Honolulu’s send-off for the Nisei combat team, and two cases bound for the Supreme Court

Vol. 16, No. 13, April 1, 1943. 8 pages. View this issue

Two stories shared the front page. In Honolulu, nearly 20,000 people, mostly Japanese Americans, bid aloha to 2,600 soldiers of the army’s new Nisei combat unit before they left for Camp Shelby, with Speaker Roy Vitousek saying the volunteers had vindicated Hawaii’s liberal racial policies. The same page reported that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had sent the Yasui and Hirabayashi cases to the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge William Denman’s dissent on page 3 argued that the army treated citizens like enemy aliens. Alex Yorichi’s account of induction, Bill Hosokawa’s column on a Denver Post cartoon, and an editorial on volunteers’ reasons also appeared.

Other pages followed anti-Japanese bills in California and elsewhere, the American Legion’s petition, and Senator A. B. Chandler’s proposals. Camp life filled the community pages: a Poston symphony debut, Gila River net weavers, and a Heart Mountain defense training program. Sports covered Topaz’s basketball win and Kiyoshi Nakama’s two NCAA swimming titles.

What’s in this issue

National

• Largest Crowd in Honolulu City Bids ‘Aloha’ to 2,600 Members of Nisei Army Combat Unit, page 1. Thousands of Honolulu residents, mostly Japanese Americans, turned out to send off 2,600 Nisei volunteers bound for the new army combat team training at Camp Shelby. Territorial officials praised the volunteers and the liberal racial policies of Hawaii.
• President Roosevelt Sidesteps Question on Exclusion Act, page 1. At his March 26 press conference, President Roosevelt declined to say whether the administration would back repeal of laws excluding Orientals from permanent US entry. He deferred the decision to Congress.
• American Legion in California Circulates Petition Calling for Relocation Control by Military, page 1. The American Legion’s Americanism commission began a campaign to gather half a million signatures urging Congress to transfer Japanese Americans from civilian to Army control. The petition also seeks confiscation of impounded Japanese funds and equipment and prevention of return to the West Coast.
• Senator Chandler Offers Plan for Solving Evacuee Problem, page 2. Senator A. B. Chandler proposed a three-point plan that he claims would save $50,000,000, including segregating disloyal evacuees, releasing loyal non-military-age evacuees to work, and drafting loyal men of military age. He reported that relocation centers should be broken up as rapidly as possible.
• Report Kansas May Decline Evacuee Labor, page 2. Western Kansas sugar beet growers may not use evacuee labor after housing standards requested by evacuees and the WRA were found too high for most Kansas farms. Governor Schoeppel relayed this from the US employment service.
• Honolulu Bids ‘Aloha’ to Nisei Soldiers, page 2. Territorial officials at the Honolulu send-off praised the volunteers, and Speaker Roy Vitousek said they had vindicated Hawaii’s liberal racial policies. The 100th Infantry Battalion, composed of Japanese American Hawaiian Guardsmen, was also noted as a crack unit.
• California Bills Ban Commercial Fishing Nisei, page 3. California assembly bills by Thomas Ermin and Lloyd Lowrey would bar alien Japanese from fishing and hunting licenses and commercial fishing, and require corporate stockholders to be citizens. Both bills were sent to a subcommittee for further study.
• Washington Post Urges Return of Evacuated Farmers to West Coast Areas to Aid Production, page 3. The Washington Post editorialized that trustworthy evacuee farmers should be allowed to return to the West Coast to boost food production. It argued that justice and manpower needs demand reabsorbing loyal citizens into the economy.
• American Legion Urges Seizure of Evacuee-Owned Farm Tools, page 3. The California American Legion urged state legislation allowing seizure of idle farm machinery owned by evacuated Japanese American farmers. The WRA later acknowledged about 800 pieces of equipment were stored on the West Coast.
• Judge Denman Files Dissenting Opinion, Says Citizens Treated Like Alien Enemies by Military, page 3. Judge William Denman dissented from certifying the test cases to the Supreme Court, charging that the army discriminated cruelly against American-born Japanese not charged with any treasonable act. He argued the evacuation treated citizens like enemy aliens.
• Most of Evacuee Farm Equipment in Use, Says WRA, page 3. WRA Director Dillon Myer announced that most evacuee-owned farm equipment has been disposed of for 1943 farm production. He said the remaining machinery was much smaller than circulating reports suggested.
• 500 Canadian Evacuees May Work in East, page 3. Ontario agriculture minister P. M. Dewan said 500 Canadian-born Japanese from British Columbia may be brought to Ontario to work sugar beet fields in 1943. Ottawa would pay transportation costs.
• Opposes Certification of Test Cases to High Court of United States, page 3. Judge Denman’s dissent contended that the court of appeals certification omitted key facts, including psychological factors and bitter resentment among American-born Japanese. He argued the cases should have been decided in San Francisco.
• Nakama Wins Two National College Swimming Titles, page 8. Kiyoshi Nakama of Ohio State won two NCAA swimming championships as the Buckeyes captured the team title. He won the 440-yard freestyle and had earlier won the 1500-meter race.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Volunteers Await Army Induction Soon, page 1. Induction of Japanese American volunteers from relocation centers will occur after April 10 due to loyalty screening. Salt Lake area volunteers were notified to report to draft boards on April 6.
• U.S. Coast Guard Has Lone Japanese American Sailor, page 1. Toshio Shimabukuro, a Hawaii-born apprentice seaman, is the only Japanese American sailor in the Coast Guard and has requested Pacific combat duty. He was held back from combat duty so he could accompany a captured Japanese midget submarine on a war bond tour.
• Many Northwest Sport Figures Volunteer for Army at Hunt, page 2. Over 300 Japanese American volunteers from Minidoka included many former Seattle and Portland high school and college athletes. Notable volunteers included Masaru Uno, Jimmy Sakamoto, and Harry Yanagimachi, who will train at Camp Shelby.
• Reasons for Volunteering, page 4. Volunteers from relocation centers for the new army combat team explain their motivations, citing belief in freedom, opposition to fascism, and desire to help defeat enemies abroad and at home. Several kibei volunteers cite their experiences with Japanese fascism.
• You’re in the Army Now!, by Alex Yorichi, Pfc, U.S. Army, page 5. A nisei soldier describes his induction at relocation centers, reception at Fort Snelling, medical testing, uniform issue, and interviews. He recounts how volunteers became soldiers within days, including early KP duty.

