California ends school segregation, and a push for evacuee claims

Vol. 24, No. 22, June 7, 1947. 8 pages. View this issue

California’s 60-year-old school segregation law was the lead story. The state Senate passed a bill abolishing it, and Governor Warren was expected to sign. An editorial welcomed the repeal. Close behind was the Evacuation Claims Commission bill: Elmer J. Hewitt of the Meat, Cannery and Farm Workers Union urged the House to pass it, Milton Eisenhower, the first WRA director, wrote in support, and JACL president Hito Okada filed eighteen resolutions and statements for H.R. 2768. On the front page, Hawaii’s floral tribute to Nisei war dead reached Paris for Memorial Day.

Other items include the treason charge against Tomoya Kawakita, a JACL branch formed in Tokyo to help stranded Nisei return home, and memorial services in Portland and at Seabrook Farms, where Dillon Myer spoke. Columns by Frank Moritsugu, Bill Hosokawa and Mary Oyama fill page 5, and page 6 covers soprano Mariko Mukai’s New York debut. Page 8 carries a call for a special California JACL meeting on the state’s Alien Land law.

What’s in this issue

National

• Repeal of California School Segregation Law Passes Senate, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Senate passed a bill abolishing the state’s 60-year-old law permitting segregated schools for children of Asian and Indian ancestry. The measure now awaits Governor Warren’s expected signature.
• AFL Official Seeks Passage of Evacuee Claims Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Elmer J. Hewitt of the Meat, Cannery and Farm Workers Union urged House passage of legislation creating an Evacuation Claims Commission. He argued the government owes redress to Japanese Americans wronged by wartime relocation.
• Baptists Urge Repeal of U.S. Exclusion Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Northern Baptist Convention passed a resolution calling on Congress to rescind the Oriental Exclusion Act of 1924. The resolution argued that racial exclusion is contrary to Christian principles and democratic ideals.
• Kawakita Will Face Federal Treason Charge for Alleged Mistreatment of U.S. POWs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tomoya Kawakita was arraigned on treason charges for allegedly abusing American POWs at a Japanese nickel mine during the war. He had returned to the United States in 1946 after obtaining a passport in Japan, and faces the death penalty if convicted.
• Court Upholds Order of Deportation Served on Japanese Resident Aliens, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Judge J. Cullen Ganey of the Philadelphia federal court upheld deportation orders against 21 Japanese aliens held at Seabrook Farms. He ruled that the Enemy Alien Act and the state of war permitted the deportations.
• Repatriate Group Disillusioned with Japan, Says Officer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Lieut. Col. Oscar Orr reported that Japanese Canadians deported under Canada’s repatriation program now wish to return to Canada. He cited unemployment, food shortages, and general hardship in postwar Japan.
• Issei Regain Right to Fish for Sport in California, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Governor Earl Warren signed A.B. 610, which restored sport fishing rights to aliens ineligible for citizenship but raised their license fee to $25. The bill took effect automatically replacing a 1943 amendment that had barred such aliens.

Community

• Nisei Girl Named Maid of Honor in AVC Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Suzanne Narahara was named one of four maids of honor in an interracial beauty contest held by the Chicago Area Council of the American Veterans Committee. Two other Nisei, Miss Kokubu and Amy Matsumoto, also entered the contest.
• Three Plans Advanced For Future of Winona Project, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eight hundred returned evacuees facing eviction from the Winona trailer housing project in Burbank weighed three options for their future. The proposals include a one-year lease extension, relocation to a nearby site, or a move to a plot behind the Burbank outdoor theater.
• Portland Group Pays Tribute to Nisei Dead of World War II, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Three hundred Issei and Nisei gathered at Rose City Cemetery in Portland for a memorial service honoring Japanese American war dead. The JACL dedicated a marker bearing the names of the fallen.
• Nisei Heroes Paid Tribute by Dillon Myer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Former WRA director Dillon Myer spoke at a memorial service in Seabrook Farms sponsored by the local JACL. He commended Japanese Americans for their wartime contributions and honored the three local war dead.
• Tokyo JACL Branch to Aid War-Stranded Nisei Group to Return to Homes in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 100 Nisei and other Americans met in Tokyo to organize a new JACL branch aimed at helping roughly 10,000 stranded Japanese Americans return to the United States. Roger Baldwin reported that only 300 of 2,500 cleared Nisei had actually returned home.
• Special California JACL Meeting Called to Discuss State’s Alien Land Statute, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Joe Grant Masaoka announced a joint JACL session on June 8 to consider the future of the California Alien Land law after the legislature approved $65,000 for its enforcement. He warned the law threatens Nisei property owners.
• Initiated by St. Louis Group Fund Drive for ADC, by P.C. Staff, page 8. St. Louis Issei gathered to organize a house-to-house fundraising drive for the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee. Scotty Tsuchiya explained the need for funds to sustain the Washington office’s legislative work.

