Tule Lake, the Dies report and nisei in uniform, March 1944

Vol. 18, No. 11, March 18, 1944. 8 pages. View this issue

A congressional report on the Tule Lake segregation center led the news. Rep. Herman P. Eberharter of Pennsylvania filed minority views against the Dies subcommittee’s majority report, calling it a serious disservice to the American people and disputing each of its recommendations. Nisei soldiers filled much of the rest of the front page: Lieut. Noboru Tashiro of Lamar, Colorado, won an Air Forces commission, and the War Department named six Japanese American soldiers killed in Italy. Columns by Bill Hosokawa and Taro Yashima and a letter from Karl G. Yoneda carried the opinion.

Elsewhere in these 8 pages, readers will find a Colorado senator’s defense of his vote against an anti-alien land bill, and a proposed California initiative on land ownership. A Ninth Circuit ruling on General DeWitt’s exclusion orders is reported on page 7. On page 3, Carey McWilliams predicts the coming end of the West Coast ban.

What’s in this issue

National

• Rep. Eberharter Charges Dies Report on Tule Lake Shows Racist Thinking, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Herman P. Eberharter of Pennsylvania filed minority views criticizing the Dies subcommittee’s majority report on the Tule Lake segregation center as a serious disservice to the American people. He disputed each recommendation by Chairman Costello and Rep. Mundt, defending WRA director Dillon Myer and project director Ray Best.
• Fear Is Greatest Anti-Relocation Factor, Survey Finds, by Lawrence E. Davies, page 1. A New York Times dispatch reports that fear is the major factor keeping evacuees from leaving war relocation centers to take jobs outside the West Coast military zone. Public opposition in some areas has discouraged resettlement.
• Announce Reopening of Hawaii Draft, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Selective service in Hawaii will reopen April 1 for men of military age, applying to all races without discrimination. The move follows the January 1944 reinstitution of the draft for Japanese Americans on the mainland, and Hawaii’s governor said the territory wants equal treatment.
• Proposed Bill Bans Nisei Land Owners, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A proposed California initiative would prohibit citizens of Japanese ancestry from owning land or fishing boats, and was given a circulation title by the Attorney General’s office. Sponsors must gather 178,764 signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
• 740 Evacuees Relocated in Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Interior Secretary Ickes reported 740 Japanese Americans from the West Coast settled in Salt Lake City, more than any city except Chicago, Denver, and Cleveland. About 7,000 have relocated across the intermountain area.
• Episcopal Bishop Lauds Race Harmony in Hawaiian Islands, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Bishop Stephen E. Keeler of Minnesota praised the racial harmony in Hawaii, where races live together as in no other place on earth. He said Hawaii’s haole community protested when evacuation of the territory’s Japanese ancestry residents was suggested.
• Nisei Urged by McWilliams to Work for Complete Removal of Restrictions on Coast, by Dyke Miyagawa, page 3. Carey McWilliams predicted that the military ban on evacuee return to the West Coast will soon be lifted, arguing anti-Oriental prejudice is becoming unprofitable. A New York meeting also adopted a resolution praising WRA Director Dillon Myer.
• Special Report on Japanese Americans in Topaz by William Flynn, by William Flynn, page 7. A San Francisco Chronicle staff writer reports that Japanese Americans are organizing to overcome hardships of resettlement through self-discipline and demonstrated loyalty. The article notes that nisei soldiers in Italy and bond purchases are part of their effort to win acceptance.
• Federal Court Rules Gen. DeWitt Had No Right to Exclude Individual Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that DeWitt’s exclusion orders were mere notices that commanded and prohibited nothing. The decision arose from a test case brought by Kenneth Alexander of Los Angeles.

