Leaving the camps: the WRA permit program in 1942

Vol. 15, No. 9, July 30, 1942. 8 pages. View this issue

Plans for Japanese Americans to leave the camps and take jobs outside the Western Defense Command led this issue. Mike Masaoka reported on the procedure outlined by WRA Director Dillon Myer, which required a loyalty review and a definite job offer for each permit. The front page also told of Dearborn, Michigan, where the Safety Commission refused to let Kenneth Murase, a 21-year-old Nisei student, live in the city, a ruling the newspaper PM compared to Nazi racial thinking. Another story reported that about 3,000 people from Fresno County were to be relocated to the Gila River center in Arizona, starting August 2.

Inside are editorials on the Hawaii double standard and on the Native Sons of the Golden West lawsuit, and Bill Hosokawa’s column on repatriation. Franklyn Sugiyama described daily life at Poston. Reports from Manzanar covered a new judicial board and a Citizens Federation. Americans exchanged in Laurenco Marques also described conditions inside Japan.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Michigan City Acknowledges Hitler’s Race Theories; Refuses to Admit U.S.-Born Japanese to Residence, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dearborn, Michigan’s Safety Commission refused to allow Kenneth Murase, a 21-year-old Nisei student, to reside in the city, after a church proposed bringing Nisei released from camps. The ruling drew criticism from the New York newspaper PM, which condemned the decision as Nazi-style racial thinking.
• Sanger Group To Be Relocated On Gila Project, page 1. Some 3,000 citizen and alien Japanese from Fresno County areas covered by Proclamation 106 will be relocated to the Gila River center in Arizona, starting August 2. Evacuees from Reedley and Visalia may be sent to Poston instead.
• Advance Unit Arrives At Relocation Center In Gila River Valley, page 4. An advance group of more than 500 evacuees from California, including doctors, nurses, educators, and professionals, arrived at the Sacaton relocation center. They were taken by bus to Camp One to help prepare the center for later arrivals.
• Until Evacuation, by Kenny Murase, page 7. Murase reflects on the confusion and anger of Nisei facing evacuation and reflects on the meaning of democracy. He resolves to study the political forces behind the decision and to participate actively in defending democratic rights.
• Residents Gain Responsibilities At Manzanar, page 7. Manzanar residents took on greater self-governance through a judicial board, block elections, and a proposed cooperative congress. The article reports on the first board decision and the new leadership structures.
• Citizens Form New Federation at Manzanar, page 8. A newly organized Manzanar Citizens Federation held its first public meeting to improve camp conditions and prepare for postwar life. Temporary chairman Koji Ariyoshi leads the group.
• Apology Asked Craemer for Olson Criticism, page 8. Fresno farm groups demanded a public apology from state railroad commissioner Justus Craemer for criticizing Governor Olson’s effort to use evacuee labor for harvests. The letter argues that farmers themselves initiated the proposal, which was made under army guidelines.

National

• Inside Japan: Americans Report from Laurenco Marques, page 1. Newly exchanged American diplomats and newsmen describe conditions inside Japan, including morale maintained through victory propaganda and the aftermath of a U.S. bombing raid on Tokyo. Correspondent Robert Bellaire reports on censorship and mistreatment of Americans by Japanese police.
• Procedure Set Up by WRA Permits Departure to Jobs Outside Defense Command, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. WRA Director Dillon Myer outlined the process by which American-born Japanese in relocation centers may obtain permits to take jobs outside the Western Defense Command. Only citizens who have never lived or studied in Japan are eligible, and each permit requires loyalty review and a definite job offer.

Commentary

• Collier’s Says Native Sons Suit Stabs Democracy, page 2. Collier’s magazine editorialized that the Native Sons of the Golden West lawsuit seeking to strip citizenship from American-born Japanese would dynamite democratic principles. The editorial argued that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees citizenship and that the government should remain fair to Japanese Americans.
• Double Standard, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial contrasts the treatment of Japanese Americans in Hawaii, who remain largely free and employed, with the mass confinement of west coast Japanese Americans. It argues the difference reflects a double standard, since Hawaii’s Japanese met the loyalty test without a single act of sabotage.
• The Militarist Mind, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial cites Japanese officials who openly call for destroying individualism, democracy, and liberalism. It argues that such statements reveal the militarist mindset and its contempt for the Japanese people.
• Greatest Weapon, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that truth and decency are America’s most powerful weapons in the war for freedom. It links the ideals of American war aims to the sacrifices of soldiers at Bataan and Midway.
• Us, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column describes a Japanese artist and his wife who fled fascism in Japan for America and suffered arrest and torture for their views. It concludes that they now serve in the propaganda battle against Japan’s militarist government.
• From the Frying Pan: Repatriation Urged for Pro-Japanese, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa comments on the repatriation program allowing those with Japanese citizenship to return to Japan. He urges anyone whose loyalty is doubtful to leave, so that remaining Japanese Americans can be fully loyal to the United States.
• Leland Ford Plays Politics, by Tad Uyeno, page 5. Uyeno criticizes Representative Leland Ford for opposing any relaxation of camp restrictions and for making misleading charges against the WRA during a primary campaign. He argues Ford’s race-based views undermine democracy and that voters should reject him.
• Canadian Girls Proud About The Way Nisei Can Take It, by Cinderella, page 5. A Canadian column praises American Nisei for maintaining their spirit and humor despite evacuation and relocation hardships. It admires their dignity, their refusal to accept pity, and their courage.

Military & Veterans

• Summing Up Japan’s Severe Naval Losses, page 5. The article estimates Japan’s naval losses since Pearl Harbor, including heavy carrier and cruiser losses at Midway. It concludes that Japan’s navy has been seriously weakened and overstretched across its conquered territories.
• Troops Aggressive, Smart, page 5. Senator Lodge reports on his experience with American troops in North Africa, praising their aggressiveness and mechanical skills. He notes that American equipment performed well in combat.

Community

• Nisei Woman: Hints on Making New Clothing From Old, page 5. A practical guide explains how worn-out clothing, shirts, suits, sheets, and sweaters can be remade into children’s garments and other useful items. The advice emphasizes thrift as fabrics become scarce.
• Poston: Evacuees Live in Dust, Sweat, Topics, by Franklyn Sugiyama, page 6. Sugiyama gives a comprehensive picture of life at Poston, describing dust, heat, and the layout of the three camp settlements. He also covers canteens, the library, recreation, and the cultural programs that help residents adjust.

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