Nisei soldiers honored as the fight over alien land laws grew

Vol. 24, No. 21, May 31, 1947. 8 pages. View this issue

A memorial to 18 Japanese American soldiers from Utah who died in World War II was dedicated in the Salt Lake City cemetery on May 25, and the issue opened with that ceremony. Memorial Day tributes in Denver and Hawaii followed. The legislative fight ran alongside it: Roger N. Baldwin met Emperor Hirohito to discuss the record of Nisei soldiers, and eight witnesses testified at a House hearing for a bill to indemnify West Coast evacuees. Hito Okada spoke for JACL there. In California, the paper covered the dispute over funding for the Alien Land law, and two editorials argued against it.

Columns by Larry Tajiri, Bill Hosokawa and Mary Oyama fill the commentary pages. Son F. Chinen’s serial recounts a soldier’s war in the 100th Battalion. Elsewhere are chapter news, a review of Isamu Noguchi’s sets for a new ballet, and sports from Seattle.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Shaft Dedicated to Nisei Soldiers in Salt Lake Ceremony, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A 16-foot stone memorial was dedicated in the Salt Lake City cemetery on May 25 to 18 Japanese American soldiers from Utah who died in World War II. Speakers including VFW commander Glen Thompson and JACL representative Ben Terashima honored the fallen men and their families.
• Salt Lake VFW Post Passes Resolution Supporting Citizen Rights for Parents of Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Atomic Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Salt Lake City unanimously endorsed legislation to grant naturalization to ineligible Japanese alien parents of Nisei servicemen. The resolution cited the military contributions of Nisei soldiers and military intelligence personnel.
• Wreaths to Washington, Paris in Honor of Nisei GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Hawaii’s Japanese Americans sent a large orchid wreath and lei to Washington and Paris for Memorial Day tributes to fallen 442nd and 100th Battalion soldiers. The project was funded by Hawaii Nisei organizations and veterans’ clubs.
• Nisei Veterans Win Sixth Straight in Seattle League, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Nisei Veterans baseball team won its sixth consecutive game, defeating the Naval Station 18 to 12 in the Puget Sound league. Ted Matsushita’s double helped secure the victory.
• Hawaii Nisei Artist Will Tour Army Hospitals, by P.C. Staff, page 7. George Yamanaka, a Hawaii Nisei artist, is touring mainland Army hospitals to draw free portrait sketches of wounded veterans. He funds the tour himself and expects it to last several months.
• House Subcommittee Favorably Reports Bill to Give Citizen Rights to Gold Star Parents, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A House immigration subcommittee voted to advance VFW-sponsored HR 3555, which would allow naturalization of alien Gold Star parents of deceased servicemen. The amended bill covers all ineligible alien parents, not only Japanese American ones.
• Coloradoans Honor Nisei War Dead on Memorial Day, by P.C. Staff, page 8. More than 40 Colorado Nisei who died in military service were honored at a Memorial Day program in Denver. The Denver Buddhist church, California Street Community church and JACL sponsored the event.
• Nisei Manager Trains Marino for World Championship Bout, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Nisei fight manager Sam Ichinose is preparing boxer Dado Marino for a June 11 flyweight title bout in Glasgow against Jackie Paterson. Ichinose also manages two undefeated Nisei fighters who will tour Europe with the troupe.

Community

• Utah Governor To Accept Special JACL Membership, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Governor Herbert B. Maw will receive an honorary membership in the Salt Lake City JACL chapter at its graduation prom on June 21. The honor recognizes his support for liberalized naturalization laws and an evacuation claims measure.
• United Veterans To Aid Issei in Filing Papers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The United Veterans in Fresno County will run a program to help Issei file for their first citizenship papers. A committee of members from several towns was named to coordinate the effort.
• JACL Legislative Program Discussed in Arroyo Grande, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The San Luis Obispo County JACL chapter discussed the legislative work of the Anti-Discrimination Committee at a May 28 meeting. Eight residents presented donations totaling $1,565 to the National JACL, ADC and Legal Defense Fund.
• Boston Girl Donates Films to Chicago JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The United Ministry to Resettlers gave two sound films and newsreel shorts about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team to the Chicago JACL. The films were transferred through JACL representative Tats Kushida.
• Fresno Legion Post Supports Nisei Ex-GI Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The American Legion post in Fresno adopted a resolution urging protection of property rights for Japanese American veterans under the Alien Land law. The resolution also called for allowing alien Japanese parents of servicemen killed in WWII to own property.
• Chuman Passes State Bar Examinations In California, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Frank Chuman, president of the Los Angeles JACL, was among 73 applicants who passed the April 1947 California bar examination. He currently assists A.L. Wirin on civil liberties and alien land cases.
• Oakland JACL Changes Names to Eastbay Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Oakland JACL renamed itself the East Bay chapter to reflect members from Richmond, Berkeley and Oakland. New board members for 1947 were also named.
• Centennial Queen To Appear at JACL Graduation Ball, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Utah’s Centennial queen Calleen Robinson will appear at the Salt Lake JACL graduation ball on June 21. The dance will also feature an honorary membership presentation to Governor Maw.
• 20-40 Fellowship Names Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Harry Hitaoka was elected president of the 20-40 Fellowship in Fresno at a May 14 business meeting. The full cabinet and board of directors were also named.
• Camp for Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The American Ethical Union’s Encampment for Citizenship invites Nisei aged 17 to 23 to a six-week interracial educational program in New York. Scholarships are available for qualified applicants.
• Eastern Japanese Office Seeks Address of Teruko Sumara, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The JACL New York office asks for the current address of Teruko Sumara regarding a claim filed with a law firm. The claim must be filed immediately.
• ADC Fund Group Canvasses Homes in Oakland Area, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A joint Issei-Nisei committee in Oakland conducted a door-to-door fundraising drive for the ADC. A similar campaign was planned for Berkeley.
• Veterans to Hold Carnival, Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The United Veterans in Fresno announced a carnival dance on June 6 at the Italian entertainment park. Other valley organizations will operate concessions.
• Golden Poppy Group Unanimously Requests Governor’s Action, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Golden Poppy Council of the VFW asked Governor Warren to strike the Alien Land law enforcement fund from the state budget. Commander Elmo Irish argued that Japanese American veterans have earned justice.

