The Army’s call for Nisei volunteers, and unrest at Manzanar

Vol. 16, No. 4, January 28, 1943. 8 pages. View this issue

The War Department’s announcement of a special Japanese American combat unit led this eight-page issue. Nisei from the relocation centers and Hawaii could volunteer, and JACL national secretary Mike Masaoka wrote to Secretary of War Henry Stimson to offer his own services. The front page also reported that sixteen men suspected in the December riots at Manzanar had been moved to a camp near Moab, Utah, where project director Ralph Merritt promised fair hearings.

Congressional scrutiny of the camps ran through the issue. Attorney General Francis Biddle questioned the need for mass removal, a Senate subcommittee weighed Army or war work for Nisei, and Bill Hosokawa answered a senator’s call for an inquiry. Editorials and columns by Saburo Kido, Chester Rowell, Tad Uyeno and Bradford Smith give the debate a voice. Chapter elections, news from Heart Mountain and Topaz, and student relocation reports fill the rest.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Riot Leaders Segregated at Camp in Utah, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sixteen evacuees suspected of involvement in the Manzanar riots were moved to a segregation camp near Moab, Utah. Manzanar project director Ralph Merritt assured that they would receive fair hearings before a review board.
• Suspect Pleads Guilty to Stabbing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Gyotoku Tokita pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for stabbing fellow evacuee Taro Suenaga at Heart Mountain on New Year’s Day. He faces up to a year in prison and a $1000 fine and will be tried in district court in Cody.
• Topaz Aliens Prefer to Take Their Chances With America, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Topaz residents declined to send a grievance list through the Spanish consul to the Japanese government, preferring to deal directly with the United States. Charles F. Ernst reported the issei’s statement of loyalty and listed their complaints about crowding, medical staffing, clothing, and wages.
• U.S. Attorney General Doubts Need for Mass Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Attorney General Francis Biddle’s report to Congress questioned the need for removing all Japanese from the West Coast and said the Army was used only because it had the necessary facilities. He also argued that most Axis citizens are no menace and that restrictions should be eased.
• Legion Inquiry on Relocation Taken Over by Tenney Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 2. California state senator Jack Tenney will have the Little Dies Committee take over the American Legion’s investigation of the WRA relocation centers at Tule Lake and Manzanar. Tenney cited unverified reports about evacuee privileges and suggested Army control of the camps.
• Evacuees at Heart Mountain Invite Senator Reynolds to Spend Month Behind Barbed Wire, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Heart Mountain evacuees invited Senator Robert Reynolds to experience camp life firsthand after he called for an investigation of alleged privileges for Japanese Americans. The Heart Mountain Sentinel editorial argued that the investigation should begin at their camp and that its findings should be made public.
• Manzanar Doctor Transferred to Hospital at Topaz, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. James Goto, the first doctor to volunteer for the evacuation program, transferred from Manzanar to Topaz at the request of WRA medical chief Dr. Carlye Thompson. He was accompanied by his wife, Dr. Masako Kusyanagi.
• Utah Senate To Strengthen Bill on Aliens, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Utah senate temporarily set aside a bill modeled on California’s anti-alien land law so members could strengthen it. Senator Ira Huggins sought amendments that would bar transfers of property to alien Japanese since Pearl Harbor.
• Not All Japanese Evacuated From Los Angeles Area, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Los Angeles Times reported that 216 Japanese remain in Los Angeles County, most of them bedfast tuberculosis patients. The majority are confined at the Hillcrest Sanitarium in La Crescenta under county contract.
• Evacuees in Utah Outside Topaz Must File for Clearance, by P.C. Staff, page 7. WRA employment investigator Henry Harris announced that evacuees in Utah outside the centers must apply for indefinite leave clearance before February 15, 1943. He explained the application process and the travel restrictions that apply while applications are pending.
• Evacuee Killed at Gila River, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Jinkichi Nitao died after a hammer attack by fellow evacuee Joe Tsugawa at the Gila River center, with jealousy believed to be the motive. Tsugawa was charged with murder and his wife was injured in the attack.
• South Dakota Seeks Evacuee Help in Beets, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Governor Sharpe of South Dakota indicated he would sign an authorization to bring 300 American-born Japanese into the sugar beet area. He said conditions had changed since his predecessor refused a similar request last year.
• Poston Council Wants More Self-Government, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Franklin Sugiyama, chairman of the Poston I temporary community council, criticized the WRA’s paternalism and called for more evacuee employment and representation in Washington. He suggested that evacuees could fill administrative positions.
• Contractor Reported Ignoring Order to Halt Work on School, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Senator Eugene Millikin reported that a contractor building schools at Granada was ignoring an order to halt work on two elementary school buildings. WRA reported that priorities were cancelled on the elementary schools but not on the high school.

