Archives West Finding Aid

Scope and Content: O'Brien discusses events during and after World War Two, including Japanese Relocation, the Japanese-American Student Relocation Council, Seattle Race Relations, and his work with the Civic Unity Committee.

O'Brien describes UW President Sieg's role in assisting Japanese-American students during the Relocation. Sieg wrote to Midwestern and East Coast colleges urging them to take Japanese-American students from the UW, arranged for Japanese-American seniors to receive their degrees despite not completing their final quarter, and traveled to the relocation camps to award degrees to these students. The UW also brought its Extension Program to the relocation centers. O'Brien was Assistant to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and advisor to the Japanese Student Club. He was involved in founding the Japanese-American Student Relocation Council, a national organization based in Philadelphia that worked to help Nisei get out of the relocation camps. In 1942 he was asked to become its National Executive and asked for leave from the UW in order to do this. President Sieg insisted that he arrange to be on War Leave through the War Relocation Authority; this status allowed Sieg to protect O'Brien's job when people questioned his loyalty because of his work on behalf of Japanese-Americans. The Relocation Council placed six thousand Japanese-American students in nearly 600 colleges during the war.

Scope and Content: Book, "The College Nisei", written by O'Brien, including chapters 1-7 and outline of revision (copy).

Scope and Content: Copy of 1975 interview (cassette), transcript, and computer disks with transcript.

O'Brien discusses events during and after World War Two, including Japanese Relocation, the Japanese-American Student Relocation Council, Seattle Race Relations, and his work with the Civic Unity Committee.

O'Brien describes UW President Sieg's role in assisting Japanese-American students during the Relocation. Sieg wrote to Midwestern and East Coast colleges urging them to take Japanese-American students from the UW, arranged for Japanese-American seniors to receive their degrees despite not completing their final quarter, and traveled to the relocation camps to award degrees to these students. The UW also brought its Extension Program to the relocation centers. O'Brien was Assistant to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and advisor to the Japanese Student Club. He was involved in founding the Japanese-American Student Relocation Council, a national organization based in Philadelphia that worked to help Nisei get out of the relocation camps. In 1942 he was asked to become its National Executive and asked for leave from the UW in order to do this. President Sieg insisted that he arrange to be on War Leave through the War Relocation Authority; this status allowed Sieg to protect O'Brien's job when people questioned his loyalty because of his work on behalf of Japanese-Americans. The Relocation Council placed six thousand Japanese-American students in nearly 600 colleges during the war.