Winona trailer camp, Issei citizenship and the 100th Battalion story

Vol. 24, No. 12, March 29, 1947. 8 pages. View this issue

The closing of the Winona FPHA trailer camp in Los Angeles led the March 29, 1947 issue. About 840 returned evacuees still lived there, and officials were looking for housing before the lease ended. The issue also followed bills in Congress: Rep. Earl C. Michener’s HR 2768 to create an Evacuation Claims Commission, and the push for naturalization rights for Issei, backed by Roger Baldwin, Melvyn Douglas and the American Civil Liberties Union. Jon Chinen’s serial on the 100th Battalion began, and John Kitasako told the story of Frank Fujino, a Nisei who survived the Bataan Death March and lost a leg rescuing the Lost Battalion.

Elsewhere in the 8 pages: Elmer R. Smith’s history of California’s Alien Land Laws, Bill Hosokawa’s Vagaries column, and Wat Misaka’s role in Utah’s upset of Kentucky. Chapter news came from Denver, Chicago, San Mateo and the new Midwest District Council, and a Chicago JACL dance gave away a car.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

840 Returnees Still Occupy Units at Winona FPHA Trailer Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Imminent closing of the Winona FPHA trailer camp in Los Angeles, which houses nearly 1000 persons including returned evacuees, spurred efforts to find replacement housing. A one-year lease on the land is set to expire April 30, and officials are seeking alternatives for residents.

Military & Veterans

Morioka Faces Years in Prison for Extortion, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Cpl. Kenneth Morioka of Berkeley was sentenced to eight years at hard labor after being convicted of extorting more than 100,000 yen from Japanese construction companies in Tokyo. The court-martial found he exploited his position as custodian of a women’s hospital.
Elmer Ogawa Wins Post as Commander of VFW Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Elmer Ogawa, a World War II veteran, was elected commander of Merrick Mariner’s Post No. 1310 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in New York. He defeated Dr. Jack Gartenberg in a close election and will be installed in April.
Nisei Survived Death March, Lost a Leg in Rescue of Lost Battalion, by John Kitasako, page 1. Frank Fujino, a Nisei who survived the Bataan Death March and escaped a Japanese prison ship, lost his right leg during the 442nd’s rescue of the Lost Battalion in the Vosges. Now convalescing at Walter Reed Hospital, he has been denied commissions and pilot training because of his ancestry and continues to urge Nisei unity behind the JACL.
Two Canada Nisei Honored for Rescue of Girl From River, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dick Mizuno and Tommy Yamamoto were honored by the Royal Humane Association for their 1946 rescues in the Oldman River near Taber, Alberta. Mizuno saved swimmer Ruth Jensen, while Yamamoto attempted to rescue another swimmer, who could not be revived.
Commissions Offered to Nisei Enlisting in Army Intelligence, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tsutomu Tekawa announced that the Military Intelligence Service Language School at the Presidio of Monterey has strong chances for direct commissions for graduates and qualified enlisted students, due to a shortage of linguist officers in Japan. Seven enlisted men have been recommended and await War Department approval.
Nisei Survived Death March Continued: Frank Fujino’s Story, by John Kitasako, page 4. Frank Fujino’s story continues with his escape from a torpedoed prison ship and his rescue by Filipinos, followed by his evacuation to Australia on the final plane from Bataan. He recounts being denied OCS and pilot training due to his ancestry before volunteering for the 442nd.