Military & Veterans

• Army Announces Japanese American Unit for Combat Service Overseas, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department announced a special Japanese American battalion for combat service, with voluntary induction of Nisei from relocation centers and Hawaii. Secretary Stimson stated that loyalty is a basic American belief and that barriers to service should be removed.
• Masaoka Volunteers for Service With New Nisei Battalion, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL national secretary Mike Masaoka volunteered his services to the Army in a telegram to Secretary of War Henry Stimson. The article also recounts his education and his 1940 Nisei of the Year award.
• Senate Committee Considers Army, War Work for Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Senator Albert Chandler said the Senate military affairs subcommittee considered removing loyal Nisei from the relocation centers for Army or war industry work. He estimated two-thirds of the 106,000 evacuees are loyal American-born citizens who want to fight for America.
• Reader’s Digest: Intense Loyalty, by Blake Clark, page 7. A condensed Reader’s Digest article describes the 100th Infantry Battalion of Hawaiian Nisei at Camp McCoy and their intense loyalty. It notes that they are Pearl Harbor veterans who buy war bonds and receive support from the USO.
• Mrs. Ike Masaoka to Join Husband in South Carolina, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sumie Ando Masaoka left Pocatello to join her husband, stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. She was honored at a dinner and at a shower before her departure.
• Hachi Maru, by Sgt. Samuel Shaffer, page 8. A Marine correspondent describes the large Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in the South Pacific, where prisoners reacted with surprise and relief to humane treatment. He notes that prisoners enjoyed American slang and swing music.

Community

• Robert O’Brien Resigns from Student Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Robert W. O’Brien resigned as director of the National Japanese Student Relocation Council to return to his post at the University of Washington. The committee praised his work and he reported on a trend toward more sympathetic campus acceptance of relocated students.
• 870 Evacuees Accepted by U.S. Colleges, 360 Attended Fall Terms, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The National Japanese American Student Relocation Council reported that 870 students have been accepted by colleges, with 360 relocated and attending fall terms. The council also voted to close its San Francisco office as an economy measure and discussed financial aid offers.
• Webster College Scholarship Offer Made to Granada, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Webster College in Missouri offered a $250 scholarship to a Nisei student from the Granada center, covering more than a third of total college expenses. The offer was made by college president George F. Donovan.
• Soldiers May Use Deserted Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Los Angeles supervisors asked the county attorney how the vacated Little Tokyo district could be equipped to house soldiers on furlough. Soldiers were reportedly sleeping in doorways and on park benches due to a housing shortage.
• Wartime Industrial Training Courses Started at Gila, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The night school at Gila River began OSYA-backed training courses including intensive dairying classes and woodwork and poultry programs. The courses run three hours nightly, five days a week, for ten weeks.
• Radio Forum Discusses Need for Utilizing Evacuee Labor, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A KLO radio forum in Salt Lake City discussed using evacuee labor and dispersing the Japanese population across the country. Topaz director Charles Ernst reported that issei were loyal and wanted to remain in America after the war.
• Spokane Girls Form New Organization, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A Spokane YWCA affiliate for girls out of high school held a membership drive banquet, welcoming girls from relocation centers. The article names the newly elected officers.
• Want Evacuees to Visit, Shop, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Lamar, Colorado Chamber of Commerce requested permission for Granada evacuees to visit the town for shopping and recreation. A Lamar resident said local residents were not particularly worried about the center as a danger.
• Idaho Falls Couple Sponsors Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 8. George and Mrs. Kobayashi of Idaho Falls will host an informal dance on January 30 at the Fourth Ward chapel. The article notes the date, time, and location of the event.

