Letter from Lincoln Kanai to Joseph R. Goodman, June 10, 1942

ss June 10, 1942

Dear Joe,

Thanks heaps for yout letter and ` yeneur oont foued attempts for effective-

ness. I think that you ought to write a commnent af this letter to Roger. The

messaze that I sent him was in no way conmected with the letter or clipping

that he has enclosed but I think that he is confusing with the attempts of

suicides that have been ane only to a few of us. (within - Ceres

De i@ major job is st hand - the education of the general masses so that

the man on the street will be able to interpret t:e aims of the National

emergency thru effective personalities who can writewith conscioustious

clarity so that there will be no confusion of the mind as the common

minds meet wommon aims, in this democracy. If this is the kind of war that

we all hope it will be ahd can devote all our enerzies as we must without

regards to race crecc, and religion. Democracy in action with respent

to the rights of individuals and that all our policies will have the intesrity

of a moral code of ethics cormon to ail walks of life. It is time when we

should Americanize America. . =

You know of our starid rezarding the evacuation and I am trying to

bring to the attention of some of the more rabid persons rezardine my case

that I have enough data to show the inefficiency and loss of so many things

that have been purely left to the last wore of the Army - and ruining the

very essence of the things we have all tried to preserve. This is among the

reasons that no matter whar this comes to, I will not be able to condone

the` methods used in order to safesuard the Coast and:so I stake my very "*life0x2122

to continue to instil and interest as many articulate personalities so that

the lone term patterns and processes that will eventually make this country

what it has pledged to be "with justice, equality, and fraternity".

I feel like a YW secretary, as I have now occupied an office at this

address for convenience and interviews. Imagine the chagrin of my stand when

it is they who have been most effective in the total progr m of evacuation

and that the YM is just, (I better not say it) The YW has set aside a yearts

salary and travel exsenses for Miss Kimi Mukaye, and for the prehiminaries

Miss Esther, with whom I am sharing office is to be full time secretary

until Miss Mukaye gets released from San Francisco. She is soins to cover the

state first of the oroblems of the Evacuees and then the camps. What I

know of the pressure groups - already we are conscious of the kind of

publicity that will whip up and ask for the internment of all the Japanese

residents and those who have come here in order to seek their freedom

and to under the most difficult of conditions found their places. It is

remarkable of the way they have already been in the sroove. The casualties

are small and this gives me more of the imppession that the total resettlement

should be done individually. Miss Briesmeister will cover the State and the

camps as they are relocated in these parts. I know she is attemptins to visit

the Pacific Coast in Gucust. In the meantime I susgested to her to meet

to make a few contacts wit: the people within the Assembly Centers so that

action can be taken on ways that the YWCA can help concertedly to build

indegenous vrogrems within te Centers and as they are transferred to the

Relocation projects. In the meantime I am meetins thirty leadine citizens from

various Church and Social agencies on the entire problem of evacuation,

rehabilitation, and public concerns, as well as this lon= term proffect that

is so necessary at tie present time. Tomorrow night, I am meeting about

500 Nisei boys and girls of the ages from 18 to 30 who are congregatine at the

Yweafor their Thursday weekly program and entertainment so that they to

think along the more pressing concerns and of ways they can be be lpins

internees who have been the vietins of + is mai problem of e

= a

m moving into Boulder and Greeley and Colorado Springs and the nearby cities

too meeting many of their leading citizens and I shall be doing just this over

the country until I land in some corn firld pitching hay to make my daily bread.

Yes, I did come away without any "sheckels" but that is the least of my worries

at the present time. On the other hand, for a few weeks I am makine this my

headquarters, before I shall be moving to parts Bast. Here also, I have 2

contacted many of the members of the members of the National Writers and Publishers

Guild and the process of concept-activity-creating-activity will be starting

-in this direction. On the other hand I have sent materials over to Chicago,

New York, Chicazo, and Washington, D.C. and I have already received "any favorable

answers connection with this problem we Evacuation and knemy Control.

.ou remember our little thoughts that the Camps shouid be patterns for

post-war demobilization and rehabilitation and that cooperatives thus must be

the underlying essential of the Relocation Projects. And we have the comit-

ments of many people who are "ees ing the camps but we need the the combined .

financing and leadership both from the outside as well as from the personnel in

the camps. And of course you can confirm this too that those in the camps ae

be able to manage themselves as they have proven this already, but the bic

task is to brine on this mass education and sound democratic oressures ae

By the way, I do hope that you have cashed Mr. Numajiri's check and have

sent the candy as per his request. on the other .and some $12 or so of that

belongs to me and I should appreciate you sending me the check. The cheek that

- Was mine to Mr. C. Numajiri may be torn up and destroyed as it is the refund

to Mr. Numajiri as I think that he should not be charged a fee to the secretaryship

of the A sociation being that he has never belonged in the past. Guess you

will find the checks and the letter in the hands of Kenneth Rexroth.

Just `aot a telephone conversation from one of the more senerally read

editors of the large local press and I am to have a Sunday discussion of the entire

problems with him. What do you esas of this?

Best of luck to you

Lincoln

cj Senor peer ce eS ic

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