National

Idaho Falls Legion Post Supports Citizenship Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At the request of the Idaho Falls JACL chapter, the American Legion Bonneville Post agreed to contact the state Legion on supporting legislation granting naturalization rights to Japanese resident aliens. The measure would also suspend deportation proceedings against hardship cases involving Japanese aliens with American citizen families.
Rep. Michener Introduces Bill to Create Three-Man Evacuation Claims Commission, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Earl C. Michener introduced HR 2768 to create an Evacuation Claims Commission to adjudicate losses suffered by persons of Japanese ancestry in the 1942 West Coast evacuation. The bill, supported by Interior Secretary Krug, was referred to a House Judiciary subcommittee, and JACL’s Mike Masaoka endorsed it as compensation for property losses.
Seek Appropriation to Continue Canada Dispersal Program, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Canada’s Department of Labor will request $900,000 this year for the relocation and welfare of evacuees of Japanese ancestry from British Columbia’s coastal areas. This is a sharp reduction from the $4,300,000 estimated for the same purposes last year.
Sen. Thomas Hits Wartime Treatment of Nisei Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sen. Elbert D. Thomas of Utah declared that if Germans and Italians had been subjected to the wartime treatment given Japanese Americans, the nation would have faced a civil war. He called for an end to interracial and interdenominational prejudice in America.
ACLU Supports Bill to Stay Deportation of 200 Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The American Civil Liberties Union sent a memorandum to a House Judiciary subcommittee supporting a bill that would let the Attorney General stay deportation of about 200 Japanese aliens whose departure would harm their American families. The ACLU argued the current law unfairly discriminates on racial grounds, since other ineligible aliens can receive suspension.
Wife of Officer Seeks Entry Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A private bill, S. 951, was introduced by Senator Arthur V. Watkins of Utah to permit entry for permanent residence of Mieko Hayashi Kurisaki, Japanese wife of Second Lieutenant Kurisaki, Jr., who serves at Sugamo Prison in Japan. The lieutenant is a Military Police officer and a Salt Lake Nisei.
Civil Rights Expert to Discuss Issei Status With MacArthur, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Roger Baldwin, director of the ACLU, announced at a Los Angeles dinner that he will discuss Issei naturalization rights with General MacArthur during his Orient tour. He will also negotiate with Japanese officials about Nisei stranded in Japan and seek improved mail service between the two countries.
Hawaii Veterans Seek Mail Service to Okinawa Area, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Following representations by the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Postoffice Department gave assurances that direct mail service to Okinawa will be resumed. Joe Grant Masaoka argued that 30,000 Okinawan Americans in Hawaii and many veterans of Okinawan descent justified the restoration.
Melvyn Douglas Backs Move for Naturalization of Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 8. At a Brentwood Country Club conference, actor Melvyn Douglas supported a resolution endorsing the Issei naturalization bill, as Saburo Kido urged law-abiding Japanese residents be granted citizenship. The Americans for Democratic Action passed the resolution by majority vote.
Masaoka Seeks Rescinding of Enemy Alien Classification, by P.C. Staff, page 8. JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee legislative director Mike Masaoka wrote to President Truman and Attorney General Clark urging repeal of the enemy alien classification for resident Japanese nationals. He argued the wartime loyalty record of Japanese Americans makes the designation indefensible.

