DILLON MYER and THE REAL CONCENTRATION CAMPS with a subplot:
How my sister unwittingly influenced the closure of these concentration camps
The book is: “Keeper of Concentration Camps-Dillon S. Myer and American Racism” by Richard Drinnon, Professor for History at Bucknell University. I had always believed that Myer, who was in charge of the relocation camps, had the welfare of the Japanese in mind in making his decisions. The treatment of some as described in this book required me to reassess who Myer really was. This is my attempt to mesh this with my personal experience. Was Myer a good guy or not?

Many of the camp troublemakers as defined by the camp directors were removed from the ten relocation camps and placed in detention in Moab, Utah, and Leupp, Arizona, old abandoned CCC camps of the depression years, the REAL CONCENTRATION CAMPS. Drinnon believes that Myer condoned, if not instigated, the opening of these camps in order to keep the ten relocation camps free of these troublemakers. They included the Manzanar Sixteen, the Gila Thirteen, the Manzanar Ten, the Tule Fifteen, the Tule Five, and the Topaz Eleven as they were called plus some additional unaffiliated individuals from the other five camps. Without due process some were there with only minor infractions of the rules of the camps and at the whim of the camp directors. The case histories of these internees written by Francis S. Frederick indicate that they were mistreated in these camps illegally (Food deprivation and individual isolation).
If Myer had the interest of the Japanese (as Americans) in mind, he should have made some effort to utilize legal means to detain troublemakers in these penal colonies. The severity of the illegal treatment of these Japanese was uncalled for.

Let me divert from this story and examine my sister Jean’s experience and how, I believe, she may have unwittingly changed history….We were internees in the Gila River Relocation Camp. Because of her culinary skills she was hired by the Caucasian Mess Hall staff to help them feed the hired Caucasians that ran the camp. In the process she met Bob Spencer. Bob was doing research in camp for UC Berkeley about how the Nisei and Issei were doing while incarcerated. Bob fell in love with Jean and would come to our barrack to see her. Bob, my sisters, my friends and I played Monopoly some evenings. Later Bob would talk to me, a 19-year old Nisei, and try to educate me about life in general. My camp journal has this: “In the evenings Bob Spencer came over and we had long discussions on different things….” Bob was a very knowledgeable guy and it is too bad that notes were not taken on our discussions. I was afraid of writing what he said for fear of causing him problems if someone confiscated my journal. He talked freely and disparagingly about how the government ran the camps. Bob was a very open person but had difficulty getting research information from the Nisei.

The reason I feel Bob and Jean were close is that as part of the Caucasian Mess Hall duties Jean was allowed to accompany Bob outside of camp on occasion to do some shopping for the Mess Hall. No Nisei had that privilege that early in our camp life. Years later Jean told me Bob wanted to marry her. Jean had told him no for she felt he was intellectually beyond her. Jean was in awe of Bob but not in love.
Among the people who were on the camp Caucasian staff was a young couple, Francis S. Frederick, mentioned earlier, and wife Jane. Frank was an assistant chief of internal security at Gila Rivers. Frank became a close friend of Bob and the two would exchange information of the Nisei doings in camp. Frank needed this information for his reports and Bob needed what Frank knew for his research. This exchange of information about the Nisei colored his periodic reports to Washington. Bob kept Frank’s stories, which became valuable research material. At the time it was the only route by which these stories of illegal treatment of Kibei/Nisei reached the outside world.
Bob eventually became very close to many Nisei with Jean’s help. He conveyed many positive things about the Nisei to Frank. When Frank was later transferred to work in the afore-mentioned concentration camp in Moab, Utah, as head of internal security, he continued to correspond with Bob, who kept reporting about the Nisei at Gila Rivers. Frank wrote to Bob of the mistreatment of the troublemakers at his camp.
As Frank continued to report to Washington about the problems at Moab and what he learned at Leupp, it is my feeling that he slanted some things about the Nisei sympathetically based on his education of the Nisei by Bob Spencer. His periodic reports were sent to Washington and found its way outside of the departments that were connected to Dillon Myer.
When Myer was apprised of Frank’s reports, he became concerned about the exposure of the illegal activities of these camps. Fearing unfavorable disclosure, he abruptly closed these camps and transferred the individuals to stockades within the legitimateTule Lake Relocation Camp.
Prior to the closure Frank had applied for deferment from military service to continue working in the camps. His request was never acted upon and he was inducted into the Army with the military police force. It was believed that this was one way that Myer got rid of a “snitch” in his midst.
Hearing and reading these stories, I indirectly credit my sister Jean for the closure of these camps. Her friendship of Bob Spencer, who was a friend of and who had influence on Frank, resulted in the reports about Moab and Leupp and the illegal treatment of the people there.
What was my sister Jean’s opinion of my story? She refused to talk about her relationship with Bob and absolutely demanded that I not write about this because she felt that their relation had been special and personal. (Jean and Bob are no longer living.)
Years ago I talked to a research person about my camp, Gila Rivers. He had interviewed Bob Spencer, who had mentioned a Nisei girl. He called her “Prairie Flower” to mask her identity. He had fallen in love with her and wanted to marry her. He learned her name was Jean Yamasaki. This researcher finds no evidence about my speculation.
As for Myer, even with this disclosure of his wrong doings, it is difficult for me to condemn him totally. Myer used all means at his disposal to keep peace at the ten relocation camps. Gila Rivers Relocation Camp was peaceful while I was there that one year. My experience with inmates could be extrapolated to the type of troublemakers that were at Moab and Leupp.
The question remains: Did Myer’s incarceration of these troublemakers away from the main camps take away their bad influence on many Nisei? In the end were the Nisei in camp better off as a result of isolating these troublemakers? The intimidation of these lawless troublemakers, while I was in camp, had me struggling when I had to decide that America was for me in spite of being incarcerated. It is my opinion that more Nisei would have had their bright future aborted had Myers not acted to isolate these troublemakers. I, therefore, believe Myer to be, on balance, a good guy.