Military & Veterans

• Colorado Nisei Wins Commission in U.S. Air Force, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lieut. Noboru Tashiro of Lamar, Colorado, is probably the only Japanese American officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces. A meteorologist, he volunteered from Colorado, trained as an aviation cadet, and hopes to see combat action.
• 800 Awaiting Draft Calls at Utah Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Topaz relocation center has nearly 800 Japanese American men awaiting draft calls under new selective service rules, with 400 already serving in the armed forces. Many of the 400 are now with combat units overseas.
• Washington Nisei Soldier Wounded on Italian Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pfc. Hiroshi Sawada, an American-born nisei, was wounded in action in Italy in January, according to his father at the Minidoka center. He has been awarded the Purple Heart and is believed to be the first Washington nisei soldier to receive it.
• War Department Identifies Six Japanese Americans Killed, 20 Others Injured in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department identified six Japanese American soldiers killed in action in the Mediterranean area, along with twenty wounded and one missing. Casualty lists name next of kin, nearly all in the Territory of Hawaii.
• Heroism of Nisei Soldiers Now Helping Public Opinion, Says Captain, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Capt. Taro Suzuki of the 100th Battalion, recovering from wounds, said nisei heroism in Italy is improving public opinion. He described his unit’s heavy casualties and his rescue of fifteen American paratroopers behind German lines, crediting blood plasma with saving his life.
• Two Granada Nisei Change Minds, Inducted Into Army, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mitsue Oshita and George Satoshi Muramoto, arrested at Granada for refusing induction, reconsidered and were inducted after swearing allegiance to the United States. They had originally based their refusal on a demand for restoration of civil rights.
• Camp Shelby Newspaper Pays Tribute to Blinded Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Reveille, Camp Shelby’s weekly, praised Pfc. Yoshinao Omiya of the 100th Infantry, who was blinded by a booby trap in Italy. The editorial honored him and the men of the 442nd Combat Team, who earned respect from their fellow soldiers.
• Pvt. Awakuni Is One-Man Menace to German Tanks, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pvt. Masao Awakuni of Honolulu knocked out two German tanks with his bazooka during fighting in the Rapido valley, according to Capt. Oscar King. His actions helped secure a ridge overlooking the town.

Incarceration & Redress

• 92 Evacuees Will Receive Army Physicals at Minidoka, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Jerome examining board will give pre-induction physicals at the Minidoka center to 292 nisei citizens called by Selective Service this month. The visit saves transportation costs for draftees, and many Hunt nisei are already serving in the Army.
• Many Evacuees Reluctant to Leave Camps, Survey Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Heart Mountain Sentinel survey found many residents reluctant to leave the relocation center. Of 228 respondents, 118 said they would not relocate and 65 gave conditionally negative answers.

Community

• Bray Vigorously Defends Vote Against Anti-Alien Land Bill in Colorado Legislature, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Colorado State Senator Edgar W. Bray defended his vote against the anti-alien land bill before the Montrose Lions Club. He argued the measure would set a dangerous precedent of legislating against minority groups and noted that most Japanese aliens are elderly.
• Report Amicable Settlement of Hatchery Row, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three Japanese American chick-sexers returned to work at a Lincoln, Illinois hatchery after a dispute was settled. WRA official Milton Guether explained the workers were citizens subject to the draft, and a local resident supported their employment.
• Three Davis County Nisei Inducted, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three Davis County, Utah, nisei volunteered and were inducted into the armed forces. They are John Takasugi, Ted Yoshiwara, and Mickey Sadahiro.
• Hold Hearings for Residents of Tule Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A special hearing board at Tule Lake is determining which residents may transfer to other relocation camps. Project Director Ray Best said pro-Japan evacuees will remain while others without such sympathies will be eligible for relocation.
• USC Students Back Return of Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A poll of 224 University of Southern California students found 57 percent favored allowing loyal Japanese Americans to return to their southern California homes after the war.
• Rev. Morikawa Installed in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Canadian-born Rev. Jitsuo Morikawa, who relocated from Poston, was installed as assistant pastor of the First Baptist Church in Chicago. He is the first evacuee minister assigned to a church.
• Emergency Committee Issued Statement Against Attack on Minority, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Citizens’ Emergency Committee of Colorado opposed a petition to place an anti-Japanese land bill on the November ballot. The committee argued the measure threatens the rights of all minority groups.
• WRA Workers Buy Bonds at Tule Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tule Lake WRA employees invested more than $20,000 in war bonds during a two-week campaign. The drive ended with a western jubilee party.
• Chinese Americans in Philadelphia Aid Relocation Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Chinese Americans in Philadelphia are sending clothing and money to Japanese Americans in war relocation centers. Local Chinese Americans have also helped relocated Japanese Americans find jobs and homes.
• Nisei Girl Dentist, Pharmacist Enlist in Women’s Army Corps, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. Masako Moriya, a former Gila River dentist, is stationed at Fort Des Moines as a WAC. Diane Moriguchi, a former Rivers pharmacist assistant, left for basic training at the same post.
• Student Relocation Council to Assist Evacuees in Camps, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National Japanese American Student Relocation Council plans to help relocate six or seven hundred nisei students in 1944, focusing on graduates of project high schools. Nisei students have been placed on 450 campuses so far.
• Oregon Nisei to Form New JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Members of the Boise Valley JACL living in Oregon will form their own chapter due to travel difficulties. Funds will be divided per capita after 1943 debts are settled, and records remain with the Boise group.
• Mountain States Nisei Christians Hold Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Nisei Christians from the Mountain States met in Idaho Falls under the theme ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ and elected Toshi Yano of Ogden as chairman. Speakers addressed the role of Japanese Americans in their country and Christian task ahead.
• Ogden JACL Plans Membership Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Ogden JACL chapter will hold a membership dance on March 23 at the Utah Power and Light Auditorium. Members are urged to attend and non-members are also invited.
• Rundquist Hopes Nisei Soldiers’ Families May Return to Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 7. George Rundquist of the Committee on Resettlement told Seattle churches that the evacuation was a wartime measure and families of nisei soldiers should be allowed to return. He warned that many evacuees may need resettlement help after the war.

