This oral history interview with Tom S. Fujita was conducted by Jim Strassmaier at Strassmaier’s home in Portland, Oregon, in seven sessions from January 6, 1995, to March 1, 1995. The interview was part of the Japanese American Oral History Project, which was conducted by the Oregon Historical Society to preserve the stories of Japanese Americans in Oregon. In addition to the audio recordings, this collection includes four copies of a color photograph taken at the time of the interview; it shows Fujita, an unidentified woman who may be his wife, Kay Fujita, and a dog. The audio recording for the third interview session is incomplete, due to damage incurred during duplication of the cassette. Tapes 9 and 10 (interview sessions 4 and 5) have speed issues that affect audio quality.

In this interview, Fujita discusses his family background, and speaks at length about the lives of his parents, Haru Fujita and Seijiro Kuribayashi Fujita. He talks about his early life as a second-generation Japanese American in Milwaukie, Oregon, before World War II. He shares his memories of the aftermath of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941, and talks about his subsequent experiences during his incarceration by the U.S. government, first at the Portland Assembly Center and then at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho. He discusses his later career conducting research and teaching organic chemistry at the University of Oregon Medical School in Portland, describes chemical compounds he developed during his research, and discusses chemicals he worked with. He talks about having rheumatic fever and tuberculosis, and his experiences with disability as a result. He also speaks extensively about his marriage to Kay Christine Kuntz.