Ickes on West Coast hate mongers, and Japanese American soldiers in Italy

Vol. 18, No. 12, April 15, 1944. 8 pages. View this issue

Secretary of Interior Harold L. Ickes was at the center of this eight-page issue. He sharply denounced professional race-mongers who opposed the release of loyal Japanese Americans from relocation camps, and he promised the War Relocation Authority would not become an instrument of revenge. Larry Tajiri’s editorials returned to the government’s pledge and to the press coverage of Japanese American soldiers. The front page also carried the War Department’s list of Japanese Americans from Hawaii killed, wounded or missing in Italy, along with news of six soldiers sentenced to prison and Heart Mountain draft cases.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about his cousin Ken Omura, who died in New Guinea, and Max Lerner wrote on the Bill of Rights. Saburo Kido discussed the Korematsu test case in Timely Topics. Readers will also find pieces on the 100th Infantry Battalion’s citations, a Guggenheim fellowship for Dr. William N. Takahashi, and a Missouri legislative fight over Dr. Fred Y. Fujikawa.

What’s in this issue

National

• Ickes Denounces West Coast Hate Mongers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Secretary of Interior Harold L. Ickes sharply denounced professional race-mongers opposing the release of loyal Japanese Americans from relocation camps. He promised the War Relocation Authority would not be converted into an instrument of revenge or racial warfare.
• Secretary of Interior Urges Understanding, Tolerance for Japanese American Problems, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Secretary Ickes urged tolerance and understanding toward Japanese Americans, especially in California, Oregon and Washington. He defended the War Relocation Authority’s handling of the evacuation program.
• California Initiates Legal Action to Force Escheatment of Evacuee-Owned Farm Lands, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California authorities began proceedings to acquire farm lands registered to Japanese American citizens but allegedly controlled by aliens. Properties of loyal Japanese Americans would be excepted, according to the Associated Press.

Military & Veterans

• Eight Japanese Americans Killed, 27 Hurt, 1 Missing in Recent Fighting in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department announced the names of Japanese Americans from Hawaii killed, wounded, or missing in recent action in Italy. Next of kin for each soldier are listed by name and address.
• U.S. Navy Hero Greets Nisei War Workers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Capt. F. J. Bell, commander of the cruiser Boise, congratulated Japanese American war workers at Metals Refining Company in Hammond, Indiana, on receiving the Navy E award. He praised their wartime contributions to the nation.
• Six Soldiers Sentenced to Prison Terms, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Six soldiers of Japanese ancestry in the 33rd Training Battalion at Fort McClellan were sentenced to five to 30 years at hard labor for disobeying orders. The soldiers had been drafted before December 7, 1941, and other members of the battalion had accepted training.
• Nisei Lieutenant in Italy Would Rather Fight Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lt. Sam Sakamoto, adjutant of the 100th Infantry Battalion, said Japanese American soldiers were disappointed to be sent to the European theater rather than the Pacific. He expressed hope they would have a chance to fight Japan.
• Story of the Week: Nisei War Veteran Visits White House, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Capt. Jack Mizuha of the 100th Infantry Battalion visited Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt at the White House at her personal invitation. He was recuperating from wounds received in the Italian campaign.
• Two Divisional Citations Won by 100th Infantry Battalion in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion has won two divisional citations and 13 Silver Stars in Italy. Sgt. Joe Takata won the first Distinguished Service Cross during the unit’s first action near Salerno.
• Sergeant Cited for Action in Battle for Los Negros Island, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sgt. Tom Sakamoto of San Jose participated in annihilating Japanese forces on Los Negros Island in the Admiralty group. He was the only non-commissioned officer in the assault party led by Gen. Chase.
• Distinguished Service Cross, 13 Silver Stars Awarded to Members of Japanese American Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The 100th Infantry Battalion earned 13 Silver Stars and a Distinguished Service Cross in Italy, according to a Baltimore Sun correspondent. Lt. Young O. Kim, a Korean American staff officer, earned a Silver Star for capturing German troops.
• Army Newspaper Publishes Life Story of Nisei Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sgt. Karl Yoneda, an anti-fascist labor organizer, is profiled in an army publication reprinted by the People’s World. The story recounts his opposition to Japanese militarism and his work with longshoremen and cannery unions.
• Two Wounded Nisei Veterans Expect Return to Active Duty, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Two Japanese American veterans wounded in Italy are recovering at Dibble Army General Hospital in Menlo Park and expect to return to active duty. They are eager to rejoin their comrades in the European war.
• Air Force Captain Commends Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A captain in the central Pacific praised Japanese American soldiers and criticized those at home who undermine their rights. The letter quoted by Culross Peattie defends loyal Japanese Americans.
• Judge Metzger Rules Against Martial Law in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Judge Delbert Metzger ruled Hawaii is not in imminent danger of invasion and that martial law is unnecessary. Military letters declared persons of Japanese ancestry committed no sabotage before, during, or after Pearl Harbor.

