Opposition to Hearst, Bricker and the coast ban, April 1944

Vol. 18, No. 13, April 22, 1944. 8 pages. View this issue

Whether Japanese Americans would be allowed back on the West Coast ran through this eight-page issue. Fortune magazine’s April article argued that the Army’s continued closure of the coast gave the Hearst papers more time for their hate campaign, and the editorial “Dangerous Doctrine” warned against “protective custody” as a precedent. Larry Tajiri answered Ohio Governor John Bricker’s call for local control of any return. Joe Grant Masaoka wrote about nisei who refused induction, while Saburo Kido and Bill Hosokawa offered their own columns.

Other pieces covered the 100th Infantry Battalion in Italy, the Tule Lake hearings, and a proposed Colorado land amendment that a Congregational conference condemned. Letters from soldiers opposed Sunnyvale’s call for exclusion. Page 8 reported Admiral Thomas Hart’s finding of no proof of sabotage at Pearl Harbor, and the Intermountain District Council voted in two new chapters and pledged $7,350 to the national JACL.

What’s in this issue

National

• Fortune Says Longer Army Closure of Coast Gives Hearst More Time for Hate Campaign Against Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fortune magazine’s April article “Issei, Nisei, Kibei” argues that the Army’s continued closure of the Pacific coast was driven by California pressure rather than military need. It warns that the doctrine of “protective custody” could become a dangerous precedent for other minorities.
• Colorado Congregational Conference Condemns Proposed Anti-Alien Land Measure, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Colorado Congregational conference unanimously condemned a proposed state amendment barring land ownership by aliens of Japanese ancestry as un-Christian. Delegates urged members to work for its defeat at the November polls.
• Congressman Hits WRA Policy on Tule Lake Hearings, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. John Costello challenged the WRA’s decision to review cases of evacuees segregated at Tule Lake. Rep. J. Parnell Thomas separately criticized the resettlement of loyal Japanese Americans outside the relocation centers.
• California Attorney General Urges Counties to File Suits Over Illegal Land Ownership, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Attorney General Robert Kenny urged all California counties to follow Los Angeles County’s suit under the anti-alien land law. The action targets farmland allegedly held by aliens of Japanese ancestry through dummy owners, and officials said loyal Japanese Americans would not be targeted.
• Governor Bricker Calls for Deportation of ‘Disloyal’ Japanese Americans and Local Control of Return, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ohio Governor John Bricker, a Republican presidential hopeful, urged deportation of disloyal Japanese Americans after the war. He also advocated letting each community decide on the return of former residents, a position the editors criticized as an invitation to anarchy.
• Church Leader Asks Fair Play for Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Rt. Rev. Henry St. George Tucker, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, appealed for fair play for Japanese Americans, noting that many nisei are loyal and serving in combat. He urged support for the WRA resettlement program.
• Native Sons Urge Restrictive Steps Against Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Members of the Mt. Diablo parlor of the Native Sons of the Golden West urged revocation of citizenship for disloyal Japanese Americans and a strengthened anti-alien land law. Their resolutions also asked that the WRA be placed under the War or Justice Department.

