Draft cases, soldiers’ news and the fight over resettlement

Vol. 18, No. 23, July 1, 1944. 8 pages. View this issue

The draft dominated the news. Nineteen evacuees were found guilty in a Colorado draft evasion case, and 63 Heart Mountain residents were convicted in Cheyenne and each sentenced to three years. Saburo Kido wrote about Judge Kennedy’s opinion in the Heart Mountain cases, and a separate report said Gordon Hirabayashi was charged with a draft violation. Alongside these ran news of Nisei soldiers: Lieut. Young O. Kim received the Distinguished Service Cross, and Pfc. Kanchi Heyada of the 100th Infantry Battalion was recovering at Walter Reed General Hospital.

Page 2 carried reports of opposition to resettlement from veterans’ groups, a labor assembly and a Navy commander, along with an editorial from the Milwaukee Journal. Bill Hosokawa wrote about Governor Earl Warren’s convention speech. A report on a fatal shooting at Tule Lake appeared too. Readers will also find the formation of a New York chapter of the JACL and a new chapter planned in Greeley, Colorado.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• 19 Evacuees Found Guilty in Colorado Draft Evasion Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two Granada relocation center evacuees were found guilty of draft evasion in Colorado federal court, with sentencing deferred. Four more evacuees were also convicted while another was acquitted in the same proceedings.
• Granada Nisei Report for Induction, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Twenty-nine Japanese Americans from the Granada relocation center reported for induction at Fort Logan, Colorado. Officials noted that more than 400 former residents were serving in the armed forces.
• 63 Heart Mountain Evacuees Found Guilty of Violating Draft Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sixty-three Heart Mountain residents were convicted of draft violations after a mass trial in Cheyenne and each sentenced to three years. Judge Kennedy argued their citizenship was established once they were classified 1-A.
• One Thousand Drafted from WRA Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. More than 1,000 Japanese Americans from war relocation centers were accepted by the Army since selective service resumed in January 1944. Of 3,312 men called as of May 31, 669 had been rejected.
• Young Evacuee Commits Suicide at Jerome Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sadao Nakao, 19, was found dead in a Jerome relocation center warehouse, apparently a suicide by hanging. He had recently suffered a nervous breakdown and had been sent to Little Rock before returning to Jerome.
• Fatal Shooting of Segregee Investigated, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Military authorities completed an investigation into the May 25 fatal shooting of Shoichi James Okamoto at Tule Lake by a military police sentry. The findings were forwarded to the War Department and a court-martial was reportedly ordered.
• Hirabayashi Charged With Draft Violation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Gordon Hirabayashi was charged with failing to complete a special questionnaire for citizens of Japanese ancestry sent by the Seattle draft board. He had previously refused the form as a violation of Christian and American principles.
• Idaho VFW Raps WRA’s Conduct of Relocation Program, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Idaho VFW encampment criticized federal, state, and local governments for allowing Japanese Americans to compete with American labor and business. The resolution opposed the WRA’s relocation policies.
• DAV Suggests Manzanar as Veterans Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Charles Theyson of the Disabled American Veterans proposed converting the Manzanar relocation center into a rehabilitation center for returning disabled veterans. He argued the camp already had water, hospital, and other facilities.
• Disabled Veterans Oppose Policy of Releasing Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Disabled American Veterans of California backed legislation to curtail WRA power to release evacuees to work outside the restricted zone. The group adopted this position in its final conference session.
• Ottis Peterson Tells of Relocation Problems at Mills College Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. WRA relocation supervisor Ottis Peterson told an Oakland audience that the evacuation set a precedent that could affect other minorities. He described labor shortages in the centers and the successful integration of many evacuees outside.
• Permanent Relocation in Eastern Areas Urged by Fisher, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Galen Fisher urged that evacuees be reunited with separated spouses, that war veterans and relatives be allowed into the prohibited zone, and that Japanese Americans be encouraged to settle permanently east of the Sierras. He condemned social and economic boycotts as un-American.
• Attack on Evacuees, by Saburo Kido, page 6. Kido discusses violence against evacuee seasonal workers in Twin Falls, Idaho, and its effect on the resettlement program. He warns that the attacks may increase bitterness among young workers who return to the centers.
• U.S. Court Rules on Draft Delinquents, by Saburo Kido, page 6. Kido reviews Judge Kennedy’s written opinion in the Heart Mountain draft cases, which convicted 63 young men. He argues the defendants were misguided by an organized movement that prevented them from reconsidering their refusal to report.

