Amnesty for Nisei draft resisters, and the Tokyo trial of eight ex-GIs

Vol. 26, No. 1, January 3, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue

President Truman’s Christmas Eve amnesty led this January 1948 issue. It pardoned 282 Nisei among 1,523 Selective Service violators, and the Amnesty Board’s report acknowledged that evacuation and detention had shaped the draft resisters’ stance. Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi was also pardoned. The front page also followed the Tokyo court martial of eight Nisei ex-GIs, where attorney Vincent Esposito charged that Army investigators had promised seven of them release if the eighth confessed. Editorials and columns by Larry Tajiri and Koji Ariyoshi took up the pardon, civil liberties and the Reinecke case in Hawaii.

Inside are Tosuke Yamasaki on the Judd naturalization bill and the 1906 order affecting Hawaii Issei, Bill Hosokawa on a Nisei statistician and on New Year resolutions, and a profile of Hidden Villa. Many JACL chapters, including Denver, New York, Washington and Mid-Columbia, named new officers. The 8-page issue also reported that the national convention in Salt Lake City moved to September 4-6.

What’s in this issue

National

• Army Investigator Says Seven Were Promised Freedom in Tokyo Hall Death Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Vincent Esposito, attorney for eight Nisei ex-GIs on trial in Tokyo for murder and riot, charged that Army investigators promised seven of the defendants release if the eighth confessed. He argued the confession was coerced and that the court was limiting his questioning of witnesses.
• State Department Will Refuse Passport to Mrs. D’Aquino, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The State Department informed the Los Angeles City Council that Iva Toguri D’Aquino, alleged ‘Tokyo Rose,’ will not be permitted to return to Los Angeles. The reversal followed protests from veterans groups after earlier reports that the department was not opposing her return.
• Passage of Judd Proposal Will Eliminate Race, Ancestry as Conditions for Citizenship, by Tosuke Yamasaki, page 2. Representative Walter Judd’s naturalization bill, H.R. 3824, would remove race as a bar to naturalization, tracing the history of racial restrictions on citizenship. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee says it would grant recognition to Asian Americans who served in World War II.
• Wirin to Appear in Radio Debate on Race Discrimination, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A. L. Wirin, JACL legal counsel, will debate on KMPC on whether laws against racial discrimination violate personal freedom. He will argue the negative and plans to address discriminatory alien land and naturalization laws.
• Underworld in Murder Case, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Court martial proceedings in Tokyo against eight former servicemen of Japanese ancestry on murder and riot charges were complicated by alleged underworld involvement. Defense attorney Vincent Esposito charged the case reflected a gang war and noted no Japanese nationals had been arrested.

Incarceration & Redress

• 282 Nisei Draft Resisters Win Presidential Amnesty, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Truman’s Christmas Eve amnesty proclamation pardoned 282 Nisei among 1,523 Selective Service violators, restoring their civil and political rights. The Amnesty Board’s report acknowledged that evacuation and detention had shaped the draft resisters’ stance.
• Evacuation Test Case Figure Listed Among Those Pardoned, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi, central figure in the Supreme Court test case on wartime evacuation, received a Christmas Eve pardon. He said the pardon meant even more to those convicted of felonies than to him, since he had been convicted of a misdemeanor.
• Deportation Test Cases Set for Denver Court, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Appeals against deportation orders for Japanese aliens will be heard by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. A. L. Wirin represents the aliens, many of whom lost their treaty trader status after the commercial treaty with Japan was revoked.
• Hawaii Issei Cases Hinge on Presidential Order of 1906, by Tosuke Yamasaki, page 3. The deportation hardships of Hawaii-resident Issei stem from a 1906 presidential order restricting their travel to the mainland. The JACL ADC argues the order is outdated and discriminates against loyal aliens who want to live with their families.

In-Depth

• The Story of Hidden Villa, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mrs. Josephine Duveneck’s Hidden Villa ranch near Los Altos hosts interracial summer camps for children of many backgrounds. She aims to counter inherited prejudice through shared farm and camp life and has aided Japanese Americans and Jewish refugees.