JACL

• Nisei Elected Student Body President at Oberlin College, page 1. Kenji Okuda, a transfer student from the University of Washington who came from Granada, was elected student body president at Oberlin College. Oberlin’s YMCA also sends deputation teams to nearby communities to explain the evacuation.

Incarceration & Redress

• Yasui, Hirabayashi Test Cases Certified to High Tribunal by Circuit Court of Appeals, page 1. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals certified to the US Supreme Court questions on the constitutionality of General DeWitt’s evacuation and curfew orders. The cases involve Gordon Hirabayashi and Minoru Yasui, who were convicted for violating the curfew and failing to report.

Community

• Defense Training Program Started at Heart Mountain, page 2. A rural defense training program was launched at Heart Mountain to prepare residents for diversified farm jobs, including mechanical skills and crop and livestock work. The short intensive courses were directed by adult education director Harold Bottrell.
• Negro Attorney Upholds Rights of Nisei at West L.A. Forum, page 2. At a West Los Angeles YMCA forum, attorney Hugh Macbeth argued that the evacuation violated democratic principles, while Legion and Native Sons speakers defended it. Macbeth called for full hearings and reimbursement for those found innocent.
• Gila Net Workers Establish Record, page 2. Gila River net weavers passed the one million square foot mark on March 16, completing 1,009,852 square feet in one eight-hour day. The 464 weavers averaged 2,262 square feet each, and the plant donated $8,799.18 to the community fund.
• Bill Tabled by State Assembly, page 2. A California assembly committee tabled a bill that would have required voters to declare dual citizenship. County clerks argued few dual citizens would admit it, and the sponsor said he only wanted information rather than to bar voting.
• Two Poston Youths Indicted by Arizona Jury for Interference, page 2. Dan and Kenneth Kobayashi were indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly interfering with FBI agents arresting Zenshiro Tachibana at Poston. The agents were executing a special presidential order.
• Wife of Explorer Contributes Books, page 2. Zetta Wells donated two books to the Hunt school library after visiting the Minidoka Relocation Center. The books were co-authored by her and her husband, explorer Carveth Wells.
• Twin Falls Nisei Will Form New JACL Group, page 3. Nisei in the Twin Falls area will meet with national JACL treasurer Hito Okada to organize a new chapter. Membership is expected to include longtime residents and evacuees who were formerly JACL members.
• Heart Mountain May Have Labor Group, page 3. Block chairmen and managers at Heart Mountain are organizing an industrial labor group to supply resident workers for outside employment and to prevent exploitation. The effort aims to protect evacuee workers.
• Farm Community in Wisconsin Holds Meet on Evacuee Help, page 3. Despite opposition from a Mequon, Wisconsin meeting, a company planned to employ about 15 nisei from relocation centers in its canneries and fox farms. WRA official Victor Yabaka urged residents to give the nisei a chance.
• Poston Center Passes Top in Red Cross Drive, page 3. The Poston Red Cross drive surpassed its $2,500 quota with 31 blocks reporting. Many blocks reported 400 percent responses to their individual quotas.
• Poston Symphony in Debut Performance, page 4. The 40-piece Poston Symphony Orchestra under Michael Sosnowski made its debut before about 1,000 people in the Cottonwood Bowl. The program featured works by Strauss, Haydn, Rubenstein, and Mascagni.
• Fort Lupton JACL Closes Successful Membership Drive, page 7. The Fort Lupton JACL reached 1,191 members, up fifty-seven from last year, and planned a party for the winning team. Frank Sunata and others were recognized for recruiting the most new members.
• Davis Chapter Gives $275 to Red Cross, by Minoru Miya, page 7. The Davis County JACL chapter raised $275 for the Red Cross in a four-day house-to-house canvass. The chapter also planned an April meeting with national JACL leaders.
• Evacuee Launches Business Enterprise Near WRA Center, page 7. Frank Tsuchiya, a former Amache resident, opened the Granada Fish Market in the nearby town of Granada. Local merchants publicly welcomed him in a newspaper advertisement.
• WRA Program Wins Backing, page 8. The National Council for Prevention of War recommended releasing Japanese Americans held without due process and supported WRA efforts to reestablish them in civilian life. The council also backed private employment and college enrollment.
• Evacuee Workers Will Not Commute, page 8. WRA instructions require Minidoka residents accepting private outside employment to move out of the center for the duration. Last fall about 2,300 residents worked outside the center in farm jobs.
• Airplane Enthusiasts Pursue Hobby at Poston Center, page 8. Nisei at Poston build and fly model airplanes as a hobby, some clocked at 55 miles per hour. More than twenty models are displayed at the center’s miniature airport.
• California State Senate Passes Anti-Alien Bill, page 8. The California senate unanimously passed Senator Clair Engle’s bill making it a felony for aliens to use guardianship subterfuges to hold real property. The bill also bars alien guardians from profiting from estates of minors.
• Post-War Fears Haunt Evacuees, WRA Declares, page 8. The WRA reported to the Senate that evacuees’ greatest fear concerns their postwar position in the United States. Few could offer encouraging answers about where they would live or work.
• Seek 400 Workers for Farms in Utah’s Davis County Region, page 8. Davis County officials hope to bring about 400 seasonal evacuee workers from Arizona and California to address sugar company labor shortages. M. P. Whitesides visited Poston and Manzanar to explore the plan.