Military & Veterans

• Pfc. Kanchi Heyada Convalescing at Walter Reed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pfc. Kanchi Heyada of the 100th Infantry Battalion lost a leg in action in Italy and is recuperating at Walter Reed General Hospital. A photo shows him dictating a letter to a Red Cross volunteer.
• Commando Kelly Says Nisei Soldiers Top-Notch Outfit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Charles Kelly praised the Japanese American battalion of the 34th Division as a top-notch outfit. Kelly said he had met Nisei soldiers but had never fought alongside them.
• 100th Infantry Officer Gets DSC Award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lieut. Young O. Kim of Los Angeles received the Distinguished Service Cross from Lieut. Gen. Mark Clark for exceptional gallantry in Italy. Kim crept behind German lines alone, captured two enemy soldiers, and brought them back for intelligence.
• Nisei War Veterans Exempted from VFW Exclusion Resolution, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The California VFW rejected a Lomita Post proposal to permanently ban all persons of Japanese ancestry from the state. The adopted resolution exempted Japanese American overseas veterans who had received Purple Hearts.
• Camp Savage Sets Record for Number of Blood Donors, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Men of Camp Savage, including many Japanese American troops, donated a record 362 pints of blood during a Red Cross Mobile Blood Donor visit. The total surpassed all previous military and civilian donation records in the area.
• Topaz Volunteer Serves Overseas With Nisei Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Pvt. Terry Tabata, a former sports reporter for the Topaz Times, is serving overseas with the 100th Infantry Battalion in Italy. His V-mail letter praised the battalion’s reputation and spirit.
• DSC Given to Widow of Nisei Hero at Hawaiian Ceremony, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Posthumous awards including the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star were presented to families of Japanese American soldiers killed in Italy during a luau in Waialua, Hawaii. The honors recognized heroism by members of the 100th Infantry Battalion.
• Camp Shelby Troops Issue Own Newssheet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The First Battalion of the 442nd Infantry at Camp Shelby published its first mimeographed newspaper written by enlisted men. An editorial expresses pride in the unit’s training and its role in upholding the traditions of the 442nd.

National

• Southern California Methodists Urge Early Return of Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Southern California-Arizona Methodist conference unanimously adopted a resolution calling for restored freedom of movement for loyal Japanese Americans. The resolution urged communities to welcome returning Nisei and was sent to Secretary of War Stimson.
• Farrington Bill Will Permit Naturalization of Korean Aliens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Delegate Joseph Farrington of Hawaii introduced a House bill to naturalize Korean residents and admit 100 Korean immigrants annually. The measure would extend naturalization rights to a group long excluded from citizenship.
• Race Prejudice in Treatment of Evacuees Hit by Newspaper, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Milwaukee Journal editorialized that race prejudice had shaped wartime treatment of Japanese Americans and urged a sound solution. It noted the loyalty of Nisei soldiers and Hawaiian war dead.
• Anti-Evacuee Move Defeated at Colorado AFL Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A resolution opposing resettlement of Japanese Americans in Colorado failed to win enough votes at the state AFL convention. The motion followed a speech by WRA official William Moore defending loyal evacuees.
• Labor State Assembly Urges Passage of Anti-Alien Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Colorado Labor State Political Assembly passed a resolution supporting a November ballot amendment barring Japanese nationals from land ownership. The measure was tied to alien land restrictions.
• Toronto Liberal Groups Fight Ottawa Move to Disfranchise Japanese Canadian Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Toronto groups protested a provision in Canada’s Wartime Elections bill that would disfranchise Canadian-born citizens of Japanese ancestry. The Toronto Star also called for amendments to restore their voting rights.

