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Archives in Context: Teachable Topics from the CSU Japanese American Digitization Project

Letter from Masaru Teshiba, to Virginia B. Lowers, January 24, 1946

In this letter, Masaru Teshiba writes to Virginia Lowers, his former English teacher from 1942. He describes his experience of being incarcerated first at the Manzanar incarceration camp and then to Tule Lake. The decision to move to Tule Lake was motivated, according to Teshiba, to reunite with his father who had already been brought to Tule Lake. He notes in this letter that the "majority [of people] it seemed were loyal to Japan." He then describes briefly how he became involved in an organization of pro-Japanese young men which eventually lead to him renouncing his American citizenship. Teshiba then explains that his purpose for writing to his former teacher is to request a character reference from her, as his lawyer explained, such a recommendation from a "Caucasian person" would be beneficial in making the case that he should be able to remain in the United States as a citizen. Also included is a short note to the censor requesting that this letter be mailed although it is perhaps too long.

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Loyalties: Activity 7 Letter from Masaru Teshiba to Virginia Lowers Read this letter from Masaru Teshiba to his former English teacher, Virginia Lowers, requesting a letter of reference and support to restore his citizenship after renouncing it. What do his words reveal about the pressures of life in the Tule Lake Segregation Center? What were his reasons for renouncing his U.S. citizenship? How did he and his family feel about their treatment? What do his revelations tell you about the difficulty of social relations at Tule Lake and how it affected his family life?