Hostility toward returning Nisei, and the 442nd in the Alps

Vol. 20, No. 14, April 7, 1945. 8 pages. View this issue

Japanese Americans returning to the West Coast faced hostility, and the paper reported it closely. Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes said the government owed evacuees help in reestablishing themselves wherever they chose to settle. Elsewhere in the issue, gunmen fired into the home of a returned family in Livingston, California, and a sign in Orosi declared Japanese unwelcome. Larry Tajiri’s editorial “Solution on the Coast” argued that the fight against discrimination had to be won where it began. Bill Hosokawa looked back at a 1920 call for Japanese exclusion, and Lieutenant Colonel James M. Hanley answered a columnist who sneered at Nisei soldiers.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team filled much of pages 2, 6 and 8, from the Maritime Alps to citations for medics and a corporal who took command of his company. Also inside: the Rohwer plans for VE-Day, nineteen Heart Mountain men facing trial in Cheyenne, and fifteen Tule Lake leaders sentenced to jail terms.

What’s in this issue

National

• Ickes Says West Coast People Will Not Tolerate Racist Attacks on Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Interior Secretary Harold Ickes stated that West Coast residents will not long tolerate economic and racial campaigns against Japanese Americans returning home. He added that the government owes evacuees an obligation to help them reestablish themselves wherever they choose to settle.
• California Senate Wants U.S. to Pay for Evacuee Return, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California’s Senate committee adopted a resolution asking the federal government to cover costs of returning persons of Japanese ancestry to the Pacific Coast. Senator Ed Fletcher argued the federal government should bear any county expenses caused by their return.
• Approve Fund for Land Law Prosecutions, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A California Senate committee approved $200,000 for the Attorney General’s office to prosecute violations of the anti-alien land law. The committee also recommended allowing escheat actions covering violations over the past twenty years.
• Filipino Legionnaires Oppose Return of Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Magellan post of the American Legion, composed of Filipino veterans, unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the return of persons of Japanese ancestry to the Pacific Coast. The post recently received its charter from the national organization.
• Anti-Evacuee Sign Posted in Valley Town, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A sign reading ‘No Japs Wanted in This District’ was erected in Orosi, California, overnight on March 30. The local constable said no action would be taken to remove it because it stands on private property.
• Anti-Nisei Leaders Ban Free Discussion at Seattle Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Organizers of a Japanese Exclusion League meeting in Bellevue, Washington, refused to allow opposition speakers and threatened ejection. Attendees were asked to pay $10 to join the organization.

Community

• Only 107 Evacuees Have Left Granada for Coast Homes, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Only 107 evacuees have left the Granada relocation center to return to West Coast homes since the exclusion order was lifted, while 327 relocated to the East and Midwest. Project Director James Lindley said the center will close before January 1, 1946.
• Elderly Evacuee Returns Home to Chinese Friends, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Jusuke Takemoto, 78, is being returned from the Rohwer relocation center to Lodi, California, to live again with Chinese friends he lived with for 35 years. The Yip family sent money for his return trip.
• Rohwer Residents Will Hold Solemn Rites on VE-Day, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Authorities at the Rohwer relocation center announced plans to mark VE-Day with a bugle announcement and a minute of silent prayer. An adult residents’ program in the auditorium will follow the announcement.
• Building Returned by Sacramento Court to Evacuee Owner, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sacramento Municipal Judge Percy West granted grocer Masao Toki restitution of a two-flat building he occupied before evacuation. The suit is believed to be the first in Sacramento where a returned evacuee regained premises through legal action.
• Investigate Property Holdings of Nisei in Placer County, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Placer County District Attorney C. E. Tindall announced that a state investigator is examining property titles held by persons of Japanese ancestry. Escheatment proceedings will follow where evidence of Alien Land Law violations is found.
• Rules Out Issei’s Request for Property, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Multnomah County’s deputy district attorney advised commissioners that Issei B. Fujii has no authority to reclaim 40 acres leased to his sons, who are serving in the armed forces. Fujii had sought the land to plant his own crops.
• Evacuee Woman Gets Salt Lake License, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Salt Lake City Commission authorized a business license to Rae Fujimoto, formerly of San Francisco, to operate a soy products establishment. The brief notes her return to business life after evacuation.
• Calling All Chapters, by Hito Okada, page 6. JACL column notes donations received, the reduced 1945 chapter dues of $10, and availability of JACL pins and the Korematsu brief. It also thanks contributors and apologizes for holiday issue errors.
• Fresno County Asked to Provide Aid to Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Fresno County welfare director Minette Gutzler asked the board of supervisors to authorize cash grants to needy persons of Japanese ancestry returning from relocation centers. The federal government would later reimburse the county.
• Survey Shows Gain in Nisei Land Holdings, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A Tulare County survey found Americans of Japanese ancestry owned slightly more acreage in 1945 than in 1942. Leases involving persons of Japanese ancestry disappeared entirely during the evacuation.