Incarceration & Redress

• Milton Eisenhower, First WRA Chief, Urges Payment of Evacuee Property Losses, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Milton Eisenhower, the first WRA director, wrote to a House subcommittee supporting the Evacuation Claims Commission bill. He praised the cooperation of evacuees and argued that simple justice requires compensation for their losses.

Military & Veterans

• The Story of the 100th Battalion, by Gon F. Chinen, page 2. Chinen recounts the wartime deaths of Sadao Matsumoto, Herbert Sadayasu, and Robert Takeo, comrades of the Original Hundred from Hawaii. The installment describes the battlefield sacrifices made by these soldiers in Italy and France.
• Recruiting Teams Seek Nisei for Japan Occupation Duty, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Four Nisei recruiting teams from the Military Intelligence Language School were dispatched to Chicago, New York, Denver, and Salt Lake City. They sought enlistments for army occupation work in Japan.

JACL

• Eighteen Groups Back Evacuee Claims Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL president Hito Okada filed eighteen resolutions and statements with the House Judiciary subcommittee supporting H.R. 2768. Utah Governor Herbert Maw also endorsed the bill in a letter submitted to the subcommittee.

Commentary

• The Kawakita Case, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the Kawakita treason case shows the need for careful screening of U.S. citizens in Japan seeking repatriation. It also notes that the JACL Tokyo branch will help legitimate stranded Nisei while guarding against wartime collaborators.
• Balloon Bombs, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial cites General William Wilbur’s account of Japan’s failed balloon bomb campaign, which received no reports of success. It argues this indirectly shows that no Japanese spies operated in the United States during the war.
• Unsegregated Schools, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes the expected repeal of California’s school segregation statute, which had been used against Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican American children. It notes that the law posed a continuing danger to civil rights.
• The Ghetto System, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises Justice Edgerton’s dissent in a D.C. Court of Appeals case upholding restrictive housing covenants. It argues that such covenants enforce racial discrimination and help create ghettos.
• Issei Sport Fishing, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes the new $25 fishing license fee for aliens as an inflationary measure. It notes that the law restores fishing rights while still disguising anti-Japanese intent behind the alien ineligible for citizenship wording.
• A Different and Happier Ending, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This column describes a GI who married a Kyoto shopkeeper’s daughter and now plans to bring her to New York. It offers a happier counterpart to the Madame Butterfly story.
• Advice from a First Sergeant, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The columnist recalls a first sergeant’s advice that Nisei should stop wearing a constant smile to gain respect. The columnist agrees the habit is worth dropping.
• Get Ready for the Rough Ride Down, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The columnist observes aggressive sales tactics from jewelry and clothing stores, which he sees as a sign that business is peaking. He warns that Nisei and Issei in service jobs may face salary cuts or dismissal.
• Rocky Mountain Panorama, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The columnist praises the scenery around Colorado Springs and explains why many former Californians chose to stay in Colorado. He compares the mountains favorably with those in California.
• Louisiana Interests Some Issei Farmers, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The columnist reports that some Issei farmers from the West Coast are exploring farming opportunities in Louisiana, including rice and vegetables. He suggests wartime fears about Japanese Americans there can now be discounted.
• Santa Ana Register Editorial Raps California Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Santa Ana Register criticized the costs of Alien Land law enforcement, which had reached roughly $200,000 in settlements. It argued the state was using the law as a tool for racial discrimination.
• The Girl on the Train, by Frank Moritsugu, page 5. Moritsugu recalls seeing a young Nisei woman on a train carrying Japanese repatriates from Canada and reflects on the struggles of Nisei who were forced to go to Japan. He concludes that adjusting to Japanese life would be very difficult for Nisei.
• Three-Day Vacation, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes a hurried three-day road trip to Des Moines and back from Denver. He reflects on the exhaustion of such trips and the value of seeing old friends.
• Do the Nisei Have a Complex?, by Mary Oyama, page 5. Oyama reports on a Caucasian friend’s critique of Nisei reticence and apparent apathy toward organized politics. The writers discuss whether Nisei are expecting too much too soon from political movements.

Arts & Entertainment

• Mariko Mukai’s New York Debut, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Seattle soprano Mariko Mukai made a successful New York debut at Town Hall, praised by critics. The article traces her family’s sacrifices and her training at Juilliard.
• Sono Osato Believes Women Should Tell Truth About Age, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Dancer Sono Osato, appearing in MGM’s The Kissing Bandit, told Hollywood writers that women should not conceal their ages. She offered candid views on aging and the film industry.

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