October 1945: the 100th Battalion’s second citation and returning evacuees

Vol. 21, No. 14, October 6, 1945. 8 pages. View this issue

The 100th Battalion of the 442nd Combat Team earned a second Presidential Unit Citation for its fighting in the Vosges Mountains of France, including its rescue of the Lost Battalion in October 1944. The front page carried the citation text, a report on the 442nd Regimental Combat Team’s decorations, and the story of Staff Sgt. Hiromu (Bill) Wada, who interpreted at the Japanese surrender ceremonies at Ominato. Pages 2 and 3 followed the return of Japanese Americans to the West Coast, with the JACL’s protest over Japanese prisoners of war sent to harvest farms in the San Joaquin Valley.

Larry Tajiri wrote on the Little Tokyos question and on the return of the evacuees, and Bill Hosokawa and John Kitasako contributed columns. Other items covered a federal grand jury hearing on terrorism in Placer County, a report that Nisei helped build the structures where the atomic bomb was assembled, and 600 former Amache residents heading home to California. Community news from Chicago, Cleveland, Omaha and Milwaukee filled page 6.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• 100th Battalion Wins Second Unit Citation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 100th Battalion of the 442nd Combat Team received a second Presidential Unit Citation for its combat actions in the Vosges Mountains of France. The citation details its fighting near Bruyeres and Biffontaine in October 1944, including its rescue of the Lost Battalion.
• Nisei Interprets at Surrender Ceremony, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Staff Sgt. Hiromu (Bill) Wada, a Japanese American from Murray, Utah, served as chief interpreter at the Japanese surrender ceremonies at Ominato on Sept. 9. A photo caption identifies the American and Japanese delegations present.
• Hope to Cancel Bids For Repatriation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese Canadian evacuees at Tashme who signed for repatriation hoped to cancel their requests and remain in Canada. A spokesman said a refusal to move out of British Columbia may be counted against them.
• 100th Battalion Wins Second Unit Citation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The continued text of the 100th Battalion citation describes its fighting at Biffontaine and its rescue of the Lost Battalion in late October 1944. The battalion is now commanded by Major Mitsuyoshi Fukuda.
• Nisei Veteran Commissioned as Officer in Maritime Service, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Lt. Yoshino, a Nisei veteran discharged after six years in the Army, was commissioned in the U.S. Maritime Service. His brothers and sisters also contributed to military and war efforts.
• Bronze Star for Action in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. Archie Atagi of Nyssa, Oregon, was awarded the Bronze Star for two actions against enemy counterattacks during the drive to rescue the Lost Battalion near La Houssiere, France. Atagi also wears the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
• Nyssa GI Given Bronze Star for Action in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. Archie Atagi of Nyssa, Oregon, was awarded the Bronze Star for heroic action with the 442nd. He also holds the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and campaign stars.
• Nisei Americans Participate In Surrender Parley Between Allies, Japanese in China, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Lt. Akiji Yoshimura and Sgt. Roy Matsumoto, both Nisei veterans of Merrill’s Marauders, took part in preliminary surrender negotiations at Chihkiang, China. The talks addressed the release of American prisoners held in the China theater.
• Soldier Asks Address of Parents of Nisei Killed in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Pfc. Roy Ono of Co. A, 100th Battalion, asked for the address of the Takehara family so he could send a photo of their son’s grave. He had attended memorial services in Castelforentino.