Military & Veterans

• Minidoka Resident Informed of Death of Brother in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Richard Funai of the Minidoka relocation center learned that his brother, Pfc. Wayne Funai, was killed on the Italian front. Pfc. Funai was a member of the 100th Infantry Battalion, and memorial services were held at Minidoka.
• Evacuee Gives Blood to Save Life of Teacher, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tatsumi Harada, an alien evacuee at Poston, donated a pint of blood to save Harold Lehner, a teacher who had suffered a severe hemorrhage. Harada was matched as the same blood type after hospital records were searched.
• Wyoming Camp Invites Nisei Hero Ben Kuroki to Visit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tech. Sgt. Ben Kuroki, a nisei aerial gunner with 30 combat engagements, is expected to visit Heart Mountain between April 25 and 30. The Heart Mountain community council extended the invitation, and a stop at Minidoka was also expected.
• Volunteer from Relocation Camp Reported Fighting in Burma with First U.S. Air Commando Unit, by Staff Sgt. Tom Taketa, page 1. Staff Sgt. Tom Taketa, a Tule Lake volunteer, writes in an army-censored dispatch from India about serving as the only nisei in the First Air Commando Group. He describes the unit’s special missions in Burma and the challenges posed by approaching monsoon weather.
• Japanese American Soldier Reported Held as Prisoner, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department reported 2nd Lt. Hisae Shimatsu as a prisoner of war in Germany. Two other Japanese American soldiers from Hawaii, believed to be with the 100th Infantry Battalion in Italy, were listed as wounded in action.
• Pocatello District Nisei Take Army Draft Examinations, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nineteen Japanese Americans in Bannock County reported for preinduction examinations at Pocatello high school. Novo Kato, chapter president, said members were eager to serve and noted that 25 local men and women were already in service.
• Star-Studded Variety Show Entertains Nisei Troops at Camp Shelby, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A variety show funded by JACL and Hawaii Emergency Service Committee donations entertained the Japanese American Combat Team at Camp Shelby on April 10. Performers included singers, acrobats, and comedians, and the staff of Service Club No. 5 provided supper.
• Nine Soldiers Sentenced at Courts-Martial, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Five Japanese American soldiers at Fort McClellan were convicted of willful disobedience and sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to 30 years. Reports indicated that 28 soldiers in total were convicted by courts-martial.
• Nisei Officer Praises Spirit of Camp Shelby Soldiers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. First Lieut. Isamu Ozamoto, a former Denver surgeon serving with the Japanese American combat unit at Camp Shelby, described the unit’s excellent esprit de corps. He said he expected to be sent overseas and criticized draft resisters as hurting the loyal majority.
• Iowa Soldiers Declare They Are Proud to Fight Side by Side With Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Seven soldiers from Iowa and Kansas wrote to the Des Moines Register defending Japanese American soldiers after reading criticism in its letters section. They praised the 100th Infantry Battalion’s courage in Italy and condemned those who questioned Japanese American loyalty.
• Heart Mountain Honors Inductees in Special Ceremony, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Three inductees from Heart Mountain were honored at a brief ceremony before leaving for the U.S. Army. Their induction brings the camp’s total number of men in the armed services to 327.

