To view additional or related parts of this recording, see "Related materials"
Title
Oral History Interview with Harry Suyetaro Kiino
Created Date
November 11th, 1988
Description
Issei male, born in 1901 to a family that owned a silk factory. In 1916, at age fifteen, Harry came to Florin to work for his uncle who arrived in 1895 to grow grapes and strawberries. Harry married his first cousin, a Nisei. He acquired and lost a farm in the Depression, moved his family to Sacramento, opened a flower shop and raised flowers. In 1941-1942, when Harry was forty, he was visited by the FBI but not detained. The Kiinos had many kind and helpful Caucasian friends before and after the war. When the bank froze his assets, Mr. Leronde offered him money. The Reese and Smith families continued their friendship and support. The Kiinos went to Fresno, California and Jerome, Arkansas where Harry earned $19 a month as a cook and his eldest son volunteered for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. After camp, the family went to Kalamazoo, Michigan for four years. A Caucasian boyhood friend, also in Kalamazoo, reestablished their friendship. Other Caucasian friends welcomed the Kiinos upon their return to Florin. Lodi�s fraternal and social organizations recruited the Kiinos for membership which would have previously been denied.
Copyrighted. Rights are owned by Japanese American Citizens League, Florin Chapter and California State University, Sacramento. Copyright Holder has given Organization permission to provide access to the digitized work online. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.