Community

• Not Guilty Pleas Entered by Pair in Centerville Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two men accused of firing a shotgun into the homes of two Japanese American families near Centerville pleaded not guilty in Oakland. Their trial was set for Oct. 19 on charges of attempted murder and assault.
• JACL Protests Assignment Of POWs to Coast Farms, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL president Saburo Kido protested the Army’s assignment of 3,500 Japanese prisoners of war to harvest work in the San Joaquin Valley. He argued the move endangered returning evacuees in an area of recent terroristic activity.
• Chaplain Yamada To Address Chicago JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Capt. Masao Yamada, the first Nisei appointed a chaplain in the U.S. Army, will speak to the Chicago JACL on Oct. 11. He was honored for his work with the 100th Battalion and 442nd in Italy and France.
• Only 18,000 Left in Centers, Says Official of WRA, by P.C. Staff, page 2. WRA assistant director R. B. Cozzens said fewer than 18,000 people of Japanese ancestry remained in the eight relocation centers. About 3,500 were leaving each week.
• Gila’s Canal Camp, Two Poston Units Close Ahead of Schedule, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Gila River’s Canal Camp and two Poston units closed ahead of schedule with no difficulty reported. Most transferees were dependent persons awaiting verification of West Coast residence.
• Disclose Nisei Helped Build Experimental Structure Where Atomic Bomb Was Assembled, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Brownie Furutani, a Nisei carpenter, helped construct experimental buildings at Los Alamos where the atomic bomb was assembled and tested. He described the secrecy and isolation of the camp.
• Fire Destroys Two Homes In Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fire destroyed the homes of two recently returned Japanese American families in Belvedere on Oct. 1. Fire officials believed the blaze was caused by malicious mischief and ordered an investigation.
• Navy Reveals Got Valuable Information from Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Naval authorities revealed that Hawaiian Americans of Japanese ancestry provided intelligence on Pacific islands that contributed to the Marianas and Okinawa strategy. Some informants had posed as scientists on earlier expeditions.
• Burbank City Seeks to Bar Housing Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Burbank officials moved to end a plan to house returning Japanese American families temporarily in Army barracks on city property. The city manager said the land was leased for military use and was needed for recreation.
• Gila River Transfers Student Fund to Fresno State College, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Canal Scholarship Fund of $1,000 was transferred to Fresno State College to be administered by its scholarship board. It was suggested the fund be named the Florence Akiyama Memorial Scholarship Fund.
• 600 Leave Amache For Return Home To California, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A special train carried 600 former Amache residents back to California on Oct. 4. Most were returning to their former homes.
• Fair Play Committee Protests House Move to Cut WRA Funds, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Pacific Coast Committee on American Principles and Fair Play protested a proposed $5,000,000 WRA budget cut. It argued the resulting speed-up in relocation would harm evacuees who lacked funds and adequate housing.
• Nisei Attend Youth Retreat, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei and Caucasian young adults attended a Baptist youth retreat at Lake Orion, Michigan, on Sept. 15-16. The event was organized by the Baptist Young Adult and Senior High Fellowship and the Nisei-Caucasian Fellowship.
• Nisei Orchestra Will Play at Chicago JACL Thanksgiving Ball, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Art Hayashi’s new eleven-piece orchestra, formerly of the Mikados of Swing, will perform at the Chicago JACL Thanksgiving Ball on Nov. 17. The dance will be held at International House at the University of Chicago.
• Cuyahoga Nisei Club Holds Skating Party and Musical Program, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Cuyahoga Nisei Club in Cleveland held a skating party attended by about 350 people and donated $25 for Christmas gifts to soldiers. A musicale at the International Institute drew an interracial audience of 85.
• Nisei Student Attends Sorority Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Emily Kadota, a Macalester College student, represented Gamma chapter at the first national convention of Alpha Delta Theta in Milwaukee. The convention was held September 21-28.
• Omaha Community Welcomes Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Omaha Evacuee Reception committee held a social for 65 guests at the YWCA ballroom on September 22. The event featured dancing, refreshments, and entertainment.
• Tooele Nisei Worship Services, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Nisei worship services have begun at the Tooele Ordnance Depot and in Salt Lake City under Rev. Howard Toriumi. He also organized a Protestant church at Tod Park in Tooele.
• Milwaukee Nisei Girl Joins War Veterans Group, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Mrs. Tokio Shiomichi became the first Nisei girl known to join an AMVET group, joining the Women’s Council of Frank Singer Post No. 2 in Milwaukee. Her husband is a charter member of the post.
• Wounded by Accidental Shot, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Shizuye Sugiyoka, 22, of Sacramento was wounded when a gun held by her brother accidentally discharged. She was hospitalized in Sacramento.
• Newell Visitors Hurt in Accident, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Six people bound for the Tule Lake center were slightly injured when their car crashed into a ditch and burst into flames near the Oregon border. The accident followed a tire blowout.
• Amicable Solution Reported in California School Incident, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Trustees of the Hamilton City school agreed to add a classroom after an open meeting over Nisei children enrolling there. Officials stressed there would be no segregation of students.

