Plans for 1947: JACL action on citizenship and evacuation claims

Vol. 23, No. 21, November 30, 1946. 8 pages. View this issue

A national JACL meeting in Salt Lake City, held November 23-24, 1946, set the paper’s front page. Officers and regional representatives voted to widen the organization’s program. Mike Masaoka was relieved of his duties to work full time on the Anti-Discrimination Committee’s legislative push for 1947, and Masao W. Satow was named acting national secretary. Larry Tajiri’s editorial, “Program for Action,” set citizenship for the Issei and evacuation claims as the priorities. Joe Masaoka wrote on the Oyama case, and California’s escheat suit over farmland near Del Rey made the front page.

This eight-page issue also carried Mrs. Max L. Moore’s report from Hood River, where Nisei had returned for the harvest. Inside are news of Santa Clara County’s vote on Proposition 15, the attack on a Nisei veteran’s family in Chicago, and Tule Lake farm lands awarded to veterans. T. W. Tanaka wrote on housing in Chicago, and a notice announced a subscription rate increase for January 15.

What’s in this issue

JACL

  • Future Organizational Policy Outlined at National JACL Conference in Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL national officers and regional representatives met in Salt Lake City on November 23-24 to expand the organization’s program. Mike Masaoka was relieved of his JACL duties to work full time on the Anti-Discrimination Committee’s legislative push for 1947.
  • Togasaki Back from NRRA Work in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Yoshi Togasaki, recently a captain in the U.S. Health Service in Italy, will join the California Public Health Service after her discharge. Her service abroad is noted in this brief item.
  • Satow Named Acting Executive Secretary of National JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Masao W. Satow was named acting national secretary of the JACL at the Salt Lake City meeting, freeing Mike Masaoka to focus on legislation. Satow will also help reactivate the Pacific Northwest District Council and attend coast meetings in December.
  • Chicago Names Nakagawa 1947 President, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Jack Nakagawa was elected 1947 president of the Chicago JACL chapter at a November 21 meeting. Other officers were also named for the coming year.
  • West Coast Action Conference Called for JACL Chapters, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL will hold a west coast action conference in San Francisco on December 7 and 8 to plan coordinated action. Topics include public relations, cooperation with civic groups, and the Anti-Discrimination Committee, with Attorney General Kenny possibly participating.
  • Chicago JACL Plans Inaugural Ball with Joe E. Brown, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Chicago JACL officials discussed plans for the December 13 inaugural ball at a dinner honoring actor Joe E. Brown, an advocate of fair play for Nisei. Brown will be guest of honor at the ball.

Incarceration & Redress

  • California Files Escheat Suit Claiming Violation of State Alien Land Statute, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The State of California filed an escheat action against 20 acres of farmland near Del Rey, alleging the land was unlawfully held by alien parents through their citizen daughter. The case reflects continued enforcement of the Alien Land law against Japanese American families.
  • Kenny Denies Issuing Directive to Investigate Property Owned by Nisei Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California Attorney General Robert W. Kenny reportedly denied instructing county attorneys to investigate Japanese American property after the Oyama decision. Reports from San Jose and Santa Clara County had claimed such instructions were issued.
  • Renunciants Seek Release Through Federal Court Action, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Attorney Wayne M. Collins sought unconditional release of 399 renunciants held at Crystal City and Seabrook Farms in federal court. The case may be carried to the U.S. Supreme Court over renunciants’ citizenship rights.
  • Jury Indicts Mrs. Honma on Murder Charge, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Solano County grand jury indicted Mrs. Masu Honma for the murder of her two-year-old daughter in what was described as a mercy killing. The indictment was issued by the grand jury foreman.