Incarceration & Redress

• Baldwin Tells Japan Emperor About Nisei GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Roger N. Baldwin, ACLU director and JACL special representative, met with Emperor Hirohito on May 27 to discuss the wartime record of Nisei soldiers. Baldwin argued that Nisei loyalty strengthened the case for ending legal discrimination against Japanese Americans.
• Evacuee Claims Proposal Backed at House Hearing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eight witnesses testified in support of HR 2768, a bill to indemnify West Coast evacuees of Japanese ancestry, before a House Judiciary subcommittee on May 29. Undersecretary Oscar Chapman and JACL president Hito Okada urged passage as a matter of moral obligation, while Rep. Clair Engle sought amendments.
• Canadians May Probe Sales of Evacuee Lands, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Canadian federal cabinet considered a royal commission to investigate sales of property owned by Japanese Canadians before their wartime evacuation. Testimony revealed that hundreds of farms and boats were sold well below assessed value.
• Announce Campaign for Repeal of California Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee launched a campaign to repeal the California Alien Land law after 33 assemblymen opposed the enforcement appropriation. Joe Grant Masaoka outlined several alternative amendments to the law.
• Nisei Group Wins Title to L.A. Building, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Superior Court judge ordered a $200,000 Los Angeles building returned to the Nisei-led Olympic Hotel corporation, which had lost it during evacuation through an allegedly fraudulent sale. The ruling set aside the sale.
• California Governor Indicates He Will Sign Budget Bill With Alien Land Law Appropriation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Governor Warren indicated he would sign the state budget with a $75,180 appropriation for enforcing the Alien Land law. Attorney General Howser personally led the floor fight to reinstate the item after the Ways and Means committee deleted it.

In-Depth

• They Were So Young: The Story of the 100th Battalion, by Son F. Chinen, page 2. A soldier of the 100th Battalion recounts a night march and the aftermath of combat, including finding dead comrades in a river. The installment continues with the battalion preparing for a dawn attack and the narrator being wounded by artillery.

National

• CIO Official Reports to JACL Group on Recent Japan Trip, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. Willard S. Townsend, CIO labor leader, described the trade union movement in Japan to the Chicago JACL in May. He noted the strong interest of Japanese people in America and contrasted Japanese and American bargaining practices.
• Canadians May Stop Return of Repatriates, by Thomas Wayling, page 7. Canadian officials indicated that legislation may be introduced to bar Japanese Canadians who went to Japan from returning. Current law permits their reentry, but administrators are considering new restrictions.
• Japanese Alien Group Appeals Deportation, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Seven residents of Japanese ancestry filed an appeal in Denver against deportation orders issued by the Immigration Service. The plaintiffs argue they are being discriminated against solely because of race.

Commentary

• Feast of Racialism, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes Canada’s continued restrictions on the movement of Japanese Canadians and their exclusion from British Columbia’s coast. It argues that such racist policies, backed by politicians, contradict democratic principles.
• The Hideous Profit, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns Attorney General Howser’s personal lobbying to restore the Alien Land law enforcement fund in the California budget. It argues the fund will only yield a hideous profit at the expense of Japanese Americans.
• The Thirty-Four Votes, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri analyzes the legislative history of anti-Japanese laws in California and other states, noting that 34 Assembly members voting against the Alien Land fund signal a turning point. He observes that organized anti-Japanese groups have largely faded.
• Best-Seller in Nippon, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa describes the popularity of American novels in Japan and how pre-war translators raced to produce translations. He notes the wartime paper shortage restricting circulation of a current Japanese best-seller.
• Obligation of UC’s Japanese Student Club, by Takahashi, Uyeyama, Sakaye Iwasaki, Hajime Uyeyama, page 5. Former residents of the UC Japanese Student Club argue that the university should honor its obligation to house Nisei students in the club building. They respond to claims about rent and integration at the campus.
• The Silken Curtain: Do We Have a Complex?, by Mary Oyama, page 5. Oyama relays a Caucasian friend’s observation that Nisei seem reserved and that a silken curtain exists between them and other Americans. She reflects on factors such as acculturation and social background that shape these differences.
• From the Frying Pan, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A light personal column describes a child’s shortcut to the drugstore and a playful conversation among children about their parents’ sleeping habits. The piece reflects on the author’s own parental experiences.

Arts & Entertainment

• Noguchi’s Sets Prove Feature of New Ballet, by Frances Herridge, page 5. Isamu Noguchi’s scenery and costumes, along with Merce Cunningham’s choreography and John Cage’s music, were highlights of Ballet Society’s new production The Seasons. The review praises the lighting effects and symbolic props.
• Nisei Soprano Makes Hit in Toronto Opera, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Lily Kuroyanagi received praise from Toronto critics for her leading role in La Traviata. Critics highlighted her silvery soprano voice and dramatic performance.

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