Violence against returning Japanese Americans, and the 442nd’s honors

Vol. 20, No. 5, February 3, 1945. 8 pages. View this issue

News of the war and of the return home ran side by side in this eight-page issue. The War Department identified Japanese American soldiers killed and wounded on the Western Front, and Seventy-eight members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team received awards at a ceremony in France. Staff Sgt. Kazuo Otani was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. At home, the attempted dynamiting of the Sumio Doi ranch in Placer County drew an editorial, “Trial by Dynamite,” and Teiko Ishida wrote of citizens organizing a council for civic unity.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa’s “From the Frying Pan” took up un-Americanism. Toshio Mori’s story “The Day After Today” followed an elderly Issei man in a camp barrack. Other pages covered Governor Earl Warren’s remarks on California opinion, an Army Air Forces radio drama about Sgt. Ben Kuroki, and the dancer Yuriko Amemiya touring with the Martha Graham company.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• War Department Announces Japanese Americans Killed, Wounded on Western Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department identified Japanese American soldiers killed and wounded in action in the European and Southwest Pacific areas. Next of kin were notified and kept informed of status changes.
• Five Casualties Reported from Western Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. One Japanese American soldier was reported killed and two wounded, with two missing in action, according to War Department information. Names and families of the casualties are listed.
• Staff Sgt. Otani Given Distinguished Service Cross, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Staff Sgt. Kazuo Otani of the 442nd Combat Team was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism near Pieve di S. Luce, Italy. His citation describes him deliberately exposing himself to draw fire away from his platoon.
• Japanese American Combat Team Honors 78 Members for Heroism in Action in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Seventy-eight members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team received awards at a ceremony in France. Major General John E. Dahlquist presented the decorations and praised their soldierly qualities.
• Winner of Highest Army Honor Praises Nisei Soldiers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. Leo Powers, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor, praised the Japanese American soldiers who fought beside him in Italy. He criticized Seattle opposition to the return of Nisei families.
• Lieut. Yamazaki Missing in French Action, by P.C. Staff, page 3. First Lieut. James N. Yamazaki, a field artillery surgeon with the 106th Division, was reported missing in action in France since Dec. 21. His wife lost their newborn child shortly before the report.
• Parents Learn of Son’s Death On West Front, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The War Department notified the parents of Pfc. Kazuo Mitani of Salt Lake City that he was killed in action in France. He had previously been wounded and had returned to combat with the 442nd.
• Army Air Forces Dramatizes Life Story of Sgt. Kuroki on Nation-wide Broadcast on CBS, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Army Air Forces Radio Unit dramatized the story of Sgt. Ben Kuroki on a CBS broadcast. The program argued that racial discrimination against Japanese Americans wounds the war effort.
• Letter From a Wounded Nisei, by By the Crusaders, page 7. A wounded infantryman writes from a hospital about his eye injury and his recovery. He praises the cheerful courage of blind 442nd veteran Kiyoto Nakai.
• Determined Faces of Nisei Soldiers, by 1st Sgt. Willy Sakai, page 7. First Sgt. Willy Sakai describes a winter scene among Nisei soldiers in France, with songs, card games, and laundry. He conveys their determination and camaraderie.

Community

• Placer County Citizens Will Organize to Aid Evacuees, by Teiko Ishida, page 1. Auburn citizens are organizing a Placer County Council for Civic Unity in response to violence against returning Japanese Americans. Four men were held in connection with the attempted dynamiting of the Sumio Doi ranch.
• California Farmer Has Six Brothers in Army Service, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yoshio Nakada, a Gila River resident returning to his Azusa ranch, has six brothers serving in the U.S. Army. Their assignments range from France to the South Pacific and training stations.
• Deplore Attempts to Create Friction Between Nisei, Negroes, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The San Francisco NAACP passed a resolution deploring efforts to create hatred between Japanese Americans and Negroes. The resolution expressed sympathy for Nisei citizens facing discriminatory campaigns.
• Seattle CIO Council Extends Welcome to Nisei Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Seattle CIO Council welcomed Japanese Americans returning to Washington and condemned race-baiting. More than half of the area’s CIO locals had already ratified the resolution.
• U of Washington Paper Asks For Fair Play, by Julie Legg, page 3. The University of Washington Daily editorial asked Governor Wallgren to support fair treatment of returning Japanese American evacuees. It argued Washington should lead in upholding democratic ideals.
• San Jose College President Doubts Campus Poll Accuracy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Jose College president Dr. T. W. MacQuarrie questioned a student poll that showed opposition to evacuee return. He argued that welcoming Japanese Americans back upholds the nation’s founding principles.
• Pasadena Group Informs Nisei Troops of Relocation Progress, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Pasadena Friends of the American Way sent letters to Nisei soldiers reporting which returnees had come back to the area. The letters describe jobs and housing arrangements for the returning families.
• California’s Majority Opinion Supports Return of Nisei to Coast Homes, Says Governor, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Governor Earl Warren told his cabinet that majority opinion in California supports the return of evacuees. He said the few incidents of harassment did not represent the true sentiment of communities.
• Nation Watches California Re-Evacuee Issue, Declares Wise, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Waterman Wise, president of the Council Against Intolerance in America, said the nation is watching California’s treatment of returning Nisei. He noted encouraging signs such as a Congressional bill on fair employment practices.
• Man Who Opposed Nisei Group Baptized by Rev. Morikawa, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A Chicago war plant worker who had opposed employing Japanese Americans was baptized by Rev. Jitsuo Morikawa, a Nisei minister. The First Baptist Church has since grown its membership with Nisei attendees.
• JACL to Sponsor McWilliams Lecture, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Chicago JACL and Council Against Intolerance will sponsor a March 16 lecture by Carey McWilliams, author of Prejudice. The talk addresses the story of Japanese Americans.