Community

  • Smith Named Speaker for IDC Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Elmer R. Smith, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Utah, will give the principal address at the Intermountain District Council meeting in Boise and Weiser. The meetings are scheduled for December 16.
  • Nisei Canadians Plan Survey of Evacuation Losses, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese Canadian Committee for Democracy formed a committee to study property losses from evacuation and prepare a questionnaire for a planned survey.
  • Seattle Dinner Will Honor Nisei GIs from Washington, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Seattle JACL will host a December 13 testimonial dinner honoring gold star families and Nisei veterans, with Major General Kendall as principal speaker. Around 2000 persons are expected to attend.
  • Kido Named to Honor Roll of Civil Rights Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Saburo Kido, wartime JACL president, was named by the Workers Defense League as one of twelve outstanding persons in the 1946 struggle for labor and civil liberties. He was recognized for his leadership defending Japanese American civil rights.
  • Chicago JACL Organizes New Credit Union, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Chicago chapter of the JACL received a credit union charter from Illinois, becoming the first local chapter to establish its own credit group. Jack Nakagawa was elected president and a full cabinet and board were named.
  • Nisei Soprano Appears in Mme. Butterfly, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Tomi Kanazawa, a lyric soprano formerly of Los Angeles, performed the title role in Mme. Butterfly in a production in Scranton. She is also scheduled to appear with the New Orleans opera.
  • Drawing to Be Held for Tule Lake Farms, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Farm lands developed at the Tule Lake relocation center will be awarded to 86 World War II veterans in a homestead drawing. There were 2024 applications for the farm units valued at $25,000 each.
  • Radio Speaker Asks Nullification of Alien Land Laws, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Min Yasui of Denver called for repeal of restrictive alien land acts in a Salt Lake City radio forum. The discussion addressed civil rights and minority concerns affecting Japanese Americans.
  • Financial Report Given on Reception for 442nd Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. New York residents contributed $2052 toward the July reception for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. After expenses, the balance of $759.39 was donated to the Japan Relief Committee.
  • Co-operative Group Condemns Racist Activity in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Garfield Park Co-operative pledged support for Nisei veteran John Yoshino and his family after bricks were thrown through their window twice. The group condemned the racist intimidation as contrary to American principles.
  • Chicago Mayor Receives AVC Report on Violence Against Family of Nisei War Veteran, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The American Veterans Committee reported to Mayor Kelly on violence against the Yoshino family in Garfield Park. The AVC described the incidents as the first on record of racial violence against a Japanese American in Chicago.
  • New York Nisei Paper Resumes Publication, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Nisei Weekender resumed publication on November 21 under new ownership by the Japanese American News Corporation. Kakutaro Inoue will serve as editor.
  • Two New York Nisei Girls Return from Stay in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Yuki and Hinako Kosai, among the first Nisei repatriated from Japan, arrived in New York after obtaining permission to return to the United States. They had left for Japan in 1939 with their parents.
  • Santa Clara County Defeats Proposition 15 by 5 to 2 Ratio, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The official canvass showed Santa Clara County defeated Proposition 15 by a 33,386 to 14,920 margin, reversing the earlier unofficial count. The result was the largest margin of defeat of any California county.
  • Report from Hood River: The Nisei Are Back Home and Happy in Valley Where Racism Flared Two Years Ago, by Mrs. Max L. Moore, page 5. Mrs. Moore reports that Nisei returned to Hood River Valley for the harvest and were treated fairly despite earlier threats. She describes the League for Liberty and Justice’s work and growing community acceptance.
  • Tomorrow’s Heirs, by Sachi L. Wada, page 5. Wada reports on Twin Cities JACL meetings and the activities of former soldiers now civilians in Minnesota. The column also comments on reading Wendell Willkie’s One World.
  • Seek Reactivation of Nisei Division of Church Group, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Thirty Nisei and Issei religious workers in Southern California discussed reactivating the Nisei division of the Church Federation. A planning session was set for early 1947.
  • Girls’ Society Installation Seniors, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Sacramento Girls’ Society held a candlelight installation of its new officers at the Young Women’s Christian Association. The group plans various activities for the coming year.
  • Sakauye Nominated for Presidency of San Jose JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The nominations committee of the United Citizens League of Santa Clara County selected Hiichi Sakauye for president. Other officers and staff were also nominated for the December 12 election.
  • Chicago Chapter Offers New Car as Prize, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Chicago JACL will give away a 1947 Chevrolet, a Philco radio-phonograph, and a wristwatch in a March drawing to raise funds. Tickets cost 50 cents and committee members will distribute them.
  • Maria Miyamoto Will Give Concert Soon in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Maria Miyamoto, a Nisei pianist and scholarship student of Dr. Rudolph Ganz, will perform in a joint concert with soprano Mary Frances Crowley. The concert is part of the Cultural Arts Concert Committee season.

