next on a second look, how this led to this. >> arizona, utah, colorado, wyoming and elsewhere. >> reporter: americans in their own country behind barb wire

just because of their ancestry. the internment of asian americans. tonight we remember a time when american citizens were forced from their homes and locked up simply because of their ancestry. good evening, welcome to second look. i'm frank somerville. president franklin d. roosevelt sent japanese americans to interment camps. so went from an idealic life to an internment camp. >> reporter: others want to remember so that it won't happen again. thousands of japanese americans were rounded up and hauled away to relocation camps labeled as

aliens. in some cases never to see their homes and possessions again though they had committed no crime or there was no evidence they would. tajiwara was only 8 years old then but certain memories are still strong. >> the one thing i remember vividly are the centers in the towers and barb wires. >> reporter: most bay area residents have visited the japanese tea gardens in golden gate park but most have no ideas that a family once lived here. the gardens were built as an attraction for the midwinter fair in 1994. tajiwara's parents and grandparents lived on the ground and were the gardens

care givers. in 1942 the tajiwara's were told to pack up and leave. they spent the next two years in an encampment ground. they never moved back in. >> by the time people left there were gardens and flowers so it looked a lot better. it wasn't just tumble weeds. >> reporter: inturnees tried to keep a regular life. they sent their children to school. >> i'm sure it bothered them alive but they were very good about not passing that on to me. and i think a lot of other parents did the same. they tried not to make their children feel something was wrong. the hajiwara's were just one family among thousands who had to leave their homes. though there was no evidence they posed any threat how could this happen in the home of the

free and home of the brave. part of the reason why was that americans were scared. on the move of december 7th. a japanese fleet staged a stunning surprise attack on the u.s. naval base on pearl harbor in hawaii. suddenly the united states seemed naked and vulnerable. if the japanese could bomb hon -- honoluu lu why not san francisco. several were sited off the coast and one sub actually lobbed a few shells at a california oil refinery. the u.s. government was already worried about espionage. the fbi rounded up japanese. over 400 men were detained, searched, interrogated and in many cases taken into custody. these men were japanese nationals not japanese americans. the áf but american born japanese would be next.

the men brought in for questioning included fishermen who might use their boats to help japanese in some unspecified way. the u.s. government began moving people of japanese ancestry from designated areas along the west coast. a u.s. government film tried to give the impression that the suddenly uprooted families were gladly giving up their homes in a good cause. >> the evacuees cooperated wholeheartedly. the many loyal among them felt this was a sacrifice they could make in behalf of america's warack. >> at first those who had some where to go could move wherever they liked as long as they were away from the coast. 10,000 japanese and japanese americans moved out of state. but many had nowhere to go. in the next five months, 110,000 people were relocated to interment camps. >> arizona, utah, colorado,

wyoming and elsewhere, quarters were being built where they would have an opportunity to work and more space to live. >> reporter: no japanese american was ever charged with an act of sabotage. thousands of japanese men served their country in the service. many gave their lives. after the war, some internees got their homes back but some never recovered their sense of security. >> you can't put value on the lives of people. >> how can we make up for it if we want to? >> that's, wow philosophically.

>> i guess it is a philosophical question. >> not to ever let it happen again. we go back to an interment camp with those who spent their childhood there. one american tells us why he he resisted the interment. >> when your government is doing, that was a blow. an under the belt blow. [ teen ] times are good, aren't they, kids?

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people of japanese deseptember among the camps they were sent to was tully lake which is just south of the california state line. ktvu's lloyd lacuesta went along and attended the ceremony for some who had been buried there for decades. passing motorists just 30 miles south of the california-

oregon border probably don't notice this weed infested field surrounded by a rusting fence. the fence is topped with barb wire slanting inward designed to keep people in. a stone monument marks this as the site of the war relocation center. the plaque describes it as one of the concentration camps of whom the majority were american citizens. this is not a clearly marked historical or tourist spot. but this weekend a bus load of former camp internees returned as tourists. konono started picking up shells. when she was a kid she used to

do the same thing. >> when we were here, people picked these up to make bracelets. recently i said, i should go back to see what it was like. to see what it was really like. but it's not the same because i'm not behind the barb wire. >> reporter: after the war, the land was sold for farm. >> reporter: the walls were open. so whatever you said you could hear. they were called apartments but they were 20 by 20 spaces.

>> reporter: roy and ruth found the barracks. walking through this 45-year- old building brought back bad memories. >> the one family, and regardless how many there were they were put in one room with a bed with -- i don't know what he had but we had a straw. >> straw mattress, yeah. >> straw bags, a bag with straw in it. >> oh boy, makes me cry. it's sure sad. >> and we had a shower, we showered. >> reporter: yamani spent 10 months of his time in a camp stockade. punishment for a camp riot in 1943. to this day yomani denies any involvement in the violence. but after the war yomani and

his sister who campaigned for his release were deported to japan. both were american citizens born in hawaii. >> well he came back because the american government has finally acknowledged the fact an injustice was done to an american citizen. that bought him back. >> reporter: some of the camp survivors say if they ever get redress money they want to use it to restore the tully camp to a museum. the kids playing on the stone monument don't really know what happened here. the elderly who so long remained silent now want them to know. >> it's a memory, a tribute, to honor what happened. not because it was right but to honor the people who came. >> that guy told me that they were shipped here during the war. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> reporter: and what do you think about that?

