Hawaii statehood, Issei citizenship and Nisei soldiers, 1948

Vol. 26, No. 10, March 6, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue

Hawaii statehood ran through this eight-page issue. A visitor from California said racial issues were no bar to it, an editorial urged the Senate to act on the House-passed bill, and Delegate Joseph R. Farrington told the Washington JACL chapter that the wartime loyalty of Hawaii’s Nisei, including the 442nd, answered the main argument against it. Mike Masaoka wrote about a Senate bill to stop arbitrary deportation of about 2,000 Japanese aliens, and the Army postponed the renaming of a transport for Sadao Munemori. On the front page, a mother in Japan asked the Army to return the body of Sgt. Thomas T. Takao.

Larry Tajiri’s columns looked at how novels spread and later challenged anti-Japanese myths. Bill Hosokawa traced a chain of events from the appeasement of Hitler to Pearl Harbor. Also inside: the Takahashi case before the Supreme Court, the national JACL bowling tournament in Salt Lake City, and a mass Issei citizenship filing in Idaho Falls.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Army Asked to Return Body of Nisei Soldier in Japan, page 1. The mother of Sgt. Thomas T. Takao asked the U.S. Army to return her son’s body from an Italian cemetery to Japan for burial. The Army said it was the second such request it had received, following a January decision to grant a similar request for Cpl. Eichi Kuwahara.
• Postpone Ceremony to Rename Army Vessel for Nisei Hero, by Tosuke Yamasaki, page 1. The Army postponed until March 16 the ceremony renaming the transport Wilson Victory for Medal of Honor recipient Sadao Munemori, because ship repairs would not be finished in time. Plans include a JACL bronze plaque presentation and attendance by Munemori’s family and a buddy from his unit.
• Nisei Veterans Entertained at Birmingham Hospital, page 2. Members of the Alphas, a group of Los Angeles Nisei high school students, entertained Nisei veterans convalescing at Birmingham hospital in San Fernando. Funds from a disabled veterans benefit dance produced a $30 donation to the National JACL veterans committee.
• Wartime Patriotism of Nisei Cited as Major Argument For Hawaiian Statehood, page 8. Delegate Joseph R. Farrington told the Washington JACL chapter that the wartime loyalty of Hawaii’s Nisei, including the 442nd, refuted the main argument against statehood. He said evacuation of Japanese Americans from Hawaii was unnecessary and that the West Coast evacuation was a tragic mistake.

Community

• Racial Harmony in Hawaii Boosted by Woman Visitor, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 1. California assembly official Geraldine Hadsell, after touring Hawaii, said she believes the islands are ready for statehood and that racial issues are no bar to it. She said the public sentiment she encountered overwhelmingly favored statehood.
• Chicago Nisei Youth Held with Companions on Burglary Charges, page 1. A 13-year-old Nisei boy was among six young men arrested by Hyde Park police and accused of committing 11 burglaries. The gang allegedly used a fake salve-selling pretext to case homes before breaking in.
• JACL Chapters Will Send CARE Packages to Bruyeres, page 1. Fifty-one CARE packages funded by JACL chapters and friends will be sent to the French town of Bruyeres in appreciation for its tribute to the 442nd Combat Team. National President Hito Okada wrote to Mayor Louis Gillon expressing thanks for the memorial welcome.
• Tanaka Named Senior Editor of Chicago Firm, page 1. Togo W. Tanaka, former editor of the Rafu Shimpo, was appointed senior editor in charge of the editorial department of the American Technical Society in Chicago. His duties include supervising textbook publications and editorial work on Tech Training quarterly.
• Yona Yamada Weds Charles Mar in Portland Ceremony, page 1. Yona Jayne Yamada of Portland was married to Charles Mar of San Francisco at a Methodist church ceremony on March 3. The bride is a Lincoln High and Barat College graduate, and the groom is a veteran of the Army Air Corps.
• Cleveland Nisei Enter Bowling Tournament, page 2. Cleveland Nisei bowlers are entering the first All-American bowling tournament sponsored by the Cleveland Committee for Fair Play in Bowling. The event is open regardless of race, creed, or color and is backed by the CIO’s United Auto Workers.
• Seagulls Win Ninth Straight in Cage Play, by Yosh Kojimoto, page 2. The undefeated Harlem Seagulls took first place in the Salt Lake JACL basketball league with a 70-24 win over University Nisei. George Hiramatsu set a league individual scoring record with 32 points.
• Arizona JACL Sets Plans for State Nisei Cage Tourney, page 2. The Arizona JACL will sponsor a statewide Nisei basketball tournament March 15 to 19 in Glendale. Awards will be presented during the chapter’s installation ceremonies.
• Nisei Chicagoans Participate in Brotherhood Programs, page 7. Several Chicago Nisei took part in February brotherhood month programs, speaking before B’nai B’rith groups, church congregations, and community forums. The Midwest regional office coordinated requests for Nisei speakers.
• Mass Issei Citizenship Filing Drive in Idaho Falls, page 7. Approximately 40 Issei in Idaho Falls filed preliminary U.S. citizenship forms in a mass filing organized by the Idaho Falls JACL on Feb. 25. Ages ranged from 48 to over 80, and JACL members assisted with the paperwork.

