Resettlement, a Gallup Poll on return, and the Korematsu case

Vol. 16, No. 1, January 7, 1943. 8 pages. View this issue

Resettlement was the main business of this eight-page issue. The War Relocation Authority was reported to be speeding up its program for moving people out of the relocation projects, and a Gallup Poll in five western states found 53 percent of respondents in favor of letting evacuated Japanese Americans return to their Pacific coast homes. George Inagaki of the national JACL planned a Chicago field office to aid relocation. Editorials by the P.C. Staff took up China as a forgotten front and the use of evacuee labor in the beet fields, and Larry Tajiri looked back on the pressure that led to the forced removal. Bill Hosokawa described New Year’s Eve in a relocation center apartment.

Other pages carried news on the government’s motion to dismiss the Fred Korematsu test case, and a dispatch on Sgt. Paul Sakai in the North Africa campaign. A Los Angeles County Grand Jury minority report, Heart Mountain, Topaz and Poston items, and JACL chapter elections fill the later pages.

What’s in this issue

National

• Gallup Poll Reports Majority of West Coast People Favor Return of Citizen Japanese, page 1. A Gallup Poll survey conducted in five western states found 53 percent of respondents favored allowing evacuated persons of Japanese ancestry to return to their Pacific coast homes. Twenty-four percent opposed any return, while the remainder were undecided or favored a selective policy.
• No Case of Sabotage in Hawaii, Says Vitousek, Oahu Official, page 1. Rep. Roy A. Vitousek, former Speaker of the Hawaiian House and chairman of the Honolulu Citizens’ Council, stated definitively there had been no sabotage or fifth-column activity by persons of Japanese ancestry on Oahu. He said ordinary civilian life in Hawaii could not have continued if all persons of Japanese blood had been interned.
• Californian May Launch Investigation of Relocation Centers, page 1. Newly elected Republican Rep. Leroy Johnson of Stockton said he may introduce a resolution calling for a sweeping investigation of war relocation centers. Johnson succeeds the late Rep. Frank Buck and has already begun personal inquiry into camp operations.
• Gallup Poll Results Exonerative, Says Seattle Times Editorial, page 2. The Seattle Times editorial commented that the Gallup Poll results on return of evacuated Japanese were more lenient than might have been expected, though public opinion remained divided. The paper noted only 31 percent were definitely opposed to any return of persons of Japanese ancestry.
• Inagaki Will Leave for East to Set Up Chicago Field Office to Aid Relocation Program, page 3. George Inagaki, chief resettlement officer of the National JACL, planned to leave Salt Lake City to initiate resettlement programs in cooperation with government and religious organizations, attending a Chicago meeting with WRA officials. He planned to set up the first JACL field office for permanent relocation in Chicago, with additional offices planned for Denver, St. Paul and Cincinnati.
• American Land Provides the Stuff of War, by Peter Wood, page 5. A Washington Letter column describes how public lands across America are contributing to the war effort through troop training areas, mineral extraction, timber production, and hydroelectric power generation. The piece details over 13 million acres used for military purposes and billions of kilowatt hours of electricity powering war industries.
• Security for All Outlined By Vice-President Wallace, page 6. Vice President Henry Wallace, speaking on Woodrow Wilson’s birthday, predicted the collapse of Hitler’s Nazi order and outlined postwar priorities including full employment, international cooperation, and economic assistance to war-torn nations. He emphasized that liberty and unity must guide the creation of a lasting peace structure after the war.
• WPB Asked Stop Building Center School, page 7. Senator Ed Johnson of Colorado asked the War Production Board to withhold construction of a $308,000 school development at the Granada relocation center. Johnson had previously protested the expenditure to WRA chief Dillon S. Myer.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Soldier Takes Part in Army’s North Africa Drive, page 1. Sgt. Paul Sakai, a Japanese American soldier and University of Washington graduate, wrote home describing his participation in General Dwight Eisenhower’s North Africa campaign. His parents and relatives are now at the Minidoka relocation center after being moved from the Puyallup assembly center.
• Nisei Enlists in U.S. Coast Guard, page 1. Toshio Shimabukuro, an American-born Japanese and junior at Springfield College in Massachusetts, enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard Service and received an appointment to begin training in Manhattan. He was formerly an athlete in Hawaii and played football in San Francisco.
• Nisei Sergeant in U.S. Air Forces Visits Tule Lake, page 8. Staff Sergeant Max Marutani, a licensed pilot who immediately reenlisted in the Air Corps after being drafted, visited Tule Lake on leave from Hunter Field in Savannah, Georgia. Marutani said he had trained 2,000 recruits without any trouble and was ready for combat duty.