Military & Veterans

• Ten Japanese Americans Die, Seven Wounded in Recent Action on Western Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Office of War Information identified ten American soldiers of Japanese ancestry killed, seven wounded, and one taken prisoner on the European front. The casualties are listed with next of kin on the mainland and Hawaii.
• Nisei Aid Psychological Warfare in Pacific, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A New York Times report describes Nisei and Kibei working in the OWI San Francisco office on radio propaganda broadcasts to Japan. The article notes the broadcasts have expanded sharply since early 1945 through a new Saipan station.
• Report Three Hurt in Action on West Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three Americans of Japanese ancestry were wounded and one was taken prisoner in Germany, according to next-of-kin notifications received at relocation centers. Sergeant Masakazu Nishi and Sergeant Hiroshi Tadakuma were among those wounded for the third time.
• 3rd Battalion of Combat Team Recently Engaged in Difficult Warfare in Maritime Alps, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The 3rd Battalion of the 442nd Infantry Regiment fought difficult mountain warfare along the France-Italy border after earlier actions in Italy and the Vosges. The unit has earned fifty awards, with over 200 more pending for action in France.
• Nisei Battalion in France, by Marjorie Avery, page 2. Detroit Free Press correspondent Marjorie Avery reported that the 100th Battalion of the 442nd guards the French-Italian front in the Maritime Alps with an outstanding record. The unit is now augmented by Japanese American men from the mainland.
• Two Nisei Girls Commissioned in U.S. Army Nurse Corps, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two more Nisei women, Teiko Harata and Masako Mary Yamada, were commissioned in the Army Nurse Corps, bringing the total to five. Properly qualified Nisei women are now accepted on the same basis as other applicants.
• Other Receives Silver Star Won by Soldier Son, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Tomi Aoyama received the posthumous Silver Star for her son, Corporal Yoshiharu Aoyama, who was fatally wounded in Italy in July 1944. He refused medical attention until other wounded men were treated.
• Corporal from Hawaii Assumes Command of Battered Company, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Corporal Tenki C. Taba led his company after all officers were killed or wounded during fighting to rescue the Lost Battalion. He continued leading despite wounds and exposure, ensuring his men received supplies.
• Gen. Devers Awards Silver, Bronze Stars to Men in 442nd, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Lt. Gen. Jacob Devers authorized Silver and Bronze Star awards to several 442nd soldiers for gallantry in France. The citations describe rescue, patrol leadership, and first aid under heavy fire.
• Front-Line GIs Hold Medics in High Esteem, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Medics of the 442nd Combat Team accompany patrols in the French Alps and have repeatedly risked their lives to aid the wounded. The Medical Detachment has a higher percentage of gallantry decorations than other units of the regiment.
• Medic Works at Job Despite Own Injury, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Corporal Ryoji Terada of Los Angeles remained with his rifle company for 36 hours after being wounded by German shelling. He treated multiple injured soldiers before going to aid another company.
• Cannon Company Gives Close Support to Front-Line Forces, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The 442nd’s cannon company provides continuous artillery support to front-line infantry in the Alps. The company knocked out enemy guns in Italy and aided the rescue of the Lost Battalion in France.
• War Hero Returns Home to Layton on 30-Day Furlough, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Private First Class Kozo Yamane of the 442nd returned home on furlough after earning recognition for heroism. He was wounded rescuing a comrade in Italy and later defended a threatened post in France.

