Bunro Sakaino Concentration Camp Diary

Transcript

July 16 (Thursday)

Milk was offered to all of us for the first time today. This is the first milk served since we moved to this camp. What a pity. It is true that it is relatively a minority, out of many Japanese, who were including milk in our daily diet before incarceration. However, milk is essential as a nutritious supplement for the unbalanced diet currently offered, and we guzzle it down regardless if we like it or not.

The Alexandria Town Talk Daily (evening edition) issued on the 15th carries a report of a visit to our camp. Tens of copies were brought into the canteen stores with the shipping slip displayed, and they are being sold for five cents a copy. Based on what I heard from the officer in charge, they are offering to arrange shipment of copies to our family. The article was written by a reporter who toured in the camp guided by Colonel Dunn, and he wrote about Second Lieutenant Sakamaki. He started his piece by stating that the second lieutenant is not answering any questions whatsoever and he rapidly writes in English in clear and grammatically correct fashion.

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The reporter continues to say detained Japanese are receiving the best treatment, and at the same time, the Japanese detainees are orderly, honoring rules and regulations, keeping the living quarters clean and sanitary with spotless barracks and are satisfied with the current facilities and conditions. It is a bunch of lies and facts threaded together. Publicity of the life of internees is strictly prohibited, and it is unknown if the administration was encouraged to publish the article because it reports how satisfied the internees are and what perfect treatment the administration offers, or they originally requested the reporter that he writes such an article. There is no doubt that the article is distributed throughout the U.S. and even to Japan through The Associated Press. By the way, second lieutenant Sakamaki was reported as a 25-year-old young soldier in the article.

It is said that issei and nisei people served as an interpreter at investigations when second lieutenant Sakemaki was unfortunately captured as a prisoner of war during the attacks of Hawaii. The following is what is being told, either by nisei who was serving as an interpreter or by a guard while he was staying in Tennessee.

They infiltrated Pearl Harbor in a small submarine and left the harbor after achieving their mission. They were spotted by the enemy Coast Guard and attacked, but did not suffer any damages and departed for the designated meeting location. Unfortunately, the submarine went ashore, stranded and lost control, and they jumped into the ocean and swam to the shore. However, Japanese American guard soldiers were on the beach pointing firearms and were about to shoot the second lieutenant.

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He does not know why they stopped short and captured him instead of shooting. The other fellow soldiers unfortunately ran out of energy and were drawn to death. The administration is conducting the most severe watch over him fearing suicide attempt. It is said that he is not answering any questions by the administration and repeatedly asked to be shot to death in his uniform. It is also said that one colonel asked a Japanese internee how a Japanese soldier would commit suicide, and internee told the colonel that the second lieutenant Sakemaki will never commit suicide now that he is out of his military uniform and wearing civilian clothing. That offered some relief to the administration, and they gradually relaxed their watch over him. I do not know if the above is true or not, and there is no guarantee. I just consider this as a part of our lives in the detention camp even if it is fake news. Mr. Kiso received a package of Japanese clogs and ointment from Mrs. Kiso.