Commentary

• Story of the Week: Pearl Harbor Wounded Owe Lives to Nisei Donors, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Commentator Albert Deutsch noted that wounded from Pearl Harbor owed their lives to blood donated by Japanese American residents of Hawaii. He condemned racist rhetoric in Congress as useful propaganda for enemies.
• Inflaming Hate Against Loyal Nisei Protested by Jimmie Fidler, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Blue network commentator Jimmie Fidler protested a planned film about prewar Japanese espionage that might inflame public opinion against all Japanese Americans. He noted thousands of loyal Nisei serving in the Army.
• Replies to Letter Sent by National JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Jimmie Fidler replied to JACL president Saburo Kido, explaining his editorial was intended only as fair play. He argued citizenship should be judged by present allegiance rather than ancestry.
• Navy Hero Makes Racist Statement to Coast Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Commander Corydon Wassell, subject of the film Dr. Wassell, told a California women’s group that all persons of Japanese ancestry should be kept behind barbed wire until hostilities end. The remarks drew applause from the audience.
• Soldier in Yukon Raps Prejudices Against Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sgt. M. W. Manahan wrote to San Fernando Valley columnist Bun Browning praising his sympathetic column about a Japanese American soldier. The letter argued that not all Japanese are the same and criticized war-crazed prejudice.
• The National Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial examines how Japanese American voting patterns in Hawaii and California reflected local trends rather than racial bloc voting. It warns that a change in national administration could endanger the relocation program and civil rights.
• Buddhism and Shintoism, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial refutes charges that Japanese Americans are Shintoists owing allegiance to the emperor, citing a government survey showing only four-tenths of one percent were Shintoists. It notes most Buddhists in America belong to Shin and Zen sects that resisted state Shintoism.
• Evacuees and the War, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial honors Nisei volunteers in combat overseas, including the 100th Infantry Battalion, while noting their families remain in relocation camps. It challenges the racist campaigns on the West Coast that seek to keep Japanese Americans from returning home.
• Names, Race-Baiter, and Hostels: Notes from Around the Nation, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A collection of brief notes covers actor Lon McCallister’s call for fair play toward Japanese Americans, race-baiter John Lechner’s embarrassing broadcast, and the defeat of anti-Japanese candidate John Carruthers. Other items mention hostel plans and a California initiative on alien land ownership.
• Nisei in Uniform: Letters From Servicemen, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Excerpts from letters by Nisei soldiers in Italy describe poverty and suffering among civilians and urge readers to appreciate American freedom. The soldiers also express pride in serving with the 100th Battalion and their determination not to let families down.
• Governor Chooses to Forget, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa critiques California Governor Earl Warren’s keynote speech at the Republican convention for ignoring the rights of Japanese Americans. He argues Warren’s lofty ideals contradict the state’s treatment of its own citizens of Japanese descent.

Community

• JACL Chapter Organized on Inter-racial Basis in New York, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Thirty-five citizens unanimously approved forming a New York Chapter of the JACL open to all citizens regardless of race. Roger Baldwin of the ACLU stressed the need for organized protection of Japanese American rights in the East.
• Hundred Will Go Back to WRA Centers After Beatings, by P.C. Staff, page 7. About 100 Japanese American farm workers in Twin Falls and Rupert are returning to relocation centers after a gang of white youths from Buhl attacked evacuees. Officials attributed the departures partly to contract expirations and lack of work.

JACL

• Calling All Chapters!, by Hito Okada, page 6. This column lists contributions received at national headquarters and clarifies PC subscription rates. It also encourages members to join the JACL Credit Union and seek new members.
• JACL Chapter to Be Formed in Colorado City, by P.C. Staff, page 6. More than 75 Japanese Americans in Greeley, Colorado, agreed to form a new JACL chapter at a June 24 meeting. Joe Grant Masaoka, the Tri-State representative, spoke on the Nisei and their country.

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.