National

• Japanese American Sent Corregidor’s Surrender Message, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Japanese American soldier attached to Gen. Wainwright’s headquarters radioed Corregidor’s final surrender message. The report emerged after the rescue of 513 American prisoners of war on Jan. 31.
• Three Seattle Groups Oppose Wallgren Stand, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three Seattle organizations publicly criticized Governor Mon C. Wallgren for opposing the return of Japanese Americans to the West Coast. The Auburn chapter of the Remember Pearl Harbor League praised his statement.

Incarceration & Redress

• State Deputies Investigate Placer Affair, by P.C. Staff, page 1. State Attorney General’s office representatives investigated the terroristic raids against the Sumio Doi ranch. The California Preservation Association replaced the Placer County Anti-Japanese League, whose membership had dwindled.
• Statute of Limitations Bars Escheat Proceedings, Contends Defense Council, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Defense counsel for the Chiamori family argued that California’s escheat proceedings over a Parlier ranch were barred by the statute of limitations. Counsel also argued that military service makes Japanese aliens eligible for citizenship.
• Publication of Anti-Evacuee Acts Endorsed, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Sacramento Council for Civic Unity endorsed press coverage of violence against returning evacuees. It also commended Police Chief Alec McAllister for his statement on the evacuees’ return.
• Nisei Americans Cited as Scapegoats of World War II, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. Gordon Chapman told a California legislative committee that Japanese American citizens are the scapegoats of the war. Senator Irwin Quinn objected, and Chapman responded that German atrocities could be matched with Japanese ones.
• Howser Charges Project Attorney Coached Evacuee, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Los Angeles District Attorney Fred Howser charged that a WRA attorney at Poston coached a Japanese American witness to refuse answers in an alien land suit. The witness was ordered jailed for contempt.

Commentary

• Trial by Dynamite, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns the attempted dynamiting of the Sumio Doi ranch in Placer County as an act of racism and terrorism. It notes that the violence has provoked a counter-reaction from law-abiding citizens.
• Facts Versus Errors, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial presents Dr. Paul S. Taylor’s refutations of four common falsehoods about Japanese Americans, using census and agricultural data. The facts show declining population, minimal farm competition, and few unpaid family laborers.
• Rankin for Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes Rep. John Rankin’s maneuver to create a permanent House un-American activities committee. It notes Rankin’s proposed investigation of Japanese Americans and suggests the committee may avoid witch hunts.
• Writing the Nisei Story, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reviews the Korematsu decision and the books and histories that document the Nisei wartime experience. It surveys authors including Carey McWilliams, Pearl Buck, and others who have written about Japanese Americans.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column notes news items about Nisei employment, Hollywood, and community welcomes across the country. It reports on Governor Wallgren’s claim of being misquoted and on clearance procedures for evacuee workers.
• From the Frying Pan: Prominent Citizens Define Americanism, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa examines Rep. Karl Mundt’s request for definitions of un-Americanism from prominent Americans. He argues that the Dies and Costello committees engaged in the very un-American conduct they claimed to investigate.
• West Coast and Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin is quoted as saying the Japanese question on the West Coast can fade if tolerance and fair play prevail. It warns that persistent diehard opposition will keep intolerance alive.

In-Depth

• Writing the Nisei Story (continued), by P.C. Staff, page 5. The continuation discusses forthcoming histories and novels, including works by Toshio Mori and Bradford Smith. It argues the full Nisei story will require contributions from Japanese American writers.

Arts & Entertainment

• The Day After Today, by Toshio Mori, page 5. An elderly Issei man lies awake in his camp barrack, reflecting on his lost San Francisco cleaning shop and his uncertain future. He envies his neighbor whose children await him and worries for his wife.
• Star of Gold, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A poem dedicated to Pfc. Edward Ogawa, killed in action in France in October 1944. It honors his sacrifice for freedom and the flag he loved.
• Evacuee Dancer Tours East With Martha Graham Troupe, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Yuriko Amemiya, a Nisei dancer from Gila River, is touring seven Eastern cities with the Martha Graham Dance Company. She joined the company in May after earlier studies in California.
• Trombonist Plays with Band at Milwaukee Hotel, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Paul Higaki, known as Paul Murphy Lee, opened an engagement with the Bill Cross band in Milwaukee. He is a former 442nd trainee who was medically discharged before joining bands in the Midwest.

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