Vol. 25, No. 6, August 16, 1947. 8 pages. View this issue
Court rulings and discrimination dominated the front page. Federal Judge Louis Goodman denied the Justice Department’s request for reconsideration and ordered renunciants held at Crystal City and Seabrook Farms released by Sept. 8, with attorney Wayne M. Collins arguing for them. Three Japanese American seamen, all World War II veterans, were refused shore leave in Vancouver and protested in a letter. Hawaii’s high sheriff Lau Ah Chew cited the wartime record of Japanese Americans at a governors’ meeting. Larry Tajiri wrote on the Ku Klux Klan’s role in the wartime campaign in California and on Madame Butterfly, and Bill Hosokawa questioned the “Nisei angle.”
The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee reported more than 200 bills of interest in Congress, and Mike Masaoka planned a tour to promote its work. Other pages cover Wally Yonamine’s debut with the San Francisco Forty-Niners, a profile of sculptor Isamu Noguchi by Frances Herridge, and an Oregon Alien Land law test case.
What’s in this issue
National
- British Columbia Refuses to Permit Nisei Seamen to Land Because of Restriction Excluding Persons of Japanese Ancestry from Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three Japanese American seamen, veterans of World War II, were denied shore leave in Vancouver under a British Columbia ban on persons of Japanese racial origin entering the restricted coastal area. They protested in a bitter letter citing the service of Nisei units alongside Canadian troops in Italy.
- Judge Orders Release of Renunciants Held at Tule Lake Segregation Center, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal Judge Louis Goodman denied the Justice Department’s request for reconsideration and ordered release of renunciants held in Crystal City and Seabrook Farms by Sept. 8. Attorney Wayne M. Collins argued the renunciants could not be held as deportable aliens.
- Hawaii Nisei War Record Hailed at Meeting of Governors, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaii’s high sheriff Lau Ah Chew cited the wartime record of Hawaii’s residents of Japanese ancestry in opposing statehood objections at a National Governors Association meeting. He argued opposition to Hawaiian statehood stems mainly from those who distrust the loyalty of the Japanese population.
- 200 Bills of Interest to ADC Introduced in First Session of 80th Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Washington ADC office reported that more than 200 bills of direct interest to the JACL’s Anti-Discrimination Committee were introduced in the first session of the 80th Congress. Four bills benefiting persons of Japanese ancestry passed and were signed by President Truman, including the Soldier Brides Act amendment.
Community
- Rose Hirata McMahan May Be Able to Join Husband in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pennsylvania ex-Marine Eugene McMahan reports he is winning the fight to bring his Nisei bride Rose Hirata to the United States. A U.S. consul in Yokohama instructed him to submit his marriage certificate to immigration authorities in Philadelphia.
- New Community Center Planned for Resettlers in Chicago Area, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rev. George Nishimoto announced a new community center and program for persons of Japanese ancestry in Chicago’s southside, offering kindergarten, adult education, and church activities. He reported that church surveys showed few Nisei attending Protestant churches in the area.
- Nisei Girl Sails to Serve as Maryknoll Nun, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Helen Nakagawa of Seattle, now Sister Mary Stephanie, will sail for Hawaii in the garb of a Maryknoll nun to fulfill a childhood dream of serving in mission fields. The article traces her path from Seattle parish school to the Maryknoll novitiate in New York.
- Midwest District Council Sets Workshop for JACL Leaders, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mari Sabusawa, chairman of the Midwest District Council, announced the agenda for a unique workshop covering chapter programs, public relations, membership, and community action. Chapter presidents across the Midwest were listed as participants.
- Japanese American Relief Goods Sent to Japan Needy, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Church World Service in New York City has sent relief shipments to Japan, funded partly by Southern California Japanese American relief contributions. Shipments included powdered milk, rice, flour, prefab huts, medicine, and printed Bibles.
- Validity of Oregon Alien Land Law Questioned in Test Case, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Kenji Namba, a 442nd veteran, and his Japan-born father challenged Oregon’s Alien Land law in court, arguing it is discriminatory. Judge James W. Crawford took the case under advisement after the August 7 hearing.
- Mac Nishimoto Gets Largest Salmon of Year in Puget Sound, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Mac Nishimoto caught a large salmon in Elliott Bay that became the top qualifier in the Seattle Times city salmon derby this year. The catch was made with a cut spinner.