Community

• Second Hawaii Evacuee Group Lands in San Francisco, page 1. A group of 443 persons of Japanese ancestry evacuated from the Hawaiian Islands arrived at a west coast port en route to the Jerome relocation center. The move was undertaken to relieve congested conditions in Hawaii.
• Nisei Civil Service Workers May Ask Reinstatement, California Officials Fear ‘Costly Litigation’ After End of War, page 1. California officials are discussing whether discharged state civil service workers of Japanese ancestry may seek reinstatement and back pay after the war, fearing costly litigation similar to the pending Native Sons case questioning citizenship of dual-citizen nisei. About 150 probationary and temporary workers, all American citizens, were dismissed from state jobs.
• Manzanar Community Enterprises Transferred to New Cooperative Group, page 1. The Board of Directors of Manzanar Community Enterprises unanimously approved transfer of the organization to the Cooperative Enterprises at a meeting held December 28. Dennis Shimizu was elected president and George Shinno secretary of the new cooperative.
• Heart Mountain High School Athletic Association Voted Into Wyoming League, page 1. The Heart Mountain high school athletic association was voted into the Wyoming state high school athletic association. Two Gila Relocation Center students were among those involved in the proceedings.
• Canadian Nisei Enlists in Reserve Army Signal Corps, page 2. Harry Miyazawa, a well-known Vancouver nisei who evacuated to Ontario, joined the signal corps unit of the Canadian Reserve Army and is undergoing training. He was formerly employed in his father’s cleaning plant in Vancouver and held a radio license there.
• New York Nisei Help Entertain Internee Group, page 2. Members of the Japanese Methodist Church’s Young People’s Society in New York, led by Rev. A. S. Akamatsu, visited Ellis Island to entertain Japanese internees with carols and music on Christmas Day. A Juilliard student played violin numbers and the internees enjoyed a traditional Christmas dinner.
• ‘Japanese Invasion’ Worries Washington Hotel Manager, page 2. A Washington hotel manager called Army intelligence after six men in Army uniforms registered under Japanese names, but was relieved to learn they were American soldiers from Hawaii stationed at Schofield Barracks during Pearl Harbor. The men were members of the 100th Infantry Battalion training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, visiting Washington on furlough.
• ‘Christmas Baby’ Born at Jerome, page 2. Jerome relocation center welcomed a baby girl born at 5:15 a.m. on Christmas Day to Mr. and Mrs. Kanae Yamaguchi. The baby, the couple’s third child, weighed six pounds 14 ounces at birth.
• Military Permission Needed to Transfer Convict From Jail, page 2. Sacramento authorities needed military permission to transfer George Sato, a Japanese convict released from Folsom prison, to the city jail on a fictitious checks warrant. Sato was one of the few Japanese remaining in California after the evacuation.
• Topaz Volunteers Aid in Millard Scrap Metal Drive, page 2. Forty-five volunteers from Topaz Relocation Center assisted in the Millard county scrap metal drive, collecting two carloads of scrap metal. This was the second time Topaz residents aided in the county’s scrap metal drive, following a November collection of 50 tons by 170 volunteers.
• Boys Town Methods Recommended for Newell Delinquents, page 2. A meeting at Newell center recommended juvenile courts, curfew hours and ‘Boys Town’ methods to address juvenile delinquency, following discussions between the City Council and Planning Board. Other recommendations included a detention house, increased recreational facilities, and a community education program on social problems.
• Rest Home Planned for Poston Patients, page 2. Plans for a rest home for aged and chronic care patients were approved at Poston by the Social Welfare Committee of the Unit 1 Community Council. The facility, designated for block 201, will help relieve the overcrowded hospital.
• Nisei Soldiers Guests At New Year’s Party Held in Minnesota, page 3. The first St. Paul nisei group hosted a New Year’s Eve party at the International Institute clubroom, with about 200 guests including nisei soldiers from Camp Savage and Fort Snelling. Mrs. Ruth Tambara of the YWCA made arrangements for the event.
• Minority Report of L.A. County Grand Jury Attacks Attempt To Revoke Nisei Citizen Rights, page 3. A minority report by Los Angeles County Grand Jury members refused to concur with a majority resolution targeting Japanese residents, pointing out factual errors including a claim of one million Japanese in California when census figures showed far fewer. The report argued that excepting persons of Japanese descent from the 14th Amendment would strike at constitutional foundations and cited testimony that 80-85 percent of nisei were loyal to the United States.
• Poston Given Gift by Hawaii Prep Students, page 3. The student body of McKinley High School in Honolulu sent a $500 Christmas check to the three Poston high schools, earmarked for purchasing athletic equipment. The gift was accompanied by a letter to Miles Carey, Poston schools superintendent and former McKinley principal.
• Positions Open for Evacuee Interpreters At Listening Post, page 3. Positions were available for qualified Japanese-language interpreters at the Federal Communications Commission’s Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service in Portland, Oregon. Applicants needed to be citizens with exceptional knowledge of both Japanese and English.
• Documentation Staff Compiles Records of Granada Center, page 6. A 13-member documentation staff headed by Toshio Ninomiya is compiling a historical record of evacuee life at Granada, collecting art, handicraft samples, photographs and sketches. The materials will be sent to the senior archivist in Washington, D.C.
