Nisei soldiers in France and the Korematsu and Endo cases

Vol. 19, No. 19, November 11, 1944. 8 pages. View this issue

Japanese American soldiers in France were the main news of this eight-page issue. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team led the attack that relieved the “lost battalion” of the 36th Texas Division in the Vosges foothills, and the first casualties reported since the unit joined the Seventh Army appeared on the front page, including Joseph Kato and Mitsuru E. Miyoko. Inside, short items covered awards and Bronze Stars for Nisei in Italy.

On the legal side, Hearings before the Supreme Court in the Korematsu and Endo cases were summarized by the WRA Acting Solicitor, and A. L. Wirin reported on the Ochikubo case. Larry Tajiri reviewed the election results and Bill Hosokawa wrote From the Frying Pan. Saburo Kido urged evacuees to use WRA warehouses, and an editorial welcomed Colorado voters’ rejection of Amendment No. 3.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Casualties Reported by Next of Kin, by P.C. Staff, page 1. American soldiers of Japanese ancestry from western states were reported killed and wounded in action in France, the first casualties reported from the European theater since the 442nd Regimental Combat Team went into action with the Seventh Army. The notifications came as the Seventh Army fought in the Vosges foothills.
• WRA Urges Use of Government’s Warehouses to Protect Evacuee Goods, by Saburo Kido, page 6. JACL President Saburo Kido visited a government warehouse in San Francisco and found evacuee property carefully crated and protected. He urges evacuees to use the WRA storage facilities to prevent vandalism and theft of stored belongings.
• Important Evacuation Issues Raised in Korematsu, Endo Cases, Says WRA Solicitor, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Hearings before the Supreme Court in the Korematsu and Endo cases raised key legal questions about the evacuation and relocation program. The WRA Acting Solicitor summarized the government’s arguments on military necessity and detention.
• Seven Given Prison Terms for Conspiracy, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Seven Japanese Americans were sentenced to two to four years in federal prison after a jury found them guilty of conspiracy to aid draft violations. Attorney A. L. Wirin plans to appeal the convictions.