Incarceration & Redress

• Draft Evaders Enter Pleas of Not Guilty, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seventeen evacuees from Heart Mountain pleaded innocent to charges of failing to report for draft physicals and were jailed on bonds. Thirty-six others have been arrested on similar charges and await grand jury action in May.
• Guggenheim Fellowship Given Japanese American Scientist, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. William N. Takahashi, former plant pathology instructor at UC Berkeley now at Cornell University, received a Guggenheim fellowship. He will study the mechanism of virus reproduction.
• Utah County Will Employ 375 Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Utah County officials proposed employing 375 farm workers of Japanese ancestry from the Topaz relocation center. The workers would be housed at the WFA camp in Orem, and wage rates were set for casual farm labor.
• Emergency Aid Given Relocated Evacuee Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Relocated evacuees received aid through state and local agencies cooperating with the Social Security Board, according to E. J. Utz of WRA. Examples include hospital care and financial assistance for those in need.
• Protest Forces Five Evacuees to Quit Farm in New Jersey, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Five Japanese American evacuees lost their New Jersey farm jobs after neighbors protested their employment. WRA director Dillon Myer had criticized such protests as based on emotion and prejudice rather than reason.
• Suit Filed Over Property Used for School in Gilroy, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A suit was filed in Santa Clara County to obtain reversion of a Japanese school property in Gilroy after the school was abandoned following evacuation. The complaint names the school’s trustees as defendants.
• Loyalty of Territory’s Japanese Americans Cited at Trial, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Military intelligence letters introduced in federal court found no sabotage by persons of Japanese ancestry in Hawaii. Governor Ingram Stainback testified that he believed the territory was not in danger.
• Colorado Farms Need Evacuee Help, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A state farm labor supervisor forecast that 400 evacuee farm workers from war relocation centers would be employed in Colorado fields this season. Growers were urged to request help.

Community

• Nisei Student to Compete in South Dakota, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A nisei student from Yankton College won the South Dakota state collegiate forensics contest and will represent the state at the interstate oratorical contest in Chicago. The article notes the student’s former residence in Los Angeles.
• Missouri Legislature Blocks Attempt to Attach Anti-Evacuee Rider on Appropriation Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Missouri legislative amendment that would have barred employment of Japanese American physicians at the state sanatorium was ruled out of order. Dr. Fred Y. Fujikawa had been cleared by the FBI and was praised for his work.
• Six Co-eds Give Blood to Save Life of Japanese Liberal, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Six co-eds and two faculty members at Northwestern University donated blood to save Ikuo Oyama, a Japanese research associate in political science who is seriously ill. Oyama fled Japan after attempts were made on his life.
• Center Council Asks Paper to Retract Article, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Heart Mountain community council asked the Rocky Shimpo to retract an article claiming the council approved removal of Project Director Guy Robertson. The council called the statement untrue.
• Just Incidentally: Employment in Detroit, by Dale Oka, page 7. Dale Oka interviews two Detroit personnel managers who say their firms do not consider employees’ ancestry. One notes that nisei hired after Pearl Harbor have the same seniority as other workers.
• Ogden Commission Commends Nisei Basketball Star, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Ogden city commissioners praised nisei basketball player Misaka for his play. The article reports on his recognition by local officials.

Obituaries

• Final Rites Held for Nisei Soldier From Fort McClellan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Funeral services were held at the Salt Lake Buddhist church for Pvt. Tetsuo Shigaya, who died at Fort McClellan, Alabama. He had operated a farm in Auburn, Washington before his induction.
• Ken Omura Knew for What He Was Fighting, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa eulogizes his cousin Ken Omura, the first nisei to die in the southwest Pacific, who drowned in New Guinea. The column recounts Omura’s life as a kibei and his determination to prove his American loyalty.