Commentary

  • Subscription Rate of PC Will Be Raised Jan. 15, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rising printing and production costs have forced the Pacific Citizen to operate at a slight loss. Yearly subscription rates will increase by 50 cents on January 15, 1947, to $2.50 for members and $3.50 for non-members.
  • Oyama Case Petition Rejected, by Joe Masaoka, page 2. The California Supreme Court denied rehearing in the Oyama escheat case without explanation. Petitioners plan to seek certiorari before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing the decision threatens citizens’ property rights.
  • Former Ambassador Believes in Integration for Nisei, by John Kitasako, page 2. Former Ambassador William R. Castle, who had quietly engaged with Nisei in Washington, urged Nisei to integrate into American society rather than remain a separate group. He also commented favorably on General MacArthur’s occupation of Japan.
  • Program for Action, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial praises the JACL’s streamlined program and the Anti-Discrimination Committee’s victory against Proposition 15. It sets citizenship for the Issei and evacuation claims as the priorities for 1947.
  • Mr. District Attorney, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial criticizes Santa Clara District Attorney Avila for announcing a land title investigation based on a misattributed statement from Attorney General Kenny. It notes the corrected county vote and urges restraint pending judicial review.
  • The Edge of Blight, by T. W. Tanaka, page 4. Tanaka argues that Japanese American resettlers in Chicago have concentrated in near-blight districts, which threatens health and welfare. He urges Nisei to resist segregated housing and seek integrated neighborhoods.
  • Relocated Evacuees, page 4. The Fresno Bee editorial praised the successful resettlement of West Coast evacuees in Chicago and the Middle West. The paper saw this as a healthy sign of economic and social integration.

Military & Veterans

  • Salt Lake City Veterans Say Utah Alien Land Statute Violates Fundamental Concepts of Americanism, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Atomic Post No. 4365 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars called unanimously for immediate repeal of the Utah Alien Land law. The resolution cited the service of Nisei soldiers and alien Japanese who aided the war effort.
  • Second Nisei Teacher Signs for Work in Salt Lake School, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Shizuka Ikeda became the second Nisei teacher in Salt Lake City public schools when she signed to teach fourth grade at Franklin school. She is a February 1946 graduate of the University of Utah.
  • Fire Destroys Miners’ Hall in Bingham Canyon, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A fire partially destroyed the mess hall and clubroom of the Japanese camp at Copperfield in Bingham Canyon, causing an estimated $3000 in damage. The building housed workers of Japanese ancestry for the Utah Copper company.
  • Corporal Wayman Finds a Room, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Cpl. Duane Wayman, a decorated Philippines veteran and former POW, rents a room from a Nisei family in Denver. He describes the Bataan death march and prison conditions while rejecting hatred toward Japanese Americans.

National

  • Howard Imazeki Gets Civil Service Post in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Howard M. Imazeki, English editor of the Progressive News, was en route to Japan for a War Department civil service assignment. He had been employed by OWI during the war.
  • Obtain Parole for Three Aliens Held in Wilmington, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three Japanese aliens held without bond for five months at the Wilmington immigration station were released on parole to attorney Wayne M. Collins. Their release pending test cases on deportability was reported by the Nichi-Bei Times.
  • Japanese Canadian Evacuee Situation Will Be Reviewed, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Canadian Minister of Labor Humphrey Mitchell will present a full review of Japanese Canadians and resident nationals to parliament. The report states that race tensions persist only in isolated places.
  • USA Claims Bill in Congress, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The article explains the evacuation claims bill that would create a commission to compensate evacuees for property losses. It discusses its prior passage in the Senate, the House failure, and prospects in the new Congress.

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