The Kishi Family During WW2
Pearl Harbor started a chain of events which changed the life of many Japanese Americans as they found themselves moved to internment camps. To avoid the “rounding up” and show their loyalty to the United States, Kishi, alongside the president of Orange Petroleum Company Kaname Susuki, turned themselves into the FBI stationed in Port Arthur.[1] As a result of his proactive efforts, Kishi’s internment in Camp Kennedy lasted only two months. Before his release, he went through a hearing with a board headed by Steve M. King, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.[2] When asked, “If he was ordered by the Emperor to bomb the oil refinery in Port Arthur, would he do so?” His reply was, “First, I am a farmer and businessman and know nothing about explosives. Suppose I was adopted into another family and my biological parents ordered me to harm my adopted family. I cannot do so.” Taro Kishi vividly remembers the praise the U.S. Attorney had towards Kichimatsu Kishi after holding the hearing, insisting he answered the questions magnificently. As a result, the Kishi family were free from internment while only needing to surrender their firearms and cameras.
References
1. Walls, Thomas K. (1987) The Japanese Texans, San Antonio: University of Texas, Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio, 1996.
2. Orii, K. (1983) Kichimatsu Kishi’s Japanese Colony at Terry, Texas, Department of History, University of Pennsylvania.
3. Wingate, G. (1974) “The Kishi Colony,” in The Folklore of Texan Cultures, Abernethy, F. E., ed. The Encino Press, Austin.