Community

Wounded Nisei GI Weds Relocation Camp Sweetheart, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Richard Ishisaki, a wounded German-front veteran, married Dorothy Oshio in a ceremony at Pratt General Hospital in Miami, with both he and his best man attending on stretchers. The couple met while both were held in a wartime relocation center in California.
Two Die, Several Reported Ill at Walla Walla Labor Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two residents of a Japanese American farm labor camp near Walla Walla, Washington died from suspected botulism food poisoning, and several others were seriously ill. A Navy plane brought anti-toxin from Seattle, and officials are analyzing home-canned goods used at the camp.
Denver JACL Will Fete Hood River’s Fighting Pastor, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Denver JACL chapter will host Rev. W. Sherman Burgoyne of Hood River, Oregon, recognized for his battle on behalf of returning evacuees, at a dinner on April 4. He will also visit Chicago JACL members during his trip to receive an award in New York.
Easter Dance Will Be Held by Denver Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Denver JACL will hold its first dance of the year on Easter Sunday at the Cosmopolitan hotel’s Silver Glade ballroom. The evening will feature prizes including a refrigerator and a radio-phonograph.
Nisei Veteran Held for Investigation on Assault Charge, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Winston Itsuo Nakagawa, a discharged war veteran, was booked in Contra Costa County for assault with a deadly weapon after a near-fatal attack on his sister in her Bayo Vista apartment. She suffered a possible skull fracture and other serious injuries, and her children were sleeping nearby.
Section YPCC Held in Fresno, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two hundred delegates attended the 17th annual Fresno Sectional YPCC, which featured an open forum on the Christian Nisei in American life and interest groups on marriage and community. Muriel Lester, international secretary of the FOR, gave the evening’s main address.
Nisei Participant To Be Heard on Interracial Forum, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Masamori Kojima, a Haverford Phi Beta Kappa graduate now on the Chicago Shimpo staff, will take part in an interracial forum sponsored by the American Jewish Congress on April 6. The forum will address sociological problems of racism.
Judge Withholds Sentencing Youth in Pocatello Case, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Judge I. E. McDougall withheld sentencing for one year for Shigeo Sakurado of Blackfoot, Idaho, who pleaded to assault with a deadly weapon, and paroled him to a supervisor in Idaho Falls. Police testimony indicated Sakurado attempted suicide with poison as officers entered.
Regional Office To Handle Issei Citizenship Forms, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Office of Immigration and Naturalization announced that Fujii Tanabe, the JACL regional representative in Los Angeles, will handle declaration of citizenship forms N-300 for Issei applicants. JACL advisors will be available to help prepare the forms under supervised distribution.
FEPC in Illinois Sought by Veterans, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tats Kushida of the JACL and Takiji Goto, a Nisei amputee of the 442nd, testified before Illinois legislative committees urging passage of a fair employment practices law. Goto, who lost both legs in the Vosges, made a strong impression speaking for equal rights.
Farm Worker Killed in Fall From Rig, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tokuichi Sato, 62, a farm worker in Watsonville, California, was killed almost instantly when he fell from the rear of a spray rig truck and was crushed under the wheels. Deputy Coroner Carl Mehl reported the death on March 21.
Radio Broadcast Will Feature Tats Kushida, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tats Kushida, Midwest JACL representative, will be interviewed on the International Program over Chicago FM station WGNB on April 3. The program promotes brotherhood among minority groups and is rebroadcast to Chicago public schools.
Military Intelligence Veteran Wins Car at JACL Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Masao Yazaki, a former MIS member, won a 1947 Chevrolet at the Chicago JACL benefit Spring dance, held at International House. The event featured music by Benny Sharp’s orchestra and raised funds for the chapter.
San Mateo JACL Surpasses Goal in Membership Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The San Mateo County JACL chapter exceeded its goal of 150 new members, signing up 95 in San Mateo, 44 in Redwood City, and 11 in East Palo Alto. The drive ended March 15 with continued recruitment led by vice president Sally Kawakita.
Denver Tri-State District Council Formation Deferred, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Formation of the Tri-State JACL District Council, to include Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming chapters, was postponed until fall because several chapters remained inactive. Hito Okada and Masao Satow addressed a Denver meeting on JACL and ADC work, and $1705 was collected.
Twin Boys Born to French Wife of Nisei GI, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Twin sons were born in Paris to the French wife of Tech. Sgt. Robert Chino of Chicago, a decorated member of the 442nd Combat Team who met her in southern France. Chino now operates an Army hotel in Paris.
Plan Formation of ADC Unit in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Chicago JACL president Jack Nakagawa announced a drive to form a strong Anti-Discrimination Committee in Chicago to support federal legislation granting Issei citizenship and paying evacuation claims. A large organizational meeting is planned for the third week of April.
Civil Liberties Union Supports Appeal in Alien Land Law Case, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The ACLU filed a brief supporting the U.S. Supreme Court petition by Fred and Kajiro Oyama, whose land was escheated under California’s Alien Land law. The brief argues the law is unconstitutional racial discrimination under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Obituaries

Sam Hohri Dies at Hillcrest Sanitorium, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sam Hohri, 30, a former editorial staff member of the Japanese American News in San Francisco who was evacuated to Manzanar, died after a long illness on March 19. He had contributed book reviews to the Pacific Citizen in 1945, and a memorial service was held March 24.
Dr. Ishimaru, Prominent Nisei, Dies in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Tetsuya G. Ishimaru, a prominent Los Angeles optometrist and civic leader, died of a heart ailment at age 42. Before the war he was active in the JACL, YMCA, and Japanese Children’s Home, and he was an early Nisei athlete who received citywide basketball recognition.