Community

• Lady Statistician: Yuki Tanaka’s Figures Aid West’s Livestock Industry, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Nisei statistician Yuki Tanaka moved from federal fish statistics to the Denver office compiling livestock marketing data for eleven western states. Her analysis supports transportation, packing, and feed industries in a field the government had not previously covered.
• Issei Supporters Group Organized in Grand Junction, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The thirteenth Kika Kisei Domei group of Issei and Nisei supporters for the JACL ADC program was organized in Grand Junction, Colorado. Regional representatives also discussed forming a Western Slope JACL chapter and reported a favorable response.
• Private Bill Entered to Stop Deportation of Issei to Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A private bill introduced by Delegate Farrington halted deportation to Hawaii of four aged Japanese aliens, scheduled for early January. Mike Masaoka of the JACL ADC secured the bill after appeals to immigration authorities failed.
• Kadani Elected President of San Benito JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Takeichi Kadani was elected president of the revived San Benito County JACL chapter, with a full new cabinet named. The cabinet will be installed at a January meeting.
• Ohashi Elected President of Denver Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 3. George Ohashi was named president of the Denver JACL for 1948, with a full slate of officers announced. The officers include several members with professional or academic backgrounds.
• New York JACL Elects Hayashi to Second Term, by Ina Sugihara, page 4. Tom Hayashi was re-elected president of the New York JACL chapter at its annual meeting, which also featured a talk by a State Commission Against Discrimination representative. The new cabinet was announced and will be installed at a January dinner.
• Denver Groups Aid ADC Fund Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Denver Buddhist church and the Cornelians club raised funds for the JACL ADC drive, with the Buddhist church collecting $29 and the Cornelians about $150 at a game night benefit. Committee members and organizers were named.
• Box Elder Group Gives Movie Profits to ADC Program, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Box Elder Civic Welfare League contributed $97.80 from a movie showing of Shina no Yoru to the JACL ADC. Approximately 250 people attended the showing arranged with army recruiting service help.
• Nisei CPA Opens Los Angeles Office, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Sho Iino, believed to be the only Nisei certified public accountant in California, opened an office in Los Angeles. He previously served as president of the Japanese Bruin club and was a charter member of the Cincinnati JACL chapter.
• Mary Suzuki Weds in Chicago Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Mary Suzuki married Harry Sabusawa in a Chicago Temple chapel ceremony on December 20. The reception was held at the Loop YWCA, where the bride had worked.
• Washington JACL Names Shimasaki to Presidency, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Ira Shimasaki was elected president of the District of Columbia JACL, succeeding Harold Horiuchi. Several 1947 officers were reelected, and a suki yaki dinner and installation are planned for January.
• George Fujii Elected to Head Murray Chapter of JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 7. George Fujii was elected president of the Mt. Olympus (Murray, Utah) JACL at a December 23 meeting combined with a Christmas celebration. A full slate of new officers was named and gifts were distributed by a Santa Claus.
• Community Center Holds Party for Nursery Children, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The weekday nursery school of the Ellis community center in Chicago held a Christmas party for eighteen children. Mothers provided refreshments and a Harvey, Illinois church delivered gifts.
• Chicago JACL Unit Sends CARE Packages to French Town, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Chicago JACL chapter will send two CARE packages to Bruyeres, France, following a national board recommendation. The chapter installed its 1948 officers at its final meeting of the year.
• Eastern Oregon Team Challenges Tourney Winner, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Ontario Nisei basketball team issued a challenge to the winner of the all-Oriental basketball tournament in Seattle. The challenge was reportedly passed to the San Francisco Chinese American Saints.
• Asai Is Elected President by Mid-Columbia JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Masami Asai was elected president of the Mid-Columbia JACL in Hood River, Oregon for 1948. A full cabinet of officers and social promoters was also named.
• Henry Taketa Heads Sacramento Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Henry Taketa was elected temporary chairman of the reactivated Sacramento JACL at a December 16 meeting. Officers will be elected at a January meeting and plans include a bridge class and fishing derby.
• Date Changed for National JACL Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The 10th biennial National JACL convention in Salt Lake City has been moved from August 25-30 to September 4-6 due to a conflict at the Hotel Utah. Planned activities include bowling, golf, and beach and canyon parties.

Military & Veterans

• Fifteen Graduate Army Language Class, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fifteen students from the thirty-second Japanese class graduated from the Army Language School at the Presidio of Monterey. Dr. Walter Kaulfers spoke on the value of foreign language skills for peace, and T/4 Dorsey Kurokawa addressed the class in Japanese.
• Body of Nisei Medal of Honor Winner Will Be Buried in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sadao Munemori’s remains will be interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles at his mother’s request. The Japanese American Community Council announced plans for a memorial to Nisei GIs on the cemetery grounds.
• Veterans Group Gives Radios to Nisei Patients, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Nisei Veterans Association gave portable radios to Japanese American GIs hospitalized at Sawtelle, San Fernando, and Long Beach veterans hospitals at Christmas. The effort was part of its welfare program.
• Chinese American Team Wins U.S. Oriental Cage Crown, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The San Francisco Saints won the first national Oriental American basketball tournament in Seattle, defeating the Hawaii Nisei squad 48 to 43. Willie Wong was named the most valuable player, and the Chicago Huskies took third place.

JACL

• Asks Testimony on Behalf of Proposal at Senate Hearing, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Mike Masaoka asked the Interior Department to help move the evacuation claims bill out of a Senate subcommittee and to secure testimony from Attorney General Tom Clark. He also requested Interior’s support in a Takahashi alien fishing case expected to reach the Supreme Court.

Commentary

• Editorials: Christmas Amnesty, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes President Truman’s amnesty for Nisei draft resisters, noting their stance grew from wartime evacuation and detention. It acknowledges their action was controversial but finds the pardon a just recognition of their loyalty.
• Race Problem Today, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial discusses Carey McWilliams’s analysis of changing American attitudes toward race relations, noting a shift from viewing prejudice as fixed to treating it as a problem requiring action. It highlights growing organized resistance to discrimination.
• Radio’s Social Conscience, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises radio programs addressing discrimination, citing a Salt Lake City weekly broadcast and a CBS special featuring the story of Sergeant George Otsuka. It concludes that radio is a powerful educational force.
• Nisei USA: A Test for Candidates, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri argues that civil liberties for minorities should become a question in the presidential campaign, using the President’s Committee on Civil Rights report as a basis. He reviews candidates’ responses and questions Governor Warren’s record on Japanese Americans and the Alien Land Law.
• The Reinecke Case, by Koji Ariyoshi, page 5. Koji Ariyoshi reports on the suspension of Nisei teacher Aiko Reinecke and her husband Dr. John Reinecke in Hawaii on charges of communist affiliation. He links the case to political conflict between Governor Stainback and the ILWU and calls for civil rights defense.
• Bill Hosokawa: On New Year Resolutions, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa reflects on the futility of past New Year’s resolutions and urges readers to pursue happiness through small kindnesses. He also notes Nisei economic and social progress across the country.

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