JACL
- Washington JACL Office Reports Over 100 Representations to Government Agencies, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Washington JACL office reported more than 100 representations to federal agencies in the first half of 1947 to eliminate discriminatory practices. Mike Masaoka argued the JACL should maintain a permanent office in the nation’s capital.
Military & Veterans
- Nisei Veteran Commissioned for Japan Duty, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Spady A. Koyama, a Spokane veteran wounded on Leyte, was commissioned a second lieutenant at the Military Intelligence Service Language School in Monterey on August 6. He reenlisted for occupation service in the Far East command as a language officer.
- Soldier Killed in France Honored in Colorado Ceremony, by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 250 people attended a memorial service at Ordway, Colorado, honoring a 442nd soldier killed in France. Colonel Jones of the Colorado district headquarters delivered the principal address.
- Nisei Veteran Sgt. Daniel Horikawa Served as Gunner in Pacific Bomber Squadron, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Tech. Sgt. Daniel Horikawa of Kauai served as a gunner with a B-25 bombardment squadron in New Guinea and the Philippines despite the Army Air Forces restriction on Nisei combat aircrew. He returned home after six years of service and is now stationed at Hamilton Field.
Commentary
- Greater Emphasis Stressed During Coming Year on Work of Anti-Discrimination Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. National JACL staff meeting in August 1947 decided to emphasize legislative work of the Anti-Discrimination Committee in 1948. Mike Masaoka planned a two-month tour of the Midwest, Tri-State, and Pacific Coast to stimulate ADC program interest.
- On Human Relations, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reviews Chicago’s Mayor’s Commission report showing intergroup tensions rose markedly in 1946, including attacks on Japanese Americans. It emphasizes that the housing shortage is the root of many racial conflicts and that no gains were made in addressing it.
- Civil Liberties, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial, drawing on a New Republic report, notes continued antagonism toward Japanese Americans on the West Coast and links state senator Jack Tenney and John Lechner to both anti-Nisei agitation and current attacks on civil liberties. It argues this continuity shows the racist nature of the wartime campaign.
- Nisei Angle Now Outdated, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa argues that Nisei readers no longer confine their interests to Nisei topics and now follow national and world affairs. He suggests that Nisei journalism should range more widely and not default to the Nisei angle.
- Integration and Assimilation, by J. B. Aronoff, page 6. Aronoff, in a letter to the editor, distinguishes integration, meaning group equality while keeping cultural traditions, from assimilation, meaning abandonment of ancestral heritage. He argues integration must come first and assimilation follows naturally once equality is won.
In-Depth
- Editorial: The Klan Mind, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial draws on Stetson Kennedy’s account to show that the Ku Klux Klan helped fuel the wartime anti-Japanese American campaign in California. It warns that the Klan has repeatedly revived after being discredited and calls for minority groups to unite against all bigotry.
Arts & Entertainment
- Goodbye to Mme. Butterfly, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri examines the Madame Butterfly story and its films and opera as a popular folk tragedy shaped by imperialist and exclusionist thinking. He notes that Japanese and Nisei sopranos now perform the role and that real marriages between Nisei and Japanese women are changing the story’s outdated premise.
- Isamu Noguchi Called Most Creative Stage Designer of Recent Dance Season, by Frances Herridge, page 5. Frances Herridge profiles sculptor Isamu Noguchi, whose stage sets for Martha Graham and Ballet Society’s The Seasons she considers the most creative of the season. Noguchi explains his collaborative process with choreographers and his view that art should serve the dance.
Sports
- Wally Yonamine Runs Wild in Forty-Niners Intrasquad Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Hawaiian Nisei Wally Yonamine made a sensational debut for the San Francisco Forty-Niners in an intrasquad game at Salinas, scoring two touchdowns including an 89-yard punt return. Approximately 400 Nisei attended the game, including many Military Intelligence Service soldiers from Monterey.
- Los Angeles Keglers Win Team Title at San Jose Nisei Bowling Tournament, by Phil Matsumura, page 7. The Sawtelle Garage team of Los Angeles won the first annual open Nisei handicap bowling tournament sponsored by the United Citizens League in San Jose. Individual and doubles champions were also crowned, and awards were presented at a dinner dance.
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