Community

• Rohwer Youth Saves Child From Drowning, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yoshiaki Yamamoto, 19, rescued 10-year-old Tokuo Katayama from a ditch at Rohwer after the child lost his grip on a log. Yamamoto was later hospitalized for gastro-intestinal illness believed caused by swallowing polluted water.
• Salt Lake JACL to Sponsor Talk on Race Tensions, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Salt Lake City JACL chapter will host Rev. J. Raymond Cope, a Unitarian minister and minority-rights authority, for its monthly meeting. His talk is titled “Some of the Deeper Implications of Racial Conflicts,” and a dance will follow.
• Cleveland Area Report No Discrimination Among Evacuee Neighbors, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A questionnaire of evacuees resettled in Cleveland found that about 75 percent reported no racial discrimination since arriving. Many reported making numerous friends across racial groups through church, school, and workplace contacts.
• Evacuee Workers Expected to Assist in Farm Harvests, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The War Food Administration plans to supply 2,500 workers from relocation centers for farm harvests in Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. Tule Lake would not be among the supplying centers, and some workers had already been sent to Walla Walla.
• Report Indefinite Leaves Hit New High of 510 for Week, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Departures of evacuees from relocation centers increased, with 510 indefinite leaves granted in one week, the highest since last year. WRA officials said the investigation of evacuees eligible for release was nearly complete.
• Leasing of Home to Japanese American Family Draws Neighbors’ Protests in Evanston, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. McKibben, a Northwestern University professor, leased his Evanston home to a Japanese American family from a relocation center, prompting neighborhood protests. The Chicago Sun also condemned the neighbors’ opposition in an editorial.
• Michigan Employer Wins Fight to Employ Evacuee Worker, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kalamazoo industrialist Monroe Shakespeare defended his employee Tom Harada after the army’s provost marshal ordered him discharged. Shakespeare traveled to Washington to contest the order, and Harada was later reinstated for war work.
• Los Angeles Women’s Clubs Oppose Early Return of Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Los Angeles District Federation of Women’s Clubs formally opposed the return of Japanese ancestry residents to the west coast for the duration of the war. The federation also urged transferring control over such persons from civilian to military authority.
• Pulitzer Winner Speaks at Rohwer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. John Gould Fletcher, winner of the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for poetry, spoke at the Rohwer YWCA clubroom. His wife, children’s writer Charles May Simon, also addressed the audience.
• Utah Evacuee Killed in Mine Accident, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kinzo Yoshida, 58, was fatally injured when rocks fell from a tunnel ceiling at Sweets’ mine near Price, Utah. He had worked at the mine for eight months after leaving a relocation center.
• Brethren Close Chicago Hostel, To Open Another in New York, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Brethren hostel for Japanese American evacuees in Chicago will close on April 22, and a new hostel will open in Brooklyn, New York, on May 10. The Chicago hostel assisted 1,085 evacuees during its 15 months of operation.
• Mrs. Swan Will Head Student Relocation Group, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Mrs. Helga E. Swan was named acting director of the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council, succeeding C. V. Hibbard. She previously spent 18 years in YMCA work in Japan and taught in Wisconsin high schools.
• Minidoka Evacuees Take Army Preinduction Physicals, by P.C. Staff, page 7. 154 draft-age residents of Minidoka were scheduled to take preinduction physicals on April 22. Of 594 men called from Hunt, 228 had passed and 109 had been rejected so far.
• WRA Initiates Trial Period of Relocation Outside Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The WRA introduced a trial-period indefinite leave of four to six months allowing residents to relocate and return to camp if needed. The leave is limited to states east of the Mississippi and to Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri.
• Evacuees Will Be Available to Aid Canning Industry, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Japanese American evacuees will be available for seasonal food processing work where local labor is insufficient. Plans for recruitment, housing, and transportation were outlined at a meeting in Salt Lake City.
• Two Chapters Accepted Into JACL Council, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Intermountain District Council voted in the Snake River chapter and a Murray, Utah chapter at its Twin Falls meeting. The council also pledged $7,350 to the national JACL.
• Wounded Nisei Wants to Hear Hawaiian Songs, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Pfc. Matsunobu Urada, a Japanese American from Hawaii wounded with the 100th Infantry Battalion in Italy, asked for Hawaiian songs when entertainer Mitzi Joyce visited Stark General Hospital. He was learning to walk again on an artificial leg.
• New York Group Challenges Action of New Jersey Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Japanese American Committee for Democracy in New York issued a statement condemning the mob-driven expulsion of evacuee farmers at Great Meadows, New Jersey. It asked Governor Edge to take steps to prevent similar incidents.
• Nisei Students Make Honor Roll at Brigham Young, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Three nisei students at Brigham Young University earned places on the Straight A honor roll for completing at least 16 hours of A grades. The students were named by registrar John Hayes.
• Admiral Hart Finds No Proof of Sabotage at Pearl Harbor, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Admiral Thomas Hart, returning from an investigation in Hawaii, reported finding no evidence of sabotage or espionage by Japanese Americans at Pearl Harbor. He also denied that drunkenness contributed to the defense failures.

Incarceration & Redress

• Seeks Nisei Help on Goat Farm, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Lilian Paula Sandburg, wife of poet Carl Sandburg, seeks a young man experienced in milking to work with her goats at their Michigan farm. Two nisei already work on the Sandburg farm, and interested applicants should contact the Chicago WRA office.
• Five Segregants Arrested for Threats at Tule Lake Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Internal security officers at Tule Lake arrested five residents for allegedly threatening internees with bodily harm if they did not stop working. The five men were confined to the wire compound area after their arrest.
• Heart Mountain Sentinel Urges Community to Save Draft Resisters From Prison, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Heart Mountain Sentinel called on the community to persuade 53 youths who resisted induction to report for preinduction examinations. The editorial warned that prison sentences would blemish their records for life.
• Draft Delinquents Placed in Jail in Four Wyoming Cities, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fifty-three Japanese Americans from Heart Mountain charged with failing to report for preinduction exams were jailed in four Wyoming communities. They await federal grand jury action in May, according to U.S. Marshal A. A. Sanders.