National

• Dismiss Land Law Suit in Placer County, page 1. Superior Judge Lowell L. Sparks signed papers dismissing escheat proceedings against Sengiro Kondo and Minoru Takagishi under the California Alien Land Law. The state waived its right to pursue such actions under a law the U.S. Supreme Court found contrary to public policy.
• Liberal Political Group Backs Issei Naturalization Proposal, page 2. The Americans for Democratic Action adopted a platform at its Philadelphia convention favoring naturalization for ineligible aliens and repeal of discriminatory state laws. The group also opposed the poll tax and all forms of discrimination and supported statehood for Hawaii and Alaska.
• Asks Early Senate Action on Bill to Prevent Arbitrary Deportation of Japanese Aliens, by Mike Masaoka, page 3. The JACL ADC urged the Senate to act on H.R. 3566, which would give the Attorney General discretion to suspend deportation of about 2,000 Japanese aliens who aided the war effort. Most of these aliens have American citizen families and sons who served in the U.S. Army.
• Staley Firm Denies Presence of Arsenic in Tainted Sauce, page 3. The A. E. Staley Manufacturing Co. denied knowing that its soya bean sauce base contained arsenic, responding to lawsuits from about 300 poisoning victims in western states. Attorney Kenji Ito, representing plaintiffs, reported the company’s position to the Rafu Shimpo.

In-Depth

• Nisei Scientist Discovers Chemical Which Kills Viruses, page 1. Dr. William N. Takahashi of the University of California found that malachite green dye can block virus growth inside living cells without harming the cells. The discovery may aid future treatment of plant, animal, and human virus diseases.

JACL

• 32 Teams Enter National JACL Bowling Meet in Salt Lake, page 2. Thirty-two teams will compete in the two-day national JACL bowling tournament at the Temple alleys in Salt Lake City on March 6 and 7. Squad positions were assigned by league averages, and about $2100 in cash prizes plus trophies will be awarded.
• No Race Restrictions in National JACL Tourney, Says Honda, page 2. Bill Honda, general chairman of the JACL-sponsored bowling tournament, said the event is open to all Nisei, bowlers in Nisei leagues, and JACL members regardless of race. He expected bowlers of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Caucasian ancestry to participate.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Dancer Yuriko Appears in Solo Role With Graham Group, by Woody Guthrie, page 2. Woody Guthrie reviews Yuriko’s solo performance in Martha Graham’s new ‘Tale of Seizure’ at the Maxine Elliot Theater in New York. He praises her expressive movement while noting the dance failed to use her strongest talent, her high leaps.
• Books and Racism, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri concludes that American writers and publishers have increasingly fought racism, and that postwar books about Nisei have contributed to the struggle against discrimination. He credits authors who challenged prejudice in novels from Wright to recent bestsellers.

Incarceration & Redress

• CIO, NAACP Seek Review of Takahashi Case Decision, page 2. The CIO and NAACP filed friend-of-the-court briefs urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Takahashi fishing case challenging California’s alien land statute. Both argued the statute is racially discriminatory and violates the Fourteenth Amendment.

Commentary

• Stranded Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial notes that 116 stranded Nisei returned to San Francisco on the General Meigs, the largest group so far, after clearance by U.S. consular officials in Japan. It explains that pending court cases over lost citizenship will be decided individually under current State Department policy.
• Housing Restrictions, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial draws on the book ‘People vs. Property’ to describe how racial restrictive covenants in housing produce segregation, violence, and social harm. It notes that recent court decisions signal a shift toward voiding such covenants on constitutional grounds.
• Statehood for Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial urges the Senate to act promptly on the House-passed Hawaii statehood bill, citing wide support and the territory’s loyalty during World War II. It points to Nisei combat heroism and bond drive success as proof of Hawaii’s readiness.
• Literature and Race Prejudice, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri examines how novels such as Will Irwin’s ‘Seed of the Sun’ and Peter B. Kyne’s ‘Pride of Palomar’ spread anti-Japanese myths and influenced California racist legislation. He traces how later literature has increasingly challenged racial prejudice.
• The Nineteen Cent Graveyard of Writing, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri describes discount remainder bookstores in New York as graveyards for failed books and explains the low odds of publication for aspiring writers. He reflects on the difficulty of producing a successful Nisei novel.
• Chain of Events, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa links postwar tensions and the Marshall Plan to the appeasement of Hitler and the chain of events leading to Pearl Harbor, evacuation, and Nisei war deaths. He urges Nisei to resist hysteria and red-baiting while acting with clear-headed determination.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.