Commentary

• Heart Mountain Sentinel Hits Draft Attitude of Denver Editor, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Heart Mountain Sentinel charged James Omura, editor of the Rocky Shimpo, with responsibility for wrecking the lives of draft delinquents. It accused the paper of distorting news and encouraging resistance to the draft.
• Democracy in Missouri, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. An attempt to bar Japanese American physician Dr. Fred Fujikawa from Missouri employment was defeated by democratic legislators. Representative O.K. Armstrong’s speech defending equal rights is praised.
• The Government’s Pledge, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial recalls President Roosevelt’s 1943 pledge to restore loyal evacuees’ rights and reiterates Secretary Ickes’ firm stand against discrimination. It warns west coast race-mongers that the government will not tolerate un-American attacks.
• Recognition for Nisei, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial praises Capt. Frederick Bell for honoring five Japanese American workers at Metals Refining Company. It contrasts his respectful attitude with Commander Melvin McCoy’s attack on the 100th Infantry.
• The Press and the Nisei, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial notes that front-line correspondents and many newspapers have recognized Japanese American combat contributions. It contrasts fair coverage in several papers with the racist campaign of the Hearst press.
• For the Record, by Max Lerner, page 4. Max Lerner argues that the mass evacuation and internment of American citizens of Japanese descent violated the Bill of Rights. He notes no evidence of disloyalty was produced for citizens held in the camps.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column reports that the army has no policy of segregation, citing several nisei servicemen who met on furlough at Minidoka and are stationed at different installations. It also notes statistics on the 100th Battalion’s average age and religious affiliations.
• Full Face and Profile: Aaron Allen Heist, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Profile of Rev. Aaron Allen Heist, a Methodist pastor in Santa Maria, California, who has fought for constitutional rights of Japanese Americans. His career includes labor and civil liberties advocacy.
• Employer, Townspeople Back Right of Evacuees to Jobs, by S. Burton Heath, page 5. S. Burton Heath revisits Hugh Kiino and his family in Kalamazoo, Michigan, finding them well-integrated and supported by their employer. A brief anti-Japanese whispering campaign died down after the bakery stood by its employees.
• Editorial Digest, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The digest summarizes Honolulu Star-Bulletin praise of Ickes as defender of loyal Japanese Americans and Salt Lake Telegram advice urging evacuees to comply with rationing rules. Both editorials are excerpted.
• From the Frying Pan: Ken Omura Knew for What He Was Fighting, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa remembers Ken Omura, a kibei who became an American soldier and died in New Guinea, arguing that nisei should finish the unfinished tasks for which he fought.
• Letter-Box: From Our Readers, by Shi Yoshida, page 6. A Hawaii reader writes that conditions in Hawaii differ from the mainland but problems are fundamentally the same. The letter encourages the Pacific Citizen in its work of presenting facts.
• Suggestion, by Richard Otsubo, page 6. A soldier at Camp Shelby suggests the Pacific Citizen include more photographs to make the paper more appealing. He notes readers abroad would enjoy seeing familiar faces from home.
• Ann Nisei’s Column: Write Letters to Front-Line Soldiers, by Ann Nisei, page 6. Ann Nisei urges readers to write regularly to nisei soldiers overseas and in camps, since mail is their greatest comfort. She offers practical tips for writing newsy, cheerful letters.
• Timely Topics, by Saburo Kido, page 6. Saburo Kido discusses JACL plans regarding the Korematsu test case and questions about the validity of exclusion orders. He also raises issues of residence rights, absentee voting, and fair compensation for center doctors.
• Detroit, Mich.: Nisei Relocation Column, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A relocated evacuee describes the warm reception received in Detroit and his longing for his former home in Monterey, California. He reflects on the uncertainties of relocation life.
• Salinas Draft Board Shows Concern Over Nisei Attitudes, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Salinas draft board reclassified local Japanese Americans after reviewing a letter from a former resident. The letter criticized the treatment accorded to a nisei registrant at Poston.

Arts & Entertainment

• Toward Integration, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial celebrates Dr. William Takahashi’s Guggenheim fellowship as evidence of growing Japanese American integration. It also notes Japanese Americans teaching in schools across the country.

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