• Heart Mountain’s Residents to Build New Bowling Alley, page 6. Heart Mountain’s community enterprises planned a new recreation center featuring an eight-alley bowling section, soda fountain, hamburger kitchen and billiards area. Construction will use lumber from three CCC barracks being brought from Powell.
• Japanese Park Fountain Added To Scrap Heap, page 7. A 25-year-old Japanese phoenix fountain in Honolulu’s Kapiolani Park, presented to commemorate Emperor Yoshihito’s coronation, was torn down and scrapped after citizen demands. The parks board authorized city-county workmen to complete the demolition.
• Historic Flag Given To Heart Mountain By Wyoming Pioneer, page 7. J. L. Werts of Garland, Wyoming presented a half-century-old American flag to Heart Mountain project after reading a newspaper column noting residents wanted their own flag. The flag, purchased by Werts in Iowa in the early 1900s, is now displayed at the local Girl Scout headquarters.
• Evacuee Worker Returns to Railroad, page 7. A Japanese workman employed on a railroad crew in Adams County, Washington disappeared on December 15 and returned ten days later, according to Deputy Sheriff Paul Plager.
• County to Face Basic Race Problems After War, Is Belief, page 7. C.D. Loper, San Jose YMCA boys’ work secretary, told the San Jose junior chamber of commerce that the country will face basic racial problems after the war, citing Negro and Japanese issues. Loper, formerly of Honolulu, noted that racial attitudes in Hawaii were more tolerant than on the mainland.
• Canal School Area Beautified by Lawns, page 7. School grounds at Canal, one of the Gila center towns, are being beautified with lawns, shrubs, flowers and walks under a 25-man crew led by Foreman Harry Ikeo. Australian rye was planted for winter survival with Bermuda grass planned for a permanent lawn in February.
• Couple Arrested for Theft of Goods Stored by Evacuees, page 7. Mr. and Mrs. Ernest T. Thompson of Marysville, California were held in jail after allegedly burglarizing a storeroom containing household possessions of evacuated Japanese families. The couple reportedly sold the stolen property locally and at other points.
• New 48-Hour Week Instituted for WRA Workers at Topaz, page 8. In line with the president’s call for an all-out war effort, the WRA established a 48-hour work week for Topaz center workers, eliminating the New Year’s holiday as a day off. New schedules run Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Mary Muramoto Weds Dr. Nakadate in Indiana Ceremony, page 8. Dr. Katsumi Nakadate, an East Chicago physician and army medical corps reserve lieutenant, married Mary Muramoto in a ceremony at the East Chicago Methodist church. Both were originally from Portland, Oregon, and Mrs. Nakadate’s mother resides at the Minidoka relocation center.
• Sumiko Ando Weds Sadao Nagata in Idaho Falls Rites, page 8. Sumiko Ando, a registered nurse and active JACL member, married Sadao Nagata, a University of Idaho graduate, in a Christmas Day ceremony in Sugar City, Idaho performed by Bishop Marion L. Murdock. A wedding dance and reception was planned for January 2 honoring the couple.
• Tule Adult Education Has Large Enrollment, page 8. The adult education department at Tule Lake, staffed by 47 evacuee instructors, reported a total enrollment of 2,995 students across subjects including animal husbandry, clothing, commercial subjects, English and psychology.
• Health Examinations Held for Children At Poston Center, page 8. More than two thousand children in camps 1, 2 and 3 at Poston received thorough health examinations by center doctors, with plans to complete the full school population inspection by February 1. Parents were invited to attend examinations under the direction of the public health section chief.
• New Church May Be Built at Heart Mountain, page 8. Plans for a Heart Mountain Community Christian church, funded by a grant from the Presbyterian Board of National Missions, are nearing completion with construction planned near the high school. The 80 by 100 foot building will feature a large window offering a view of Heart Mountain.
• Topaz Elects New Municipal Government, page 8. Thirty-three councilmen comprising Topaz’s elective municipal assembly were chosen by adult residents in the center’s first regular city-wide elections held December 29. All councilmen elected were citizen evacuees representing nine districts.
• Topaz to Raise Bean Sprouts as Experiment Proves Successful, page 8. Following successful agricultural research experiments with bean sprouts at Topaz, facilities were being set up to produce 1,800 pounds of sprouts weekly. The pilot program initially produced 125 pounds of bean sprouts.
• Evacuees Work on Drainage System for Jerome Center, page 8. A $500,000 drainage project at Jerome relocation center, employing 110 nisei workers, aims to drain excess water from 85 square miles of the Boeuf River basin to prevent flooding during rainy season. The project, expected to be completed by June 1943, involves digging an 11-mile main canal using dredging machines operating 24 hours daily.
• Lost Evacuee Found Alive After 3-Day Search Near Topaz, page 8. Kozo Fukugay, a 32-year-old nisei, was found alive and conscious 10 miles west of Mt. Topaz after a search involving over a thousand residents, airplanes, horsemen and local cowboys. Footprints along a dry river wash led searchers to his discovery.
• Idaho Girl to Leave For Nursing Course, page 8. Laura Nakamura, valedictorian of Nampa High School’s 1942 graduating class, was honored at a farewell dance before leaving to begin nursing training at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, affiliated with the Mayo Clinic.

