KTLA News: "Japanese Americans protest nuclear testing" (1971)

[Street noise] [George Takei] President Nixon is the only one now, who can stop this bombing. [Takei] President Nixon is a man, is a politician, who does respond to, [Takei] large and massive spontaneous people's, ah, ah, expression, [Takei] as he has shown by how he responded to the people's, eh, response to the Calley verdict. [Takei] And so we feel that this is the only way that we have left to us now. [Takei] We've telegrammed. We've written letters. [Takei] We've phoned. And so this is the only recourse left to us. [Takei] And he, as that person, the sole person, who can stop it, [Takei] also bears the sole responsibility for whatever damage and ill effects that may result from this. [Cecilia Pedroza] Mr. Takei, in view of the fact that the President's decided to go ahead with his bomb blasts, [Pedroza] what do you hope to accomplish? [Takei] I, myself, lost an aunt. [Takei] We have some here who are survivors of the, ah, bombing at Nagasaki and Hiroshima. [Takei] We feel very deeply and very personally that, the, [Takei] the horror of the use of this bomb. [Takei] Why test it if it's not going to be used? [Takei] And that if it is going to be, and that idea is absolutely inconceivable to us. [Pedroza] Is this demonstration in vain? Is it a lost cause, more or less? [Takei] Well as I said before, [Takei] he is the one that can stop it. [Takei] He has this kind of overwhelming recommendation against it. [Takei] We feel that if the people respond to it, he will have to, [Takei] have to respond to that. [Pedroza] What kind of support is your organization getting from the Asian American community in regards to the bombing. [?] [Takei] Unfortunately, you know, today, it's a workday. [Takei] And most people find it very difficult to take off from work. [Takei] But we are an organization who, which has two thousand members. [Takei] Ah, ah, they all can't, ah, respond on such quick notice, ah, on a weekday like this. [Takei] But we've had other assemblies before, [Takei] where we have had over two thousand of our members show up. [Takei] An example of this is the May assembly that we had at the Biltmore Hotel. [Takei] Where we had more than two thousand, I think, approximately twenty three hundred, people show up. [Camera start up noise] [Takei, almost inaudible] [?] Nagasaki bombing. [Pedroza] Mrs. Flavatel [?] I understand that you're a survivor of the Nagasaki bomb blast. [Pedroza] Tell me why are you opposed to this particular blast in the Aleutian Islands? [Protester Flavatel] Ah, because I'm a mother of three, [Flavatel] uh, three children. I want, when that my children, [Flavatel] grown up, have the, the nice home instead of all polluted and, ah, [Flavatel] ah, if we keep using, ah, testing, [Flavatel] there's no place for us to, ah, live, and safely. [Pedroza] Does your husband share your views in this? [Flavatel] Yes, he does. [Pedroza] How about your children? What do they say too? Are they concerned about this as well? [Flavatel] Oh, yes, they are, ah, pretty strong about it. [Flavatel] And I, every so often, I tell, tell them about my experience. [Flavatel] And, ah, even then, even I [Flavatel] I, ah, tell them they, ah. [Flavatel] Still no one can really feel what I feel. [Flavatel] But I think, ah, they, everybody has to take my word too. [Flavatel] From, ah, survivors. [Flavatel] That's the way I feel. [Pedroza] So you primarily oppose this because of the pollution, that's involved? [Flavatel] Uh, well it's, ah, not, ah, [Flavatel] Yes, I think so. [Flavatel] Pollution's one thing. And also that, ah, [Flavatel] is, ah, testing could've been happen, could been happen to, ah, [Flavatel] ah, third bombing. [Flavatel] Both. I don't know. [Camera start up noise]