Resettlement plans, harvest work and a Native Sons suit

Vol. 15, No. 23, November 5, 1942. 8 pages. View this issue

Resettlement was the main subject of this eight-page issue. Lt. Gen. Delos C. Emmons announced plans to resettle a small part of Hawaii’s Japanese ancestry population on the mainland, and the front page said WRA Director Dillon S. Myer would speak at a public meeting in Salt Lake City and meet the national JACL emergency board beginning Nov. 17. The Native Sons of the Golden West filed federal legal action to revoke the citizenship of U.S.-born Japanese Americans, and an editorial called the campaign fascist in character. Bill Hosokawa’s column recalled the treaty-port privileges foreigners held in China.

In the middle pages, JACL representatives Inagaki and Tsuchiya reported on evacuee sugar beet workers in Idaho and Montana, and other stories described labor in Montana and Utah. Teiko Ishida’s column covered chapter news and the Community Christmases drive for children. Minidoka and Heart Mountain stories close the issue, including a Boy Scout jamboree at Minidoka.

What’s in this issue

National

• Army to Evacuate ‘Some’ Hawaiian Japanese, page 1. Lt. Gen. Delos C. Emmons announced plans to resettle a small portion of Hawaii’s Japanese ancestry population on the mainland, not on a mass scale. The move aims to reduce nonproductive residents in overcrowded islands while protecting the local economy.
• Myer to Address Public Meeting in Salt Lake City, page 1. WRA Director Dillon S. Myer will speak in Salt Lake City on relocation problems at a public meeting sponsored by the National JACL. He is also expected to meet with the JACL emergency board and delegates.
• Challenged by Native Sons, page 1. The Native Sons of the Golden West launched federal legal action seeking to revoke citizenship of U.S.-born Japanese Americans. The group said it might amend the constitution if necessary.
• YMCA Votes Aid to Nisei Resettlement, page 2. The National YMCA Council voted to assist the resettlement of west coast evacuees outside relocation centers. The council also called for educational programs demonstrating Christian democracy at home.

Community

• Return of Evacuees to San Luis Obispo County Opposed, page 1. The Arroyo Grande Farm Center resolved to oppose the return of evacuated Japanese to San Luis Obispo farms after the war. The resolution was reported at a county Farm Bureau board meeting.
• Poston Bulletin Staff Volunteers Labor in Parker Valley, page 1. Poston staff volunteered a day’s labor in Parker Valley to help ease a local labor shortage. The effort was part of a cooperative arrangement with area farmers.
• Students Report Pleasant Trips, page 2. Two Central Utah Relocation Center students wrote about their travel to the Chesbrough school in Chili, New York. They described the scenery and the friendly reception they received.
• Christian Ministers Visit Hunt Center, page 2. More than 25 Protestant and Catholic ministers from southern Idaho visited the Minidoka Relocation Center. The all-day program included religious services and entertainment by a resident choir.
• Nisei Help to War Mills: Evacuee Workers Load Metal, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ten young nisei were hired through the employment service to load salvaged scrap metal onto railroad cars in Salt Lake City. The work eased a manpower shortage affecting war industries.
• Labor Needs Being Studied at Minidoka, page 6. The Minidoka Employment Division will study labor needs to set quotas and priorities for center work projects. The study aims to reduce manpower waste and improve efficiency.
• Ex-Circus Man Goes Out on Harvest Work, page 6. Joseph Ito, a former circus and carnival performer from Topaz, joined the carrot harvest. He said he looked forward to the work.
• Heart Mountain Boy Scouts and Evacuee Attitudes, page 7. Heart Mountain residents contributed to Army and harvest needs while public assistance helped needy families at Tule Lake. The article describes the social welfare response to evacuee needs.
• Hunt Boy Scouts Hold Jamboree, page 8. More than 200 scouts of Japanese ancestry gathered at the Minidoka Relocation Center for a jamboree. The event featured games, drill, and a bugle quintet.

Military & Veterans

• Full Military Honors Accorded Nisei Soldier at Fort Snelling, page 1. Private Isao Tsuno of Alvarado, California, died suddenly of illness at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Nearly 100 officers, teachers and classmates attended a funeral with full military honors.
• Evacuee Labor Saved Beets in Montana, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Blaine County commissioners praised the evacuee labor that saved the local beet crop. They said the workers were handled well and might stay through winter.
• Evacuee Workers Do Utmost Toward Victory on Farm Front, page 4. JACL representatives Inagaki and Tsuchiya reported on their survey of evacuee sugar beet workers in Idaho and Montana. They found strong work performance despite difficult conditions and discriminatory treatment in some western Montana areas.

JACL

• Dillon Myer Will Meet With JACL Officials from Ten Evacuee Centers, page 1. WRA Director Dillon Myer will discuss government policies on evacuee resettlement at a special national JACL emergency board meeting beginning Nov. 17. Representatives from the ten WRA centers and thirteen outside chapters have been invited.

Commentary

• Evacuees Well Received in Montana Counties, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A WRA investigator praised Blaine, Phillips and Valley counties in Montana for their friendly treatment of evacuee workers. He said the attitude would help secure labor next year.
• Native Sons and Fascism, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns the Native Sons of the Golden West campaign to strip citizenship from Japanese Americans as fascist in character. It quotes Nazi race theorist Alfred Rosenberg to show the parallels.
• Community Christmases, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial urges support for the committee organizing Christmas gifts for children in relocation centers. It argues that holiday customs must not be lost during evacuation.
• Hawaiian Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial says the army’s planned Hawaiian resettlement should not be seen as a new threat to mainland Japanese Americans. It notes that the move complicates the relocation of evacuees.
• Wheeler of Montana, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes Senator Burton Wheeler’s stereotypes of Japanese Americans as outdated and harmful. It points out that Japanese Americans are already working Montana fields.
• Coddling of Evacuees Charges Unfounded, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that claims the government is coddling evacuees rest on the false belief that all were interned. It describes the austere conditions in relocation centers and calls for a government white paper.
• Chinaman’s Chance, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa recalls the extraterritorial privileges foreigners enjoyed in Chinese treaty ports while Chinese had no protection. He notes that the United States relinquished these privileges, though racial injustices persist.
• Idaho Farmers Grateful to Evacuees, by Tad, page 5. The columnist reports that Idaho farmers appreciated evacuee labor but that many furlough workers felt exploited by sugar companies. He suggests workers organize to negotiate better pay and conditions.
• Kuniyoshi, Noted U.S. Artist, Works for Democratic Victory, page 5. Painter Yasuo Kuniyoshi, a leading American artist and Japanese-born non-citizen, is profiled for his anti-Axis propaganda work. He expressed regret at never being able to become a citizen.
• The Truth About American Air Power, page 5. A Washington letter explains an Office of War Information report on American air strength. It argues that combat plane value must be judged by battle performance and specific mission needs.
• The Des Moines Register Says: Mass Confinement of Citizen Evacuees Disapproved, page 5. A Des Moines Register editorial cites an Intelligence officer who rated most evacuees as loyal and criticized mass confinement. It urges individual review and greater federal scrutiny of cases.
• Calling All Chapters, by Teiko Ishida, page 6. Ishida reports on JACL activities including donations, a special meeting of center representatives, and fundraising for Community Christmases. She also notes visits by JACL officials to Topaz.

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