>> it's sad. >> yeah. >> at a small cemetery at clemoth falls, a memorial service for 12 who died in the camp. their remains were unclaimed and left behind when the camp closed. and until toe their common grave had only a stone reading, in memory of the deceased. two years ago, mark mioshi found the grave. >> we didn't know how many people were in there, who it was. what their story was, so we just felt like we needed to honor these individuals as human beings. it's just a basic human thing is to have them remembered. >> reporter: they were remembered today with a new head stone listing their names. an elderly man with apparently

no family and 10 infants believed to be camp stillborns. most of the mourners today were japanese americans. camp survivors, many had tried to forget. >> i felt quite at peace and i'm very grateful to all of you for making this a possibility for history. so that it will not be repeated again. i thank you very much. when we come back on a second look. the role one bay area congressman faced for winning referendum for japanese americans. and also, another american who was confined.

on a second look tonight, the internment of japanese americans. president ronald reagan signed

a law sponsored by norm maneta who had been inturned himself as a child. it authorized payments of $20,000 a piece to those who were still living. ambruno brought us this report including opposition for the bill from one prominent japanese american. >> reporter: half of the people sent to internment camps are still alive today and eligible for the authorized payment of $20,000. this marks the end of an ordeal. former u.s. senator iakawa who says he would have voted against the bill wants

president reagan to veto is. >> see, if the japanese as a result of the relocation had been permanently injured so that they are still struggling in poverty and lacking in education because the relocation was being deprived some some very important students, then obviously this would be possible. but actually the japanese have the higher income than the average white. >> iakawa never went to camp. he hasn't spent an hour at the camp so he doesn't know the trauma associated with all of this. >> reporter: all japanese americans on the west coast were sent to interment camps for the duration of world war ii. some were allowed to relocate themselves with friends and relevant thetives east of the rocky mountains where -- relatives east of the rocky mountains. relocation was done quickly. sometimes with less than 48 hours notice. some families were able to put

their property in storage or trust but others lost houses or businesses were sold out to specklators. turns out most japanese americans did not resist the internment order but some did. back in 1998, bob roth talked to one of them who explained why he could not in good conscious go along with the round up of people of japanese decent. >> reporter: to many people, gordon hirabiashi is a hero. for 40 years, the -- fought. >> when your own government is doing it. that was a blow. like a under the belt blow. >> reporter: after the japanese

attacked pearl harbor on december seven, 1941 the american government feared japanese americans were helping the attack. as a u.s. citizen he felt the order violate his constitutional rights. even his own mother beg him to go along. >> we got separated now, if the country could do this sort of thing, they could keep us apart and we would never see each other again. she would break down in tears that was my hardest emotional part. i felt if i changed and went with her i would not be the same person anymore. >> reporter: hiribashi was sentenced to 90 days in ja. he appealed and the u.s. supreme court upheld the

curfew violation but avoided the question of the internment order. >> war hysteria got to him too. >> reporter: after the war, he moved to canada but always hoped to clear his name. an attorney found an fbi document in 1942 it said in part there was no need to relocate women, children and male workers. he and dozens of other japanese americans have received reparations ordered by congress. >> these thing s if we forget them or leave them unfinished will hurt somebody else. >> reporter: and he says under the right circumstances it could happen to any group of people. when we come back on a second look, we look at the aftermath of the pearl harbor attacks from the perspective of japanese americans.

after the japanese attacked pearl harbor, president franklin roosevelt called december 7, a date which will

live in infamy. but for many japanese americans another day february 19, 1942 also became infamous. it was on that date 70 years ago that president roosevelt signed the executive order that would lead to the world war ii internment of tens of thousands japanese americans. in 1991, lloyd lacuesta looked at pearl harbor and the attack from their perspective. >> i'm right here with the books right here in the center. >> reporter: retired army major tanaca was a 23-year-old draftee when pearl harbor was attacked. >> that evening we moved into the hills at fort ord and spent the whole night loading am in addition and machine gun bouts. >> reporter: soon thereafter japanese soldiers had their weapons taken away from then. they were then sent on train cars with the shades pulled

down so no one could see in and no one could see out. japanese americans served as linguists. a 20 year military career. >> a lot of people to their understanding but there's still some that still look upon somebody with an oriental, with a japanese face still not to be trusted. you know after all these years they just don't look upon us as americans like anybody else. >> reporter: 120,000 people of japanese ancestry were forced out of their homes and into relocation camps during world war ii. some of the incarcerated japanese americans left after agreeing to serve in the military. retired army specialist awaka remembers he was not allowed to visit his family at a camp in arizona. >> the western defense command was off limits to anybody japanese. including those in uniform.

>> reporter: more than 33,000 japanese americans wore american military uniforms during world war ii. some gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their country. their lives. >> while we've looked tonight about the world war ii i nternment of japanese americans. italian americans also faced restraints. >> reporter: fisherman's wharf, san francisco 1942. up and down the northern california coast. most fishing boats belonged to italians. the beginning of world war ii meant the epd of a livelihood for thousands of italian families who's boats were --

3,000 italian nationals were interned. 600,000 affected in some way. the exhibit is called the secret story. >> they have hoping for an apology of some kind from the country. >> reporter: photos show the first relocation camp in fort mazula montana. bay area italians were taken there in 1941. the u.s. at war with japan, germany and italy feared spies referred to enemy. the largest immigrant group in the u.s. during the war was italian. 50million in all. many of those who had not yet received american citizenship were relocated. many others restricted such as this man's mother-in-law. >> she was in house arrest. couldn't go any further than 5 miles from her house.

had to be indoors at sunset. >> what happened at the radio? >> at the radio they took off her short wave component for whatever reason. a half million italian americans served in the armed forces. by september 1943 italy surrendered. >> and that's it for this week's second look. i'm frank somerville. we'll see you again next week.