JACL

• Joe Masaoka Will Leave for Colorado on JACL Mission, page 1. Joe G. Masaoka of the JACL will leave for Denver in January to take up duties with the Associated Members’ Division, visiting other Colorado district groups and individuals in the eastern intermountain area on the way. He will spend time meeting with chapter members and interested individuals regarding resettlement.
• Abe Saito Elected Head of Boise JACL, page 2. Abe Saito of Ontario, Oregon was elected president of the Boise Valley JACL chapter at its annual election held December 27. Other officers elected include Manabu Yamada as vice president and Mrs. George Hashitani as secretary.
• Masaoka to Visit Relocation Projects in Intermountain Area, page 2. Mike Masaoka, national secretary of the JACL, announced plans to visit Topaz, Minidoka and Heart Mountain relocation centers during January, accompanied by Hito Okada, national treasurer. Masaoka also hopes to visit Granada and the Arkansas centers in February to report on national JACL work.
• Calling All Chapters, by Teiko Ishida, page 6. A JACL news column reports Joe Masaoka’s upcoming departure for Denver and Mike Masaoka’s planned tour of relocation centers starting with Topaz. It also announces availability of minutes from the Emergency National Council meeting and a new pamphlet titled ‘How Can Christians Help?’ addressing the Japanese American situation.
• Boise Valley Chapter Active In Community Welfare Work, by Howard Fujii, page 7. The Boise Valley JACL chapter’s 1942 activities included a War Bond drive raising over $15,000, contributions to the Red Cross and USO, and assistance to evacuees arriving at nearby FSA labor camps. The chapter also organized social events and welcomed visits from national secretary Mike Masaoka.
• New Ogden JACL Officers Installed By Mike Masaoka, page 7. Newly elected members of the Ogden JACL cabinet were installed by national secretary Mike Masaoka during a holiday dance held December 26. Jiro Tsukamoto heads the new cabinet as president, succeeding his former role as vice-president.
• Kawai, Tashiro Speak On JACL at Gila Center Meetings, page 8. Nobu Kawai, chairman of the Gila River JACL executive board, called for new blood in JACL leadership at a meeting in Butte camp, while editor Ken Tashiro also addressed the group. Kawai defended the JACL’s stance that fighting discrimination also meant accepting the obligations of American citizenship, including military service.
• Micheo Yamagata Elected President Of Rexburg JACL, page 8. Micheo Yamagata was elected president of the Yellowstone chapter of the JACL at a recent organizational meeting, succeeding Kiyoshi Sakota who became vice president. Other officers were also elected to serve the coming year.

Incarceration & Redress

• Government Seeks to Dismiss Korematsu Test Case, Says American Civil Liberties Union, page 2. The ACLU reported that the U.S. Attorney General filed a motion to dismiss the appeal in the Fred Korematsu evacuation test case, arguing there was no final judgment to appeal because Korematsu was placed on probation. The ACLU suggested the government was stalling to prevent a final determination of the case’s constitutionality until after the war, and noted a similar dismissal attempt in the Mitsuye Endo case.
• Canada Plans Resettlement of Evacuees, page 2. The New Canadian newspaper reported that Canada is beginning a ‘reallocation phase’ to transfer evacuated Japanese Canadians from isolated British Columbia housing projects to the prairie provinces and Quebec. George Collins of Winnipeg was appointed supervisor of the resettlement program.