Sports

• Former College, Prep Stars Sign Up for New Combat Unit, page 2. Several former Pacific Northwest high school and college athletes from Minidoka volunteered for the new Japanese American combat team. Their backgrounds in football, boxing, and basketball are described.
• Nisei Fighter Wins Intermountain AAU Bantamweight Title, page 7. Frank Tominaga of Firth, Idaho won the intermountain senior AAU bantamweight title by knockout in the second round against Bernell McIntyre. The victory came at the Salt Lake City championships.
• Entry Wins Salt Lake JACL Basketball Tournament, page 8. A Topaz all-star team won the Salt Lake JACL invitational basketball tournament, defeating the Trojans 43-31 in the final. Effie Kawahara led Topaz with 13 points.

Commentary

• Legionnaire Wants Post-War Action Deporting Nisei, page 3. H. Charles Sieck, commander of a Westwood American Legion post, proposed a seven-point postwar program that included deporting all Japanese and indefinitely excluding Japanese nationals. He also called for stamping out alien philosophies.
• Going Home Again, page 4. Following lifting of restrictions in Arizona, many evacuees have no homes to return to after selling property before evacuation. The editorial urges the WRA to accelerate relocation and consider long-term loans for those leaving the centers.
• Army Action Heartening, page 4. The editorial welcomes the army’s creation of a Japanese American combat unit as recognition of evacuee loyalty and proof that racial ancestry is not the test for Americanism. It notes the War Department’s patience with confused evacuees who volunteered.
• The Legislative Offensive, page 4. The editorial surveys anti-Japanese legislation across western states, including Arkansas’s Williams law barring land ownership, California memorials, and Utah’s modified land bill. It notes that such racial legislation has no parallel in the American experience against other groups.
• Vicious Cartoon Hurts War Relocation Program, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa criticizes a Denver Post cartoon depicting evacuees as pampered and ungrateful, arguing it harms the evacuees’ position and the labor needs of the West. He notes the cartoon’s implication that the centers are concentration camps.
• Investigation Proves Worth of WRA Program, page 5. The editorial says Senator Chandler’s subcommittee investigation largely echoes the WRA’s own long-standing policy of segregating the disloyal and resettling the loyal. It concludes that the WRA should remain in charge of the evacuee program.
• The Church and Evacuation, page 6. Rev. Raymond Waser argues that attacks on Japanese American citizens serve Nazi propaganda and that unlawful detention threatens all American freedoms. He praises churches for working with evacuees and warns against trampling constitutional rights.
• Do Women Make Good War Workers?, by Peter Wood, page 6. Peter Wood reports that women are increasingly filling industrial war jobs at a midwestern motor factory, performing well as machinists and mechanics. The personnel manager praises their productivity and reliability.

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