LA-ORANGE CO. INCIDENTS

1/11/1945 Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co. Harley Oka rejected on application for Post Office job on basis of discrimination. Oka recently admitted into membership of Hollywood World War II American Legion Post 591. Investigation continuing.

1/27/1945 Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., Akira Suzuki fired from job with Kinney Aluminum Co. which discharged him when 50 employees threatened strike."WRA Office in Los Angeles called meeting with representatives of WMC, FEPC, Army Air Force, Kinney Company and WRA — company warned against permitting discrimination. Suzuki has two brothers in Army.

2/12/1945 Santa Ana near Los Angeles, Orange Co., Calif. Nick Nitta warned by unidentified man to leave county on threat that a group of men would return and "pull some rough stuff." Nitta advised to notify officials if men appear.

2/22/1945 Los Angeles Co., Calif. Group of 8 to 10 war workers beat and kicked a middle aged unidentified Oriental said by Inglewood police to be unmistakenly “Chinese" who had been pushed off a streetcar by conductor-ette on his refusal to pay required second fare. Mob considered him Japanese. He refused to later sign a complaint.

2/24/1945 Los Angeles, Calif. Mr. Kay Kunisaki former owner one of Holly-wood's market, received two unsigned letters by mail threatening him unless he left Los Angeles. He wishes to return to his market but decided to wait few more weeks before venturing to meet the public.

2/24/1945 Los Angeles, Calif. Mr. Howard Otamura, despite some unplea-santness, has returned to his flower market.

2/24/1945  Hollywood, Calif. Mrs. A.J. Holzman was threatened by tele-phone because of employing the Mitomas. Mr. Holzman was told by his grocer the Mitomas were not welcome at his store. The Los Angeles Times ran the threat story resulting in several neighbors asking for domestic Japanese help,

2/26/1945  Lancaster (rural 10 miles northwest), Los Angeles County: Fred Kobayashi, wife and her son,John Shikari, shots fired at night over home, two shots entering house. No one injured. Family staying on temporarily at home. Their property and personal effects not stored in the home at the time of evacuation had been placed in custody of one Gus Eliopules. On return they discovered home had been looted with list of 50 articles, valued at over $800, missing. But Eliopulos remembers house was looted night after eva-cuation and so to prevent "further loses he says he took much property from home to store among friends and relatives for safe keeping, yet has forgot-ten where some things are. Shikari willing to file original criminal charges against Eliopules. Sheriff Keating of Lancaster indicated there was no violation of law involved in shooting firearms, from a distance more than one-half mile away from a dwelling. Case continuing.

3/6/1945 Pasadena, Los Angeles Co., Calif. Home of Dr. Linus Pauling was plastered with signs: "We Love Japs Here," "Jap Lovers"; also a big Japan-ese flag was painted on house. Dr. Pauling recently figured in the news as developer of glucose substitute for plasma. He recently employed Nisei boy •who will enter Army within the month. Boy at present is in enlisted reserves and is employed at gardening pending his induction.

3/29/1945 Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., Calif. - Fire swept through the offices of a Ration Board at 1641 E. 103rd Street, destroying most of the Board records. Property was owned by Shigeru Hirose. Investigation made by the police arson squad found that the offices had been ransacked before the fire and that same had been started by intruders during the night.

5/10/1945 Miss Mary Matsuda, Talbert, Orange County. Living with Caucasian family, the Trudeaus, told by group of men at night that she must get out. (Trudeau, Patterson, Bucheim, Geisler, Newhouse among crowd). Now staying in Santa Ana. Has 4 brothers in service. Kazuo, 25, killed at Cassino; Takashi 24, wounded in rescue of Lost Battalion, France, back in action; Masao, 26, now on furlough, Mits, 27, medical discharge. Father and mother still in Gila. This group called on Nitta family, Mrs. Louis Dischiener (mixed marriage) George Iwakashi, Zentaro Sato. Nitta's have son and son-in-law in service, Sheriff Elliott knows nothing about this, he says.

5/9/1945 Talbert, Orange County, California — While visiting at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Trudeau, Mary Masuda formerly of Talbert, was annoyed by intruders as follows: Mr. Patterson came to the house and said he and the boys had gone to the Nitta's and raised "hell." Around 7:00 p.m. the telephone rang and "Toad" Patterson (who had been very friendly in the past) spoke to Miss Masuda and said he and the boys were coming up to see her. About 10:15 p.m. Mr. Patterson, Mitz Gisler, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Trudeau and a man named Charles came into the house. Gisler said "he didn't know why he let Miss Masuda into the Trudeau house." He called us "those damned Japs and worse." The incident was reported to the Sheriff's office.

6/1/1945 Stones were thrown thru window in home of John Takahashi, 1905 W. Compton St., Gardena, Calif. (Los Angeles County) by some passerby in a car. This is second incident to Takahashi in past three months when an iron pipe was thrust thru his front window. He reported it immediately to the Police Department.

6/4/1945 So. Pasadena, Los Angeles County, Calif. — Between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m., crude "Suns" were painted in three placed in red on front of Diamond Market, 1010 Mission Street; also a large sign reading "Jap Trade Wanted Here" was painted in white across two or three folding wooden doors on store property. The proprietor Peter Kermode stated three employees quit in last three weeks because of his insistence they wait on Japanese American customers with same decorum they show to other patrons. Kermode has four brothers in the service — three in the South Pacific.

6/7/1945 So, Pasadena, Los Angeles County, Calif. — Neighbors (Mr. and Mrs. Lindblom) were incensed because a Caucasian family was asked to vacate their home due to return of Mr. and Mrs Hisako Ishikawa, 1616 Bank Street (owners of property) to their former home. Lindblom remarked "Mrs. White (who collected rent for the Ishikawas while they were interned) and Judge Collier (who took care of Kanishi property) ought to be run out of town." A group of citizens of So. Pasadena have organized in order to try to handle these situations and put a stop to such uprisings.

6/12/1945 West Covina, Los Angeles Co., Calif, — Mrs. Lerg, 2034 Glen-dora Ave., informed Gerals L. Ash of WRA that she had been threatened and intimidated by several citizens of that town for having leased farm land to Yutaka Miura. In lieu of the trouble she decided to cancel lease with Miura and allow her two brother-in-laws (returning discharged veterans) farm it.

Source: “Special Field Reports of Allan Markley” to Dillon S. Meyer, Director WRA, Attn: M.M. Tozier, Chief of Reports, WRA