Commentary

• Poston Observes a Dusty Christmas, page 2. A column describes Christmas Day at Poston marked by dust storms, but notes that gifts from outside churches brought joy to children under 15 in every block. The writer praises the JACL’s Christmas project and reflects on the trying experiences of JACL leaders who stayed with evacuees through assembly and relocation centers, urging nisei leaders to lead the way in resettlement.
• The Forgotten Front, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial argues that China has become a forgotten front in the Pacific war despite years of resistance against Japan, with supplies diverted elsewhere and insufficient recognition of China’s sacrifices. The piece connects Chinese war aims including abolition of discriminatory exclusion laws to the future treatment of Japanese Americans and other Asian Americans.
• Evacuees and Beets, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial examines a proposal to break up relocation centers and redistribute evacuees in small groups near beet farms, discussing the beet sugar industry’s role as the largest employer of evacuee labor. The piece warns against using compulsion in recruiting such labor while noting the government has maintained protections for fair wages and conditions.
• Niscee, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri’s column reflects on the one-year anniversary of early evacuation rumors, tracing how pressure from special interest groups, agricultural competitors, and sensationalized news reports built momentum for the mass removal of Japanese Americans from the West Coast. He recounts the Tolan Committee hearings and unsubstantiated claims of Hawaiian sabotage that went unchallenged despite being disproven.
• Vagaries, page 5. A column of press notes and short items covering various news stories including refutation of Hawaiian sabotage rumors, resumption of the Manzanar Free Press after the December 1 disturbance, and new books by Tokyo correspondents. It also notes several nisei families working at Father Flanagan’s Boys Town near Omaha, Nebraska.
• Resettlement Overshadows All Other Evacuation Problems, Minidoka Editorial Declares, by Dyke Miyagawa, page 5. A Minidoka Irrigator commentary addresses the disturbances at Poston and Manzanar as evidence of lingering pro-Axis sentiment among a small minority of evacuees. The writer urges vigilance against those who would disrupt resettlement efforts, which the author considers the most important goal for the evacuee community.
• From the Frying Pan: New Year’s In a Relocation Center, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa’s column reflects on New Year’s Eves spent in Tokyo, the tropics, Shanghai, and finally in a relocation center apartment behind barbed wire. Despite confinement, he finds more genuine warmth and hope in the simple gathering than in the more glamorous celebrations of prior years.
• Experiences of Evacuation Provide Material of Literature, by Ann Nisei, page 5. A column argues that authentic nisei literature never fully developed before the war due to imitation of other writers and superficial treatment of racial discrimination as theory rather than lived experience. The author predicts that the profound experience of evacuation will finally produce a genuine body of nisei literature, citing examples from Hawaii and freshman compositions.
• U.S. Japanese Problem Can Be Solved With Safety, Justice, by Chester Rowell, page 6. Chester Rowell’s San Francisco Chronicle column analyzes the Manzanar riot, suggesting it was caused by a small group of kibei who conducted themselves like ‘hysterical adolescents’ while the majority of residents, including most aliens and American-born citizens, remained loyal. He argues the postwar problem of treating Japanese Americans fairly can be solved with safety and justice if the nation chooses to do so.
• A Bassinette for The Baby Born in Relocation Center, page 6. A practical homemaking column from the Minidoka Irrigator provides detailed instructions for nisei mothers on making an inexpensive bassinette using a laundry basket and fabric. The piece covers material choices, construction methods, and decorative options like ruffles and lace trim.

Obituaries

• Nisei Leader Tsuneo Noguchi Dies At Gila Center, page 3. Tsuneo Noguchi, former chairman of the community council at Tulare Assembly Center and active JACL leader in the Pasadena chapter, died at Gila Relocation Center hospital December 28 following a brief illness. He was 27 years old and was survived by two brothers serving in the armed forces and his parents at Gila.

Arts & Entertainment

• Literati Issue New Illustrated Magazine Trek at Topaz, page 4. Trek, a new holiday publication from Topaz center’s Arts Division, debuted as a well-balanced, superbly illustrated magazine edited by Jim Yamada with Taro Katayama and Bob Tsuda as associate editors. The issue features artwork by Mine Okubo and essays including ‘Yule Greetings, Friends!’ examining the unique vocabulary of ‘Japa-American Speech.’

Sports

• Nisei Cagers Defeat Chinese Squad in New York Tourney, page 8. A team of Americans of Japanese ancestry from the Japanese Young People’s Christian Federation defeated a Chinese-American squad 24-20 in a close basketball contest in New York, with an Italian American serving as referee. After the game, about 200 young Chinese and Japanese American spectators held a dance together.

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