Military & Veterans

• Lindbergh Enters Plea of Nolo Contendere in Court, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Gordon Hirabayashi entered a plea of nolo contendere in a test case of military restrictions on Japanese American citizens in Spokane. The judge indicated he would consider accepting such pleas in exceptional cases.
• Idaho Soldier Killed Recently on French Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Max Hosoda of Emmett, Idaho was reported killed in action in France, the first Japanese American death from the Boise Valley. His parents learned of the death from his bride.
• Parents Learn Son Killed on French Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pfc. Joseph Kato of Tremonton, Utah, who demanded induction in February 1942, was killed in action in France on Oct. 16. He was the last Nisei inducted into the Army before evacuation.
• Posthumous Award of Purple Heart Given Pfc. Tanaka, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pfc. Matt Tanaka of Hunt, Idaho, who died in action in the battle of Belvedere, was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. His parents and siblings reside at Minidoka.
• Killed in France: Tech. Sgt. Mitsuru E. Miyoko, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tech. Sgt. Mitsuru E. Miyoko of Los Angeles was killed in action on Oct. 15 in France. He had volunteered for the Army in 1941 and is survived by his wife and several brothers and a sister.
• Germany Holds Two Nisei as War Prisoners, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two soldiers of Japanese ancestry, Pfc. Walter D. Shibata and Pvt. Susumu Yoshioka, are among 1,047 U.S. troops held prisoner by Germany, believed captured in Italy. The War Department announced the news on Nov. 8.
• California, Hawaii Soldiers Lay Line Despite Heavy Barrage, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Corporal Hiroshi Tadakuma and Private First Class James Matsunaga laid two miles of wire on the Italian front to restore communications, repairing a break under enemy artillery fire. They returned safely to their post.
• 442nd Infantry Leads Attack Which Relieves Trapped ‘Lost Battalion’ in Foothills of Vosges, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team led the drive that rescued the ‘lost battalion’ of the 36th Texas Division, trapped behind German lines in France for eight days. Rescue forces captured Bruyeres and reached the encircled infantrymen, who had received food by air drops.
• Japanese American Soldiers First to Reach Encircled Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pfc. Mutt Sakumoto was the first American soldier to reach the lost battalion of the 36th Texas Division near Bruyeres, according to Lieut. Gordon Nelson. Lieutenant Nelson praised the 442nd for their fighting ability.
• Japanese American Swimmers Pace Fifth Army to Victory, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japanese American swimmers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team led the Fifth Army to victory in the First Allied Swimming Championships held in Rome. Charles Oda and Halo Hirose won major shares of events.
• Sixth Nisei Girl From Poston Joins Women’s Army Corps, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Aiko Nell Sasuga of Poston became the sixth girl from that center to join the Women’s Army Corps. Other WACs from the center are also named.
• Bronze Stars Awarded to Hawaiian GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The War Department announced Bronze Star awards to soldiers of Japanese ancestry, including Tech. Sgt. Tadashi K. Ohta and an oak leaf cluster for Staff Sgt. James J. Tani for action near Cassino. Tani reorganized his platoon after its leader became a casualty.
• Mother Learns of Son’s Injury on French Front, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mrs. Yuki Sasaki of Rohwer was informed that her son Pvt. Minoru Sasaki was slightly wounded in action in France. The news was reported by the Rohwer Outpost.
• Sgt. Tanouye Knocks Out Two Machine-Guns, Kills Fourteen, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Technical Sergeant Ted T. Tanouye personally knocked out two machine guns and killed 14 Germans during the fight for Hill 140 in Italy. His action opened the way for the 34th Division to drive the Germans from the hilltop.
• Staff Sgt. Charles K. Harada Crawls Through Minefield to Establish Listening Post, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Staff Sergeant Charles K. Harada repaired communication lines under heavy fire and then crawled through a minefield at night to establish a listening post on the Italian front. His comrades praised his calm leadership.
• Cpl. Aoyama Refused Medical Treatment for Battle Wounds, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Corporal Yoshiharu N. Aoyama of Los Angeles was posthumously awarded the Silver Star after he rescued a wounded companion and then refused aid until others were treated. He died the next day from his wounds.
• Pvt. Okitsu Wins Bronze Star in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Private Okitsu of Los Angeles was awarded the Bronze Star for crossing 300 yards of fire to bring medical aid to wounded comrades. His actions enabled the wounded to receive prompt treatment.
• Nisei Is First Woman Graduate of Brothers College, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mrs. Mas Sakata became the first woman graduate of Brothers College of Drew University, while Ben Iijima graduated with honors. Other Topaz residents also won academic honors at eastern colleges.
• Japanese American Patrol First to Draw Fire on Arno, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A patrol of the 442nd led by Captain Robert Hempstead was the first American unit to draw German fire along the Arno river in Italy. The patrol killed seven Germans in the engagement.
• Ochikubo Case May Determine Validity of Continued Military Ban on Nisei Return to Coast, by A. L. Wirin, page 6. Los Angeles attorney A. L. Wirin reports that General Bonesteel admitted in court he would use military force to enforce exclusion orders against Dr. Ochikubo. Test cases filed by Nisei at Poston are set to follow the Ochikubo trial.
• 100th Infantry Veterans Find Florida Reminiscent of Home, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Seven Japanese American veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion, now at Miami for reassignment, say Florida’s palm trees and climate reminded them of Hawaii. All seven hold the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Commentary

• Nisei and the Press, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes that opposition to evacuee return is fading and credits the combat record of Japanese American soldiers. It praises fair treatment by many major newspapers while criticizing the Hearst press.
• Victory in Colorado, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Colorado voters rejected the anti-alien land bill, Amendment No. 3, twice defeating the measure. The editorial warns that opponents may try extra-legal pressures and credits the Colorado Committee for Fair Play.
• A Welcome Change, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises a radio program, They Call Me Joe, for portraying a Japanese immigrant and his grandson without racial stereotypes. It contrasts this with radio’s long history of ethnic caricatures.
• A Permanent FEPC, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial hopes Congress will make the Fair Employment Practice Committee permanent after the election. It argues that economic equality is needed to end prejudice against minorities.
• Nisei in the News, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri analyzes the election results, noting the repudiation of racist campaign tactics in the West. He reviews the defeats of anti-Japanese politicians like Carter, Rolph, and Poulson.
• A Short Story: The Finance Over at Doi’s, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A short story describes Satoru Doi, who obsessively tracks stock prices with imaginary investments and loses his grip on daily life. The narrator watches his friend’s hopes collapse as his stocks fall.
• From the Frying Pan: Lies of Coast Racists Come Home to Roost, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa argues that the false claims of sabotage, espionage, and mass disloyalty used to justify evacuation have been refuted. He cites service members’ friendly treatment of Nisei as evidence the racists’ predictions of violence were wrong.
• Kibei Courage, by (Officer’s Name Withheld), page 4. A letter from an officer in France praises Kibei soldiers in his unit, including a first sergeant and wounded men who rushed a machine-gun nest. The writer calls their courage a grand example.
• Minidoka Analyst Publishes Booklet on Race Problems, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Elmer R. Smith, a sociologist at Minidoka, published a booklet collecting essays on race, democracy, and minority problems. It includes his radio address and articles previously published in the Pacific Citizen.

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