Commentary

• Inquiry May Present True Relocation Facts, by Saburo Kido, page 2. Kido argues that a congressional investigation could correct misconceptions that only disloyal persons are in the camps, but says visitors should come in summer rather than pleasant weather. He describes overcrowded family quarters and says living conditions would be condemned by any honest congressman.
• Outcry in Congress on WRA Centers Contrary to Facts, by Chester Rowell, page 3. Reprinted from the San Francisco Chronicle, Rowell argues that congressional claims about coddling Japanese in relocation camps are factually wrong and driven by wishful thinking. He urges that the Manzanar experiment of restoring loyal evacuees to normal American life be encouraged rather than forbidden.
• The Senate Investigates, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the senate investigation of relocation centers has clarified the loyalty of most evacuees and reaffirmed the WRA’s resettlement program. It notes that the Army has shown no desire to take over the centers.
• The Enemy Alien Stigma, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that issei cleared for resettlement should automatically lose their enemy alien status. It contends that the change would be simple to make, would help issei rebuild their lives, and would strengthen their morale.
• Obituary for the Living, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial critiques William Randolph Hearst as a living figure whose newspapers stirred the anti-Japanese campaign that helped produce the West Coast evacuation. It also criticizes his imperialist and racist views on the war.
• Fascist-Like Attack Continues Against Nisei, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa argues that continued attacks on Japanese Americans by groups such as the Hood River American Legion are fascist in character and undermine the American war effort. He notes that Nisei have proven loyal and that such attacks damage the country’s propaganda against the Axis.
• The Lancer: What’s Wrong in the Relocation Centers?, by Tad Uyeno, page 5. Uyeno argues that riots in the relocation centers have brought more rigid control and waning public sympathy for evacuees. He says the root problem is apathy and conflict between kibei and Nisei, and that agitators should not be used to condemn all issei or kibei.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column notes the lone vote against an Arkansas alien property bill, Congressman Jerry Voorhis’s remarks on loyal Japanese Americans, and several wartime items. It also reports on Governor Maw’s Topaz visit and other news items.
• Colorado Calling!, by Tad Hirota, page 6. Hirota describes his and Joe Masaoka’s membership campaign in Denver and the city’s Japanese community. He lists local residents and students they met while working to strengthen the JACL in the area.
• Nisei Woman: How to Make the Most of Your Height, Or Lack of It, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A fashion column gives dressing advice for women of different heights and figures, including tips for petite and heavy figures. It emphasizes choosing lines, colors, and accessories that suit one’s build.
• The Fellowship of Freedom, by Bradford Smith, page 6. Smith argues that the ties of freedom, not blood, unite Americans and that Japanese Americans have shown loyalty through service and cooperation. He describes Japan’s internal struggle between liberal and militarist forces and calls on Japanese Americans to join the fellowship of freedom.

JACL

• JACL ‘Still Our Best Bet,’ Declares Minidoka Editorial, by Dyke Miyagawa, page 3. The Minidoka Irrigator editorial defends the JACL against evacuee criticism, calling it a scapegoat for frustrations over evacuation. It credits the League with important help during the uprooting and argues it remains the one nisei organization able to speak nationally for Japanese Americans.
• Kurumada Reelected Chapter President in Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. Jun Kurumada was reelected president of the Salt Lake JACL chapter, with Frank Tashima as vice president and other officers named. The article lists the full slate of chapter officers.
• Large Crowds Hear Masaoka at Minidoka, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL secretary Mike Masaoka and treasurer Hito Okada drew packed audiences during a three-day visit to Minidoka. Masaoka urged resettlement in midwestern and eastern areas and described the League’s prewar work for evacuees.
• Pocatello Citizens Reelect Okamura as Chapter Prexy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Paul Okamura was reelected president of the Pocatello JACL chapter at a December 20 meeting. The article lists the other officers chosen.
• Ted Miya Elected Davis County Leader, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Davis County JACL chose Ted Miya as president at its meeting at North Davis Junior High school. The article lists the other officers elected.
• Intermountain JACL Council Reasserts Determination For Active Participation in War, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Intermountain District Council JACL met in Pocatello and reaffirmed its commitment to active war participation, including food production and Red Cross fundraising. Committee chairmen were named and membership and subscription contests were planned.

National

• Arizona Cotton Interests Seek Evacuee Labor, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Arizona congressional members asked Assistant Secretary of War John McCloy to ask General DeWitt to revise military zone boundaries so Gila River residents could pick cotton in Maricopa and Pinal counties. They noted long staple cotton remained only half-picked and was needed by the Army.
• Colorado County Commissioners Back Alien Property Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Colorado State Association of County Commissioners announced support for a bill prohibiting alien Japanese from owning Colorado land. The endorsement came at the association’s annual convention.
• Senate Group Not Committed to Policy of Returning WRA Centers to Army, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Senator Chandler said the subcommittee had not decided whether to transfer the relocation centers to military control. He reported that Dillon Myer testified that loyal Nisei were enlisting in the Army from the centers.
• Japan Nisei Prefer to Retain American Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Rev. Dr. Hannaford, a former missionary to Japan, reported that Nisei caught in Japan by the war mostly preferred to keep their American citizenship despite Japanese government efforts to naturalize them. He also noted that many Nisei were treated suspiciously there.
• Casablanca, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The article reports on the Roosevelt-Churchill conference at Casablanca and the President’s declaration that the war would end only with the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers. It also describes objectives for 1943 and the French leaders’ military unity.

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.