Commentary

• Support the FEPC, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial laments the Senate appropriations committee’s refusal to fund the Fair Employment Practices Committee, a major tool against racial discrimination in employment. It urges support for Rep. Scanlon’s bill to establish a permanent fair employment practices commission.
• The Races of Mankind, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the Benedict-Weltfish pamphlet on race, which shows intelligence is not determined by physical traits. It notes Rep. May’s attack on the pamphlet and that a fourth printing was nonetheless announced.
• Nisei and the AFL, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial contrasts the AFL’s hostility toward Japanese Americans with the CIO’s policy of equal treatment. It notes that AFL dairy workers in Hawaii, many of Japanese ancestry, signed a union contract.
• A “Typical” Apartment, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes General DeWitt’s final report for using a photograph of an unusually tasteful Granada apartment as representative of evacuee housing. It argues the report is a whitewash of the evacuation.
• Nisei USA: Japanese Americans and the Wider Struggle for Racial Justice, by Taro Yashima, page 4. Yashima argues that the evacuation and detention of Japanese Americans is linked to other minorities’ struggles against discrimination, including anti-Semitism and Jim Crow. He urges Japanese Americans to educate themselves about their own racial attitudes and to recognize shared interests with other groups.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa argues that race-baiter Dr. John Lechner’s campaign to spread anti-Japanese prejudice to the Mountain states reveals its failure on the Pacific Coast. He urges direct rebuttal through nisei actions and community integration.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column collects brief news notes on Japanese Americans in the military, the media, and public life, including John Garfield’s visit to Italian front troops and Capt. Lui’s service in the Marshalls. It also notes Pearl Buck’s continued advocacy for nisei.
• Editorial Digest: Intelligent Discrimination and Reason Triumphs, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The digest reprints editorial comment from the Christian Advocate and the Rockford Register Republican praising nisei heroism and the Colorado legislature’s refusal to pass discriminatory land legislation. Both papers urge fair treatment of loyal Japanese Americans.
• Wounded Officer Urges Nisei to Relocate, by Shigeru Tsubota, 1st Lt., Inf., page 6. A wounded officer’s letter urges nisei to leave the relocation centers and build independent lives outside. He argues that the government subsidies will end and that the nisei should seize opportunities as Americans.
• From Overseas, by Karl G. Yoneda, page 6. Yoneda, serving overseas, writes that American soldiers and sailors treat Japanese American servicemen as equals with no racial distinction. He describes their open acceptance and invitations to visit after the war.
• Contribution, by Miss Frances M. Reed, page 6. A former Americanization teacher praises the Pacific Citizen’s high standards and its positive portrayal of Americanism among Japanese Americans. She commends the paper’s contribution to the nation’s democratic thought.
• Jim Crow Case, by Berry S. Suzukida, page 6. A letter writer from Amache praises Cpl. Winfred Lynn’s challenge to the army’s Jim Crow policy, now before the Supreme Court. The writer argues that segregating nisei draftees into all-nisei units is a step backward.
• Ann Nisei’s Column: Make Your Own Spring Bonnets, by Ann Nisei, page 6. A fashion column offers instructions for making simple hats and accessories at home, following designers’ trends toward natural fabrics. Patterns for a pillbox and a beanie are provided with trimming suggestions.
• Editorial Policy Analyzed by New York Editor, by William E. Bohn, page 7. William E. Bohn praises the Pacific Citizen’s calm and judicious tone in the face of wartime hardship. He argues the paper reflects confidence that the American people will ultimately deal justly with Japanese Americans.

In-Depth

• Commonweal Publishes Special Issue on Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Commonweal’s March 10 special issue on Japanese Americans includes editorials, interviews, and an ACLU brief in the Korematsu case. Several interviewees are quoted in the Pacific Citizen, including Ina Sugihara describing her sense of American identity.

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