The Chronicles of Shinjitsu:
Americans Of Japanese Heritage
Part Six

Fred Nicholas – A Man Of Justice

April 25, 2021

Fred Nicholas was honored by Japanese Americans who were imprisoned at the Tanforan Prison as well
as by family members of those incarcerated.  The occasion was the Journey to Tanforan Reunion
Luncheon held by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California.
(The photograph was provided courtesy of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, June 2, 2007.)

The name of Frederick (Fred) Nicholas likely does not mean much to many in California or throughout the United States.  But the man with that name was one of those that stood against injustice when it mattered.  He stood for American values when the leaders of California and the leaders of our nation did not.  Our leaders – as well as most Americans – disregarded the ideals that the United States of America has said it stood for and together, they dismissed the words of the U S Constitution.

For four months, Fred Nicholas brought light into the darkness that was enveloping our country.

He did simple things.  Things that many of us do on a regular basis.

But by engaging in those activities, Fred Nicholas violated his oath to our nation.  His actions constituted criminal acts.  He knew what he was doing was illegal.

Yet his activities – his actions – were the ultimate commitments to American values.  To the U S Constitution.  To the ideals that we stand for as a nation.

Fred Nicholas grew up in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood of Los Angeles.  In the Fall of 1941, he was a senior at the University of Southern California (USC).  He went to school by streetcar to take classes in journalism.  Mr. Nicholas was the sports editor at the Daily Trojan, the student newspaper of USC.  In October of 1941, he received a draft notice from the U S government.  Though active warfare had not yet begun, the draft was in full swing.

Mr. Nicholas met with the president of USC to see if the University president could intervene and keep him out of the military.  “The president told me that ‘our boys will get you out of the draft,’” Mr. Nicholas explained.  Three or four days after meeting with the president of USC, Mr. Nicholas was formerly inducted into the U S Army.  “The president of USC wanted me out.  I was Jewish.  People like me weren’t welcomed at USC at that time.”

Fred Nicholas speaking at the Journey to Tanforan Reunion Luncheon held by the
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California.
(The photograph was provided courtesy of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, June 2, 2007.)

He did his basic training at Camp Roberts, located in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties in Central California.  When the war started, he was initially assigned to an infantry division in Seattle, Washington.  There, the division was to guard manufacturers of war materials.  His unit was then ordered overseas;  the day before, though, Mr. Nicholas was told to have his four wisdom teeth removed.  The doctor decided to keep him overnight.  By the time he was released the next day, his unit had already shipped out – to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific.  “A number of the men did not survive,” stated Mr. Nicholas.

Instead of going overseas at that time, Mr. Nicholas was sent to Los Angeles and then on to San Francisco.  In 1942, he was posted as a guard at the Tanforan Assembly Center (Tanforan Prison).  He was 21 years old.  Japanese Americans from throughout the Bay Area were transported to this site in San Mateo County.  They were housed in horse stables at the facility as well as in tents and barracks.  According to the U S National Park Service, a total of 8,033 Japanese Americans were incarcerated at the Tanforan Prison.  From this initial prison, the individuals were then taken to relocation centers (prisons) in the interior of the United States.  Most people were transported to the Topaz Relocation Center (Topaz Prison) that was located in Millard County in Utah;  this prison was also known as the “Central Utah Relocation Center” (Central Utah Prison).

“The individuals at Tanforan were very, very upset,” stated Mr. Nicholas.  “I always admired the Japanese Americans.  They were taken advantage of and treated very badly by our country.”  He explained that many of the people at the Tanforan Prison were students around his own age.  “Many of people were taken right from school at places like Stanford [University] and [the University of California at] Berkeley,” noted Mr. Nicholas.

“I was on duty for four hours, then off for eight hours,” said Mr. Nicholas.  “Much of the time was spent walking around the perimeter of the prison.  Sometimes, I was in the watchtower.”  While on tour, he would talk to the inmates through the fencing topped with barbed wire.

His commander either was told that Mr. Nicholas was doing “something” or his commander witnessed the activities of Mr. Nicholas.  In either case, Mr. Nicholas said that his commander told him to “knock it off.”

When asked how he responded to the order from his superior, he said “I was more careful from then on.”

