A year’s end in 1942: Nisei soldiers and a lifted curfew

Vol. 15, No. 31, December 31, 1942. 8 pages. View this issue

Nisei in uniform led the news at the close of 1942. Sergeant Ben Kuroki of Hershey, Nebraska, was promoted for meritorious work as a turret gunner on a Liberator bomber over Nazi-occupied Europe. Also on page one were Lieutenant Colonel Farrant Turner’s report on the 100th Infantry Battalion at Camp McCoy and a radio tribute to Sergeant Fred Nishitsuji. General DeWitt’s new proclamations lifted curfew and travel limits on Japanese Americans in much of the Western Defense Command, and an editorial called them a first step. Mike Masaoka looked ahead to 1943.

Inside are a month-by-month calendar of 1942’s forced removal and incarceration, Christmas at the camps, with greasewood branches at Gila River and parties at all ten centers, a Bill Hosokawa column, and Chiura Obata’s paintings of Topaz for President Roosevelt and Dillon Myer.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Soldier Participates in Bombing Raid on Nazi Europe, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sergeant Ben Kuroki of Hershey, Nebraska, a Nisei, served as a turret gunner on a Liberator bomber in Allied raids over Nazi-occupied Europe and was promoted for meritorious work. His brothers also served or trained in the U.S. armed forces.
• Nisei Soldiers Ready for War, Says Officer, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lieutenant Colonel Farrant Turner reported that the 100th Infantry Battalion at Camp McCoy is equipped for combat and has trained for offensive operations. The battalion had earlier served in Hawaii, including during the December 7 attack.
• Tribute Paid Nisei Soldier on Noted U.S. Radio Program, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Robert St. John praised Sergeant Fred Nishitsuji on the Blue Network’s Jergens Journal, describing his courage as a one-generation American serving on the New Guinea front. Nishitsuji had volunteered for combat duty and faced danger from friendly and enemy fire alike.
• Some Instances of Splendid Americanism: From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa profiles several non-Japanese Americans who showed fairness toward evacuees despite personal losses in the war. Examples include Minidoka director Harry Stafford and a Cody newspaper editor who hired evacuees.

National

• Rationing Announced; Postwar World Plans Discussed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal officials announced point rationing of canned, frozen and dried foods beginning in February. Vice President Wallace proposed a postwar world council and inspection of German and Japanese schools.
• Army Proclamation Abolishes Curfew Restrictions for Western Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 1. General DeWitt’s proclamations 14 and 15 lifted curfew and travel restrictions on persons of Japanese ancestry in the Western Defense Command outside military area No. 1 and abolished prohibited zones. Contraband restrictions and entry limits remained in place.
• Raton Residents Protest Proposed Evacuee Colonization, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Residents and veterans groups in Raton, New Mexico, opposed a reported plan to settle evacuees in the Maxwell district. The Maxwell Farm and Livestock company agreed to stop hiring Japanese labor and to dismiss three American-born employees.
• Washington State Senator Seeks Ban on Alien Assistance, by P.C. Staff, page 3. State Senator Paul G. Thomas planned legislation to bar aliens from Washington’s old-age assistance program. He noted that Japanese recipients in King County had stopped receiving payments after relocation.
• ACLU Disputes Claim Civil Liberties Intact, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The American Civil Liberties Union disputed official claims that civil liberties were intact after a year of war. It cited the evacuation of Japanese Americans as the most serious violation.

