June 1942: Evacuation orders, voting rights suits and Nisei loyalty

Vol. 15, No. 1, June 4, 1942. 8 pages. View this issue

The forced removal of Japanese Americans from the West Coast was the news of this eight-page June 1942 issue. The front page reported that all major west coast cities had been cleared of residents of Japanese ancestry, while the Western Defense Command ordered everyone of Japanese ancestry out of California’s Military Area 2 after June 2. Two federal suits sought to strip voting rights from about 5000 citizens, and JACL President Saburo Kido announced that the JACL would contest them. Larry Tajiri’s editorial “U. S. Nisei: 1942” and his column on Taro Suzuki answered the attacks. Mike M. Masaoka’s address pledged the community’s strength for victory.

Other pages followed the War Relocation Authority’s work corps plan, with camouflage netting to begin at Manzanar, and beet growers asking for evacuee labor. Ann Nisei wrote about Nisei women’s new daily lives in the centers. Smaller stories included a 23-month-old girl allowed to stay with her foster parents and a Seattle poster contest won by Tomokiyo Yamada.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Army to Order Evacuation of Military Area 2, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Western Defense Command ordered the evacuation of all persons of Japanese ancestry from California’s Military Area 2 after June 2. Curfew and travel restrictions were also imposed on Japanese residents in the area.
• Evacuee Labor Sought by Beet Growers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Western states that had opposed evacuee relocation now requested evacuee labor for sugar beet fields. Evacuees hesitated due to low wages, surveillance, and hostile statements by public officials.
• Surprise Proclamation Issued by Western Defense Command, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Public Proclamation No. 6 prohibited Japanese ancestry persons from leaving Military Area 2 after June 2 and set curfew and travel limits. The order came after California county representatives requested restrictive measures.
• WRA Outlines Evacuee Work Corps Program, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Relocation Work Corps will enlist evacuee volunteers for construction, agriculture, and manufacturing at relocation centers, starting with camouflage netting at Manzanar. JACL representatives Mike Masaoka and George Inagaki sought clarification of the program from WRA officials.
• Attack on Civil Rights Opposed; JACL to Contest Suits, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two suits filed in federal court seek to strip voting rights from about 5000 Japanese American citizens in San Francisco and Alameda counties. JACL President Saburo Kido announced that Bay Region chapters and the National JACL will contest the suits.
• Warren to Prosecute Alien Land Law Violations by Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Attorney General Warren and U.S. Attorney Dockweiler promised that prosecution would follow any violation of the alien property law. The law was used against transfers of land title to minor American-born children.
• Justice Tempered with Mercy, Girl Exempted from Order, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A 23-month-old half-Japanese girl was allowed to remain with her Caucasian foster parents in Yolo County instead of being sent to a center. The exemption came after the matter was taken up with Sacramento and San Francisco army authorities.

Community

• Chinese Girl Wins Oratorical Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Inez Fong of a Niles Chinese family won a patriotic oratorical contest at Washington Union High School sponsored by the JACL chapter. The JACL had financed the contest seven years in advance.
• Student Wins Poster Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Tomokiyo Yamada, a 17-year-old Broadway High student, won Seattle’s traffic safety poster contest with a poster on the dangers of glaring car lights at night. He had already been evacuated to Puyallup when the award was announced.

National

• Native Sons Call for Campaign to Revoke Nisei Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Native Sons of the Golden West resolved to campaign to revoke the citizenship of persons of Japanese ancestry and appropriated $1000 to start the effort. The resolution also proposed a constitutional amendment to bar future citizenship by birth.
• Vandals Overrun Property Evacuated by Valley Farmers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Vandals were reported picking fruit and damaging property on crop lands evacuated by Japanese farmers in Elk Grove and Florin. Sheriff Cox warned that anyone caught picking crops without permission would be arrested.

Commentary

• U. S. Nisei: 1942, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial affirms that Japanese Americans are immigrant-descended citizens who helped build America and are proud of their citizenship. It argues that those seeking to strip their rights are the real fifth column threat to national unity.
• Nisei Have Demonstrated Their Loyalty, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that Japanese Americans cooperated fully with evacuation, avoiding diverting soldiers needed at the front. It concludes that their conduct demonstrates essential loyalty.
• The Privilege of Self-Denial, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reflects on President Roosevelt’s call for home-front sacrifice, including rationing and restricted buying. It concludes that such sacrifices are small compared to the cost of losing the war.
• Taro Suzuki’s America, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The column portrays an ordinary Japanese American man confined behind barbed wire while the nation fights abroad for freedom. It expresses concern that anti-Japanese groups will seek to deny him rights after the war.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column notes that Axis propaganda about the first Allied bombing of Japan contradicted itself across Tokyo, Berlin, and Rome. It observes that Japanese-language broadcasts admitted damage that English broadcasts denied.
• U.S. Nisei Lack Own Folk Music, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column observes that Nisei have no folk songs of their own about the evacuation, unlike other American groups who created songs about their hardships. It suggests the experience may someday be captured in American music.
• Nisei Women: Evacuation Brings New Problems, by Ann Nisei, page 6. The column describes how Nisei women’s daily lives changed abruptly with evacuation into barrack-style centers. It urges them to organize hobby classes, libraries, sports, and nurseries to build community life.

Military & Veterans

• To the People of America: We of Japanese Race Pledge Our Strength for Victory, by Mike M. Masaoka, page 5. Masaoka’s address to the Cleveland Committee for Protection of Foreign-Born pledges the loyalty of Japanese Americans, including those serving in the armed forces. He affirms that the evacuation is bitter but that the community blames Japan, not America.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.