants after Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans forbidden to cross lines. Doctors feared making night calls; Watanabe and Dr. Kobayashi, both citizens, were asked to risk it.

• Neighbors Turned Hostile: Friends of 30 years spat upon Issei elders and ignored them on buses — everyday cruelties rarely recorded.

• Medical Exile: Every Japanese American doctor, nurse, and technician expelled from L.A. County Hospital on a single day’s notice.

• Life in Manzanar: Put in charge of the X-ray department, tuberculosis ward, surgeries, and clinics — all for $19 a month. He worked seven days a week, training high school students to serve as aides because of the shortage of medical staff.

• Mixed Feelings on Redress: Acknowledged financial losses were massive, yet believed the greatest damage was educational disruption for young people. Compared reparations to modern salaries of athletes — millions earned in minutes — while Japanese Americans lost years behind barbed wire.

• Vision for the Future: Called for America to redirect the money and passion poured into space conquest toward conquering “inner space” — the hearts and minds of people, learning to walk in brotherhood.