National

• VFW Leader Condemns Acts of Coast Posts, by P.C. Staff, page 1. VFW commander-in-chief Jean Brunner condemned West Coast VFW posts that banned Nisei veterans from membership. He called for no racial discrimination within the organization.
• Deportation Plan Denounced by Canadian Paper, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Winnipeg Free Press criticized government plans to deport Japanese Canadians who requested repatriation and later changed their minds. The editorial called the action brutal and intolerant.
• Report Japanese Captors Beat Nisei Merchant Seaman, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A fellow prisoner described how Japanese captors beat Arthur Mayeda, a Nisei merchant seaman who refused to learn Japanese and stood by his American citizenship. Mayeda was described as an all-American Japanese American.
• Army Announces Transfer of POWs to Aid Harvests, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The War Department announced that about 3,500 Japanese prisoners of war were being sent to the San Joaquin Valley at California’s request. The POWs were to be sent back to Japan after the harvest.
• Report WRA Not Consulted On Use of Japanese POWs, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The New York Post reported the POW decision was made without consulting the WRA or Interior Secretary Ickes. It criticized Rep. Albert Elliot, a leader of anti-evacuee efforts, for claiming the POW assignment as a personal triumph.
• Evacuee Aid Group Opposes Use of Foreign Laborers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Evacuees Service Council of Seattle asked the State Department to refuse foreign labor where intimidation keeps residents of Japanese ancestry out. The letter argued government-funded imported labor made it a party to exclusion.
• Government Official Doubts Pauley Statement on Seizure of Assets, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A government spokesman said Edwin Pauley’s claim that Japanese alien properties would be seized for reparations was exaggerated. The National JACL wired President Truman expressing grave concern over the statement.
• Most Evacuees Now Relocating On West Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The WRA reported that Japanese Americans leaving the camps now return to the Pacific Coast in increasing numbers, reversing the earlier eastward trend. An official warned that proposed budget cuts would cause chaotic conditions on the Coast.
• Nisei ‘Agents’ Obtained Military Information For U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 3. Naval sources credited Hawaiians of Japanese and other ancestry with supplying intelligence on Pacific islands used in planning assaults on the Marianas and Okinawa. Their information corrected American charts and maps.
• Full Protection Asked by Nisei for Returning War Veteran, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Francisco supervisorial candidate Herbert Nugent, an ex-serviceman, called for full protection against discrimination for returning Japanese Americans. He compared the treatment of Nisei to historical discrimination against Black Americans and Chinese.
• Nisei Girls in Tokyo Want to Go Home to U.S., Says Newsman, by David Boguslaw, page 6. Correspondent David Boguslaw reported that Nisei women at a Tokyo garden party were chiefly concerned with when they could return to the United States. Some had recently seen American movies shown for occupation troops.
• Federal Jury Weighs Charges of Placer County Terrorism, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A federal grand jury heard testimony in the Watson brothers case over an attempted dynamite attack on the packing house of Sumio Doi in Placer County. Witnesses described the night-riding party that included the Johnson brothers.

Commentary

• The Little Tokyos Question, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial warns that the WRA’s hurried resettlement policy risks recreating Little Tokyo ghettos, given West Coast prejudices. It argues the root cause is discriminatory laws and exclusion that prevent integration.
• Farmers and POWs, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that opposition to the return of Japanese Americans is rooted in economic competition rather than race, as shown by the POW labor transfer. It criticizes officials who opposed returning evacuee labor while welcoming enemy soldiers.
• Reparations Policy, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial calls Edwin Pauley’s statement about seizing alien Japanese property irresponsible and unsupported by policy. It notes that aliens are barred from naturalization, so penalizing them for not becoming citizens is unfair.
• The Return of the Evacuees, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri describes the return of evacuees to the West Coast, noting most public officials accepted it despite some terrorist incidents. He argues the government must support resettlement and that the Army should publicly urge acceptance of returning Nisei.
• Washington News-Letter: Nisei Rebels Against Jim Crow, But Some Accept Prejudice, by John Kitasako, page 4. Kitasako recounts a Nisei hospital worker who refused to observe segregation and was vindicated when the policy was dropped. He criticizes Nisei who adopt prejudice against other minorities despite their own experience.
• Letter from Scotland, by William Spence, page 4. Scottish reader William Spence writes that race prejudice must be overcome through worldwide propaganda and education. He urges that American and British contact be maintained and that exchanges of information continue.
• From the Frying Pan: As Nisei Move Forward Toward Assimilation, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa considers how Nisei will adjust as WRA centers close and its support services end. He argues assimilation is desirable but must not come at the expense of other minority groups.

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