Commentary

• Fortune Magazine Article Criticizes West Coast Ban, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fortune magazine argues that WRA camps are not coddling evacuees, describing cramped living conditions and a food cost of 31 cents per day. It concludes that resettlement must continue, since 25,000 or more Japanese Americans may remain confined without a plan.
• Dangerous Doctrine, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial warns that the doctrine of “protective custody” used to keep Japanese Americans from the coast after military necessity ends could entrench unconstitutional practice. It argues the government, courts and Army must abandon the theory.
• The Nisei in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial rebuts wild rumors of sabotage and disloyalty by Hawaii’s Japanese Americans, citing Admiral Hart’s findings. It highlights Hawaii’s wartime loyalty and its record-setting war bond purchases.
• Successful Relocation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial praises the results of a Cleveland questionnaire showing evacuees experiencing little discrimination and building friendships. It argues the findings show Japanese Americans can rebuild their lives after camp.
• Churches Show the Way, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial commends church groups for refusing to form all-Japanese congregations and for encouraging evacuees to join neighborhood churches. It frames this integration policy as the practical application of Christianity.
• Brickerbats, and No Bouquet, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri criticizes Ohio Governor Bricker for raising the Japanese American question as a partisan election issue and echoing Hearst’s line. He argues that Bricker’s call for local option on citizens’ return would undermine the Bill of Rights.
• Evanston Is Still Battleground, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial reprinted from the Chicago Sun supports a Japanese American family’s lease of a home in Evanston despite neighbors’ protests. It argues that the nisei have sacrificed for American liberties and deserve a safe place to live.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column notes that Hawaii’s Japanese American residents have been cleared of espionage charges and mentions nisei WAAC volunteers. It also tracks anti-Japanese political figures such as William Riker and Governor Warren’s rhetoric.
• Doubt, Uncertainty, Confusion Characterize Attitude of Nisei Selective Service Delinquents, by Joe Grant Masaoka, page 5. Joe Grant Masaoka reports on the young nisei who refused induction and now face prison, finding them confused about their legal options and motives. He argues their protest is legally hopeless and is harming the reputation of the nisei as a whole.
• Fundamental Post-War Planning Needed by Evacuees in Camps, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa urges evacuees still in relocation centers to plan for postwar life since the west coast will not reopen soon. He notes that those who relocated are already making progress toward assimilation.
• Letter from Combat Soldier to the Nisei, by Pvt. G. T. J., page 6. A soldier of the 442nd Combat Team writes to nisei draft resisters, urging them to recognize how their actions undermine the loyalty of Japanese Americans in combat. He asks them to unite behind the war effort.
• Soldier from California Hits Home Town’s Intolerant Act, by Henry Cortani, page 6. Aviation Cadet Henry Cortani, writing from a hospital bed, condemns the Sunnyvale City Council’s resolution urging exclusion of Japanese Americans from California. He argues the measure betrays the principles American soldiers are fighting for.
• Veteran of Attu Pleads for Fair Play for Coast Nisei, by Richard E. Mathews, page 6. A disabled Army veteran of Attu writes to the Sunnyvale Standard opposing the city council’s call to exclude Japanese Americans. He points out that Japanese American soldiers are fighting alongside other Americans for democracy.
• Serious Consideration for Test Cases, by Saburo Kido, page 6. Saburo Kido argues that test cases on the constitutionality of evacuation and detention should be pursued through the courts. He criticizes the Heart Mountain draft resisters for acting without legal advice and warns of the consequences.
• Just Incidentally, by Dale Oka, page 7. Dale Oka reflects on wartime changes in his life and recounts stories of nisei in Detroit and Poston, including a student who was welcomed by classmates. He also notes that some people still mistake Japanese Americans for other Asians.

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