Victory over Japan and the plan to close the camps

Vol. 21, No. 7, August 18, 1945. 8 pages. View this issue

The end of the war with Japan shaped this eight-page issue, and the first question it asked was what V-J Day meant for the camps. The War Relocation Authority was expected to keep to its plan of emptying the relocation camps of about 50,000 residents by Dec. 15, with a quota system for returning to the West Coast. Larry Tajiri and Bill Hosokawa wrote on relocation and the housing and jobs awaiting those who returned. Camp councils and the American Council on Race Relations urged a delay. JACL president Saburo Kido spoke for Nisei on V-J Day.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team ran through the issue: Lt. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott’s praise, Captain Grandstaff’s account of the campaigns in France and Italy, the surrender of about 1,000 German soldiers, and several awards. Also here are the apology to Pfc. Richard H. Naito over his VFW rejection in Spokane, and Mary Oyama’s column on returning to Los Angeles.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• WRA Will Not Affect Closing Program; Quota System for Return Disclosed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Relocation Authority plans to keep its program to empty the relocation camps of about 50,000 residents by Dec. 15 despite the end of the war. A quota system and temporary housing arrangements were outlined for evacuees returning to the West Coast.
• Camp Councils Urge Delay in Closing Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Community governments in six relocation centers endorsed a Topaz resolution asking the WRA to delay its plans to close the camps. The petition was sent to WRA director Dillon S. Myer.
• Council on Race Relations Criticizes Insistence of WRA on Own Liquidation Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The American Council on Race Relations criticized the WRA for rushing to close all centers by year’s end, citing lack of housing and employment in the Bay Area. The council argued the government should assume responsibility for facilitating evacuees’ return.

National

• Nisei in U.S., Hawaii Hail End of War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese Americans joined celebrations of V-J Day, with JACL president Saburo Kido stating that Nisei were happy but that the victory should be tempered by the cost of American casualties. Kido stressed the responsibility to ensure returning servicemen have homes and jobs.
• JACD Calls for Removal of Obstacles to Japan Democracy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ernest Iiyama of the Japanese American Committee for Democracy urged full implementation of the Potsdam declaration and vigilance by the American people over the occupation of Japan. He called for removal of obstacles to democratic reform, including the retention of the Emperor.

Military & Veterans

• National VFW Sends Apology to Nisei GI Over Rejection, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The national VFW apologized to Pfc. Richard H. Naito for the Spokane post’s rejection of his membership application on racial grounds. Veterans groups in Michigan offered Naito and a fellow veteran membership, and the Spokane veterans committee expressed gratitude.
• Discrimination Against Nisei Soldiers ‘Outrageous,’ Says War Department Official, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy called discrimination against Nisei veterans in Spokane and elsewhere outrageous and pledged War Department action. He praised the 442nd Regimental Combat Team’s record in Italy and France.
• Nisei Killed Urging Enemy to Surrender, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sgt. George I. Nakamura of Santa Cruz was killed by enemy fire on Palawan while attempting to obtain the surrender of isolated Japanese troops. His commanding officer described his heroic action in a letter to his parents.
• Gen. Truscott, Fifth Army’s Commander, Hails War Record of Japanese American Troops, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Lt. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott praised the 442nd Regimental Combat Team as among the best soldiers in the American Army and as fine citizens. His statement commended their combat record at Anzio, in southern France, and in Italy.
• Five Segregees Held Illegally, ACLU Charges, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The ACLU filed writs of habeas corpus in federal court seeking release of five youths imprisoned at the Tule Lake segregation center. The petitions charge the youths were denied fair trials on charges of pretended military rule violations.
• Captain Grandstaff’s Story: I Give You Americans! Part II, by Capt. Grandstaff, page 5. Captain Grandstaff recounts the 442nd’s campaigns in France and Italy, including the rescue of the Lost Battalion. He contrasts the sacrifices of Nisei soldiers with the Remember Pearl Harbor League on the West Coast.
• Bronze Star Honors GI Who Risked Life to Aid Wounded, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Staff Sgt. Minoru Masuda received the Bronze Star for crawling under German fire to rescue wounded men during an attack in Italy. He served as a medical technician with the 442nd.
• Thousand Germans Surrender to Three Men from 442nd During Final Drive in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 6. First Lt. George Seeley, Tech. Sgt. Harry Harada and Staff Sgt. Yoshio Teruya of the 442nd accepted the surrender of about 1,000 German soldiers after Italian Partisans reported their willingness to give up. The Germans laid down their weapons without resistance.
• Penryn Nisei Escaped from Nazi Captors, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Pfc. Henry K. Yusa received the Bronze Star for escaping German captivity with five comrades and returning with intelligence that led to the destruction of enemy installations. He had been captured during his first combat action.
• 42nd Infantry’s Swim Stars Win Fifth Army Championship, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Swimmers of the 442nd Infantry swept the Fifth Army swimming championships in Milan, led by Pfc. Charles Oda. The team will represent the Fifth Army in the Allied championships in Rome.
• D.S.C. Posthumously Awarded to Pfc. Joe Nishimoto, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Pfc. Joe M. Nishimoto of Fresno received the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously for silencing three German machine gun nests in France. He was later killed by machinegun fire near Biffontaine.