JACL

Midwest JACL Council To Be Organized in Mid-April, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Midwest District Council, the first east of the Mississippi, will hold its initial meeting in Chicago on April 19-20 with chapters from St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee and Minnesota. ADC director Mike Masaoka has been invited to address the meeting.
Roger Baldwin To Represent JACL on Trip, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Roger N. Baldwin agreed to represent the JACL during his trip to Japan, Korea and neighboring territories. JACL national president Hito Okada said Baldwin’s findings on Nisei and Issei conditions and property will guide the organization’s national program.

Arts & Entertainment

Kuniyoshi Leads U.S. Artists in Equity Move, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Yasuo Kuniyoshi was named temporary president of the newly formed Artists’ Equity Association, which has about 150 painters, sculptors and graphic artists. The group aims to protect economic interests, encourage patronage, and establish welfare and copyright protections.

Sports

Wat Misaka Acclaimed as Hero of Utah’s Upset Victory Over Kentucky, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nisei star Wat Misaka’s defensive play, which held Kentucky’s Ralph Beard to one point, was a major factor in Utah’s upset of Kentucky in the New York invitational tournament. He received a hero’s welcome in Salt Lake City, and Ogden’s city commission honored him and Arne Ferrin with a resolution.

Commentary

Naturalization Law, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Roger Baldwin of the ACLU argued that equal naturalization for all races is necessary for America to win Asian allies, and that the racial ineligibility of the Issei should be removed from the statute books. The editorial notes his Orient trip will press for Issei citizenship with General MacArthur.
Two Artists, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial contrasts Yasuo Kuniyoshi, honored as president of the Artists Equity Association yet ineligible for naturalization, with Taro Yashima, a wartime OWI and OSS contributor facing deportation. It argues that outdated immigration laws fail to recognize the contributions of Japanese Americans.
Hawaiian Statehood, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Congressional hearings on Hawaiian statehood reaffirmed the loyalty of the territory’s Japanese Americans through testimony from Admiral Nimitz and Interior Secretary Krug. The editorial argues the war record of these residents has eliminated the racist opposition to statehood.
Un-American Law, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes California’s legislature for considering $200,000 to enforce the Alien Land law, which bars Japanese aliens and at times American citizens of Japanese descent from owning property. It notes voters defeated Proposition 15, which would have strengthened the law.
Vagaries, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa comments on a Colorado newspaper’s NEA cartoon portraying Japan favorably as a student of democracy under MacArthur. He also notes the bills to admit Japanese wives of Nisei veterans and Legion positions on immigration.
Racism and Land Laws, by Elmer R. Smith, page 6. Smith traces the history of California’s Alien Land Laws, arguing from quoted statements that they were racially motivated against persons of Japanese ancestry. He shows how the laws spread to other states and were enforced with renewed vigor after the wartime evacuation.
Tomorrow’s Heirs, by Sachi L. Wada, page 7. Wada, a University of Minnesota student, responds to a Utah reader’s views on Nisei group life and argues that Nisei progress comes through working with occidental groups. She reflects on her college experiences and her search for meaning and human goodness.

In-Depth

Soldier’s Story, by Jon Chinen, page 4. The Pacific Citizen introduces the first literary record by a member of the 100th Infantry Battalion, written by Jon Chinen, as a true account of men in battle. The series aims to convey the nature of war as felt by those who fight and die in it.
The Story of the 100th Battalion, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Jon Chinen describes the 100th Battalion’s landing at Anzio in March 1944 under heavy German shelling aboard an LCI. He portrays the terror of the crossing and the desolate beachhead, and introduces squad leader Robert Takeo and the recruits who joined the unit.

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