Community

• Regulations Affecting Nisei in Restricted Areas Outside West Coast Zone Withdrawn, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Proclamation 15 revoked curfew rules for German aliens and persons of Japanese ancestry in areas outside the west coast zone. Proclamation 14 clarified the boundaries of military area No. 1 without changing resident regulations.
• Evacuee Sentenced to Jail Term, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Atsushi Endo, an evacuee from Los Angeles, began a 10-month sentence for attempting to bribe civilian guards at the Santa Anita assembly center to allow gambling. He had pleaded guilty.
• Tule Lake Co-op Signs Large Number in Membership Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Over 5,000 persons joined the Tule Lake Co-op during the first week of its membership drive. The co-op was backed by both the City Council and the Planning Board.
• Oakland JACL Gives $1000 to National, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Oakland chapter of the JACL approved a transfer of $1,000 from its treasury to the National JACL to help fund its national program. The resolution was signed by chapter officers and board members.
• Newell Center Begins Work on Gym-Auditorium, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Construction began on a three-story gymnasium and auditorium at the Tule Lake center, designed to seat 1,500 for shows and 650 for athletic events. The project is led by construction engineer Harry Katsuyama.
• Hunt Students Name Schools, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pupils at the Minidoka Relocation Center named their two elementary schools Huntsville Elementary and Stafford Elementary, the latter after project director Harry Stafford.
• Net Factory Will Benefit Gila Center, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The camouflage net factory at Gila River could generate about $100,000 monthly at full capacity of 963 workers. Pay is based on a WRA base wage plus bonuses and a community fund share.

Incarceration & Redress

• Future of America May Be Determined During Coming Year, Says Masaoka, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL national secretary Mike Masaoka said 1943 would be the most crucial year for Japanese Americans but predicted new opportunities. He cited the WRA resettlement program, relaxed restrictions, and the need for JACL advocacy on discrimination.
• Japanese Killed, Nisei Wife Shot in New York Community, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kenneth Iyenaga was shot to death and his wife and mother were wounded in their Sylvan Beach, New York, home on December 23. A 65-year-old man was held for questioning and charged with first-degree murder, though no motive was disclosed.
• Wyoming Residents Give Painting to Retiring Director, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Heart Mountain residents presented retiring director Christopher Rachford with a painting of the center by art instructor Shingo Nishiura at a farewell tea. Several WRA and project officials attended.
• Greasewood Subs for Xmas Tree at Gila River, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Gila River evacuees decorated greasewood branches as Christmas trees since pine and fir were unavailable. Churches held services and children hung stockings on barrack walls.
• Friends Group in Philadelphia Sends 7710 Gifts to Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The American Friends Service Committee shipped 42 cases containing 7,710 Christmas gifts to five relocation centers. Other church and private groups in the East and Midwest sent additional gifts.
• JACL’s Dream of Christmas for Center Children Realized With Community Yule Parties, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Community Christmas parties were held at all ten relocation centers with support from religious and service organizations. A $1,254.50 fund was distributed to cover gift shortages.

In-Depth

• 1942: A Calendar of Evacuation and Relocation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. This month-by-month chronology traces the forced evacuation of roughly 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from the west coast in 1942. It covers the creation of military areas, the WRA, assembly and relocation centers, and congressional and legal developments.

Arts & Entertainment

• JACL to Present Paintings by Obata to Roosevelt and Myer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Chiura Obata presented two silk paintings of the Topaz center to the JACL for presentation to President Roosevelt and WRA director Dillon Myer. The works depict scenes of the camp at sunset and under a full moon.

Commentary

• Editorials: On Nisei Heroes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial honors Nisei who fought and aided in the defense of Pearl Harbor and later combat theaters. It argues their sacrifices will shape a better future for Japanese Americans.
• Army Proclamations, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes General DeWitt’s new proclamations lifting curfew and travel restrictions and calls them a first step toward normal citizenship. It notes that alien travel limits and contraband rules still apply.
• Rumors Proven False, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Salt Lake and Los Angeles newspapers refuted rumors of special luxuries for evacuees at Topaz and Manzanar. The editorial stresses that the press visit confirmed the camps were basic and unappealing.
• Psychological Warfare Against Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues the U.S. must wage psychological war against Japan and use loyal Japanese Americans in that effort. It cites Chungking broadcasts and Joy Homer’s account of an anti-militarist group inside Japan.

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