Community

• Two Evacuee Girls Get Jobs with Army Signal Corps, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Lillian Oda and Kazuko Yeya obtained clerk-typist jobs with the Army Signal Corps in Philadelphia. Both relocated from WRA camps and found employment soon after arriving.
• No Special Hate Shown Nisei in Pacific by Enemy Troops, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sgt. Samuel Rokutani, a Nisei veteran of the Okinawa campaign, reported that enemy Japanese soldiers showed no special hatred toward Japanese American soldiers. He described his wounding in the final days of organized resistance on Okinawa.
• Act to Reactivate JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Returnees in Mountain View, Calif. elected officers to reactivate a JACL chapter after converting the Japanese hall into a hostel. Joe Grant Masaoka reported on local job and housing conditions.
• Returned Evacuees Hold Picnic for Fort Lawton Troops, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Sakaguchi families of Bellevue, Wash. hosted a picnic and dance for convalescing Hawaiian members of the 442nd at Fort Lawton hospital. The event was planned as the start of a series of gatherings for servicemen.

Commentary

• The Battle Ahead, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reflects on the end of World War II and warns that the battle against intolerance and discrimination must continue to prevent future conflict. It argues that prejudice against minorities, even in isolated incidents, is a crime against peace.
• V-J in Canada, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes Canada’s prejudicial treatment of Japanese Canadians, including the blocking of their military enlistment and the repatriation program. It urges Canada to treat this minority in keeping with the principles for which the war was fought.
• Victory and Nisei, by Elmer R. Smith, page 4. Elmer R. Smith praises the record of Nisei soldiers in the 100th Battalion, 442nd Regiment, and Pacific theater, arguing they proved their Americanism. He urges continued vigilance so the freedoms fought for become reality.
• V-J Day and Relocation, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri describes the wartime experience of a Nisei who was evacuated, served in the 442nd, and then worked with displaced persons. He argues the WRA’s compulsory relocation of remaining evacuees must not repeat the injustices of the evacuation.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa summarizes prospects for relocatees returning to the Pacific Coast, noting difficulties in housing and employment. He highlights volunteer work groups of the American Friends Service Committee in Seattle who aid returning evacuees.
• Book Review: Religion and Race Tensions, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Elmer R. Smith reviews a Harvard volume of essays on religion and racial tensions, summarizing its argument that race is a myth used to justify prejudice. He notes the book’s emphasis on interracial cooperation.
• Home to California, by Mary Oyama, page 6. Mary Oyama describes the generally good treatment her family has received in Los Angeles, recounting one unpleasant incident with a neighbor. She reports supportive responses from friends and public figures and encourages Nisei to stay hopeful.

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