- "We are including the official names of the camps at Poston (Colorado River), Amache (Granada) and Topaz (Central Utah).
- "We have removed the sentence that said 'No one was ever convicted of wrong doing.'
- "We have changed the number of days from 74 to 73 as the accurate time period from the Declaration of War to the issuance of Executive Order 966 [sic].
- "We have also placed the modifier 'minimal' before the word 'compensation' to ensure that visitors to the memorial do not get the impression that significant compensation was received by the internees.
Despite the NPS decisions, other problematic areas still remain in the inscriptions. "There is a blatant error at the beginning of the narrative section which includes Hawaii as a geographic area from which 'mass removal' took place. I have informed NJAMF Executive Director Cherry Tsutsumida that this was absolutely not true but, as far as I know, the inscription has not yet been corrected," said Aiko Herzig, who has spent more than 20 years researching primary historical documents from the era.
The NPS also said that while it reconsidered the Masaoka quotation it decided it should remain. Among the reasons it cited was his role as a "civil rights leader" and the NJAMF board's decision to include him. It also cited "current historical research," which might be revised.
In response, JAvoice.com pointed out that many distinguished historians and legal scholars take issue with the accuracy of Masaoka's designation as a "civil rights leader." Current historical research - including the infamous Lim Report (1990) commissioned by the Japanese American Citizens League -- is unambiguous about Masaoka's role in aiding authorities in herding Japanese Americans into camps.
The actions and decisions Masaoka took during World War II helping circumvent civil liberties are precisely the ones which the memorial seems designed to prevent from reoccurring. It is hypocritical that a figure such as Masaoka would be honored at this national site.
"I am extremely disappointed that Director Stanton made the decisions he did, with changes which were minimal," said Sue Embrey of the Manzanar Advisory Commission. "I am unhappy that the NPS did not hold scoping sessions to receive input from the community early on, as is normally done by public agencies, which might have avoided the present controversy."
"It appears that the NPS did a superficial study of the narrative," Embrey continued. "This means that as a member of the Manzanar Advisory Commission, I must be more alert to the planning of the Manzanar National Historic Site, so that the interpretation will be absolutely honest and accurate."
Even though the NPS has ruled on the issue, JAvoice.com will continue to press officials to make changes in the memorial, which does a disservice to the memory and history of all Japanese Americans.
"Although we are disappointed by the short-sighted decision of the NPS, the debate over Masaoka is a valuable one," said Samuel Fromartz, a founder of the Web site JAvoice.com. "Daily we are getting comments at the Web site from people who had not heard of the controversy nor knew about the role of Masaoka. Many people are freely downloading the Lim Report, which makes his actions known."
Unlike the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation, JAvoice.com will continue to promote an open and democratic debate on these issues. JAvoice.com invites any and all to visit its Web site at http://www.javoice.com and join the lively online discussion about the memorial, regardless of one's point of view.