“I’d stand by the shrubbery while talking to the Japanese Americans,” explained Mr. Nicholas.  “I’d keep walking while we talked – me on the outside, they on the inside.”

But Mr. Nicholas did more than just talk to the people incarcerated at the Tanforan Prison.

“I helped get them needed items,” stated Mr. Nicholas.  “It was cold there.  Three or four people gave me the keys to their homes.  When I was off duty, I went to their homes and got their sweaters and coats.  Back on duty, I quietly gave them their clothes and keys.”

“Beyond the clothing, I did shopping for several families,” Mr. Nicholas continued.  “I’d go to the grocery store and get food that the Japanese Americans wanted.  I’d go to shoes stores and get them footwear.”

For four months at the Tanforan Prison, Fred Nicholas put into active practice the values of respect and dignity that others had disregarded.

From the day he was inducted, Fred Nicholas served our country in the military for four and a half years.  Beyond locales in California and Washington, he was posted in places from North Africa to Italy and from France to the Philippines.   He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

After discharge from the military, Mr. Nicholas went back to school and lived his life.  He became an attorney and worked extensively in the real estate industry.  But through the years, he never forgot about his time as an MP at the Tanforan Prison.

“I looked for an opportunity if the property ever came on the market.”

The land that had been a prison for Japanese Americans had reverted to its previous status as a racetrack after World War II.  A fire damaged much of the property in 1964.  It sat vacant for a number of years.  In 1968, Mr. Nicholas was part of a real estate team that acquired much of the site.  He was then in a position to reach his ultimate goal.

“We tore the damn thing down,” stated Mr. Nicholas.

Fred Nicholas and Hap Smith cutting a ceremonial cake at the opening of the Tanforan Park Shopping Center.
(The photograph was provided courtesy of Anthony Nicholas, March 9, 1971.)

The Tanforan Park Shopping Center was built on the site.  Beyond the retail aspects of the shopping center, Mr. Nicholas installed a plaque on an interior wall in the shopping mall to recognize what happened at the property in the 1940s.

“I wanted people to know what happened here,” explained Mr. Nicholas.  “It was important that people not forget the Japanese Americans that were imprisoned at Tanforan.”  Today, the plaque can be found in a small outdoor garden area of the retail center, now called “The Shops at Tanforan.”

On June 2, 2007, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) held a ceremony to dedicate a new memorial to the Japanese Americans that were imprisoned on these grounds.  Mr. Paul Osaki, Executive Director of the JCCCNC, explained that “on the occasion of remembering the 65th anniversary of the Tanforan Assembly Center, the JCCCNC organized an event at The Shops at Tanforan Shopping Center.  Over a thousand people attended the event and former internees came from as far away as New York and Canada.  The event was called Journey to Tanforan.”  As part of this event, a luncheon was held in honor of Fred Nicholas.

“Fred is an amazing man,” stated Mr. Osaki.  “He was extremely kind to the Japanese Americans at Tanforan.  He helped bring personal items from the homes of the people at the camp.  The injustice of what happened to the Japanese Americans was seared into his mind.”

“Not only did Fred help purchase the property and tear down Tanforan, he was the person who placed the original plaque to memorialize what happened at this site,” Mr. Osaki continued.

Mr. Nicholas was moved by the outpouring of gratitude at the Journey to Tanforan Reunion.

“It was very touching – It was lovely,” Mr. Nicholas stated.  “It was also sad, but enjoyable.  Sad because of the memories of the time at Tanforan.  Enjoyable because the individual Japanese Americans appreciated my actions.  I did not think what I did was a big deal, but the Japanese Americans thought it was.”

When asked in 2021 if he would again do what he did in 1942, Mr. Nicholas did not hesitate.

“Yes,” was the answer.

Many Japanese Americans – many Americans of all ethnicities – are grateful for the actions Frederick Nicholas took almost 80 years ago and that he would be willing to do the same again today.

Fred Nicholas celebrated his 100th birthday in 2020.
(This photograph was produced by Joshua White and was provided courtesy of Lapis Press, 2020.)

Do you have questions about Japanese American communities?

A street name? A building?

Your questions may be used in a future news column.

Contact Richard McDonough at chroniclesofshinjitsu@protonmail.com.

© 2021 Richard McDonough