Incarceration & Redress

• Fifteen Leaders Jailed at Newell, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fifteen leaders of groups accused of carrying on pro-Japanese activities at the Tule Lake center were sentenced to jail terms of 90 to 110 days. The men included presidents and vice-presidents of two pro-Japanese societies.
• Nineteen Face Trial in Draft Violation Cases, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nineteen evacuees, residents of the Heart Mountain relocation center, were scheduled for trial in Cheyenne on draft violation charges. Attorney A. L. Wirin represents most defendants, and the case was decided on stipulated facts with briefs due in April and May.
• Night-Riders Continue Attacks on Homes of Returned Evacuees in Central California Area, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Unidentified gunmen fired shots into the porch of T. Andow’s home in Livingston, California, the second attack on that house in a month. FBI agents and Merced County deputies are investigating this and other attacks on returned evacuees.
• WRA Chief Asks Protection for Japanese American GIs Returning to Coast States, by P.C. Staff, page 3. WRA Director Dillon Myer intends to request protection for Japanese American veterans returning to the West Coast after a gun attack in Madera, California. The victims included a corporal and a discharged Italian campaign veteran.
• WRA Studies Nebraska Move to Oust Nisei Farmers in Buffalo County, by P.C. Staff, page 3. WRA officials investigated a petition signed by 91 farmers asking a Nebraska construction company to stop employing Japanese Americans. Two families from Topaz were asked to move, though they came in response to job offers.
• Topaz Evacuees Give to Red Cross, by P.C. Staff, page 3. West Coast evacuees residing at the Topaz project contributed $1,574 to the American Red Cross. The local chapter director announced the donation on March 4.
• WRA Modifies Policy on Visits to War Relocation Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The WRA revised its visitor rules to allow relocatees up to 80 days of visits in total without advance approval. Charges for meals and lodging apply to non-resident visitors, with exceptions for certain categories.

Commentary

• GI Views on Nisei Americans Told to People of Home Town, by Norman Forman and Gerald Plaskett, page 2. Two GI sergeants wrote to the Sacramento Bee rebutting a letter that criticized Japanese Americans attending American schools. They praised Nisei soldiers who fought and died alongside them and condemned those who mistreat Nisei at home.
• Franco and the Draft, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial notes that Spain’s Franco government will stop representing Japanese interests in the United States, leaving Japanese aliens without a go-between. It criticizes Spanish consulate interference in Nisei draft matters and pro-fascist influence on evacuees.
• Solution on the Coast, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial argues that Japanese Americans cannot escape discrimination simply by moving away from it. It contends the fight against discrimination must be won on the West Coast, where its economic and racial roots lie.
• On Nisei Loyalty, by Des Moines Register, page 4. A reprinted Des Moines Register editorial praises the loyalty of Japanese Americans despite wartime mistreatment. It traces the government’s evacuation, relocation, and military service policies and warns about the difficulties facing elderly Issei.
• Notes on Nisei Heroes, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri reviews how fiction and films portray Japanese Americans, noting a Nisei spy character killed in a novel and recurring Hollywood sabotage fallacies. He also surveys the growing body of Nisei literary and artistic work produced in the camps.
• Commander of Nisei Unit Answers Racist Comment, by James M. Hanley, page 5. Lieutenant Colonel James M. Hanley, commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 442nd, rebutted a columnist’s sneering remark about ‘good Jap-Americans.’ He recounted the sacrifice and bravery of his Nisei soldiers and invited the critic to see their graves.
• Story of a Typical Evacuee Family Told in New Novel, by Sam Hohri, page 5. Sam Hohri reviews Florence Crannell Means’ juvenile novel The Moved-Outers, which follows the Ohara family from Pearl Harbor through camp life. He praises its authentic detail and suggests placing it in public libraries.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reprints a 1920 Sacramento Bee publisher’s speech urging Japanese exclusion, showing how the same economic and racial arguments persist. He reminds Nisei that their struggle continues a decades-old fight for American rights.
• Letter-Box: From Our Readers, by Jean Hastings Lovejoy, page 5. A West Hartford, Connecticut, reader writes welcoming Japanese Americans to New England and offering temporary homes to those without places to return. She expresses concern about rights being denied and hopes for harmony.

Sports

• Army Sets Up Ordnance Depot Jobs for Evacuees, by Photos by Toshi Aoyama, page 3. Evacuees from several relocation centers now work as munitions handlers and clerks at the Sioux Ordnance Depot in Nebraska. Army officials began recruiting Nisei and Issei there last September, and the workers have been well received by staff.

Arts & Entertainment

• Evacuee Artist Shows Work at Exhibition in Philadelphia, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Masao Yabuki, formerly of the Central Utah center, is exhibiting fourteen paintings at the Women’s University Club in Philadelphia. He is a trained artist who now works for an industrial design firm there.

JACL

• Dr. Adam Bennion Addresses JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Dr. Adam Bennion was the special guest speaker at a Mt. Olympus chapter JACL meeting in Murray, Utah, on March 23. Musical selections and dancing completed the program.

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