Vol. 13, No. 56, August 1941. 12 pages. View this issue
District conventions filled the front page of this August 1941 issue. The Northwest District Council planned its meeting in Seattle for August 30 through September 1, with a program that included a keynote by Thomas Iseri and a welcome from Mayor Earl Millikin. The Southern District set its Long Beach convention for the same weekend, and Monterey hosted the Northern California sessions. Also on page one, the JACL National Board met in San Francisco for its first emergency meeting and recommended Mike Masaru Masaoka as full-time national secretary.
Page two covered the aftermath of the July 26 order freezing Japanese and Chinese assets, including licensing trouble and worry about Nisei jobs. Ethel J. Spaulding wrote on expatriation in Hawaii, Kay Nishida on the poetry of Ishikawa Takuboku, and Walter Tsukamoto on legal protections for servicemen’s families. Chapters in Puyallup Valley and the Northwest District also backed defense bonds.
What’s in this issue
JACL
- Northwest Citizens To Convene, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The tentative program for the Northwest District Council convention in Seattle on August 30 through September 1 is outlined, including registration, opening ceremonies, panel discussions, and a closing banquet. The schedule also covers a golf tournament, a cruise, and a Sayonara dance.
- National Board Meets in S.F. First Emergency Session Held in JACL History, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At its first emergency meeting in JACL history, the National Board recommended that Mike Masaru Masaoka serve as full-time national secretary, pending district council votes. Board members also decided Oakland should proceed with preparations for the 1942 national convention despite the crisis.
- Southern District Chapters Convene in Long Beach, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The third biennial Southern District JACL convention will be held in Long Beach from August 30 to September 1, with a tentative program listing registration, banquets, golf, and a Sayonara Ball. The schedule includes sessions for delegates and social events for attendees.
- National Vice-President Schedules Goodwill Trips to Utah, Colorado, by P.C. Staff, page 2. National JACL Vice-President Ken Matsumoto will make goodwill visits to Salt Lake, Ogden, Denver, and Chicago chapters while attending a national jewelers convention. He will also visit Nisei soldiers training at Camp Grant in Illinois.
- Resolution Also Backs USO Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The Northwest District Council Board unanimously passed a resolution supporting the sale of U.S. defense bonds and stamps and backing the United Service Organizations. The resolution asks chapters to give full support to these national defense efforts.
Community
- Los Angeles Schedules Fourteen Events for Nisei Festival Week on August 23 to 30, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles has planned fourteen events for Nisei Festival Week, including a coronation ball, tournaments, a baby show, pioneer night, and a street dance. The events run from August 23 through the closing ceremony on August 30.
- Northern California D.C. Sets Special Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Northern California District Council will convene in Stockton to ratify a proposal of the special national board and consider apportionment of its $2,650 quota. Several social events and a luncheon hosted by the Stockton Japanese Association are also scheduled.
- Freezing Act–Its Aftermath, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Following the July 26, 1941 executive order freezing Japanese and Chinese assets, importers, exporters, and banks have struggled with licensing and shipping problems. The article explains the general and temporary licenses issued and warns of unemployment among Nisei workers.
- NCDC Sessions Convene in Monterey, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The fourth biennial Northern California District JACL convention opened in Monterey under the theme ‘I Pledge Allegiance,’ with keynote remarks by James Sugioka. Friday and Saturday sessions covered convention assessments, draftee entertainment, the next meeting site, and several resolutions.
- Presenting Your View, by Shig Akagi, page 7. In a letter to the editor, Shig Akagi urges citizens to make sacrifices and maintain moral standards during the national emergency. He calls for security through unity across the nation.
- Long Beach Committees, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The article lists committee chairmen and members preparing the Southern California District JACL convention in Long Beach. Committees cover reception, transportation, registration, banquet, golf, and the Sayonara Ball.
Commentary
- Expatriation In Hawaii, by Ethel J. Spaulding, page 4. The article explains Japan’s expatriation process for Japanese nationals born on American soil, including the steps and documents required. It discusses why many Hawaiian Nisei have not yet expatriated, citing family, cost, and lethargy.
- Growing Nisei Awareness, by Phil Matsumura, page 7. This essay, originally written in 1937 for a contest, examines how the Nisei are becoming aware of the changing world and their responsibilities. It argues that the Nisei are moving forward spiritually and materially through education, enterprise, and civic engagement.
- Stop Migration of Rural Youth to Protect First Line of Defense in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 8. Congressman Clifford Davis’s speech at the National Farm Youth Foundation argues that farm youth must be kept on the land to protect America’s food supply and ideals. He warns of coming material scarcities in agricultural defense production.
- Legal Forum, by Walter Tsukamoto, page 11. The Legal Forum column explains protections under the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act for servicemen’s dependents, installment purchases, life insurance, and taxes. It notes that relief depends on the soldier’s inability to meet obligations due to military service.
Arts & Entertainment
- Takuboku’s Poetry, by Kay Nishida, page 4. The column introduces Ishikawa Takuboku’s poetry collection ‘A Handful of Sand,’ translated by Shio Sakanishi, and quotes several poems. It praises the poet’s enduring human intensity despite his short, impoverished life.
Military & Veterans
- Overcoming Presumption, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Washington released the first official regulations for overcoming the presumption of expatriation under Section 402 of the Nationality Act of 1940. The rules describe the evidence required and the offices where it must be presented.
- Seattle Heads Convention Committees, by P.C. Staff, page 12. William Mimbu chairs the committee heads responsible for the Northwest District convention in Seattle. The list covers program, registration, housing, transportation, oratorical, and other arrangements.
- Puyallup Valley JACL Invests $500 in Defense Bond, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Following national JACL recommendations, the Puyallup Valley chapter invested $500 in a United States defense bond at the National Bank of Washington in Tacoma. Officers and bank representatives were pictured at the purchase.
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