Tokyo Rose arrest plans, the claims law and the Kawakita trial

Vol. 27, No. 5, July 31, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue

The planned arrest of Iva Toguri d’Aquino, known as “Tokyo Rose,” opened this eight-page issue. Attorney General Tom Clark announced plans to seek her arrest on treason charges over wartime Radio Tokyo broadcasts. Elsewhere, Edward Ennis and Mike Masaoka met Justice Department officials about the evacuee claims program, and President Truman called the claims bill the only part of his civil rights program Congress had passed. The Kawakita treason trial continued, with the defense presenting its case and a motion to dismiss denied by Judge William Mathes.

Also inside: a plan to revoke the 1907 order restricting Hawaii’s Japanese aliens, a Progressive Party platform calling for full equality for Nisei, and Lawrence Nakatsuka on the 442nd Veterans Club staging a war play in Honolulu. Reports on the coming JACL national convention in Salt Lake City, scholarship and oratory plans, and sports from hot-rod racing to the Honolulu Hawaiians fill the later pages.

What’s in this issue

National

• Attorney General Clark Will Seek Arrest of ‘Tokyo Rose’ Over Wartime Radio Broadcasts, page 1. Attorney General Tom Clark announced plans to arrest Iva Toguri d’Aquino, known as ‘Tokyo Rose,’ on treason charges for her alleged wartime broadcasts over Radio Tokyo. The order for her arrest was expected to be signed shortly, following a nearly three-year Justice Department investigation.
• Interior Department Prepares Draft for President’s Signature to End Hawaii Limited Passports Situation, by By LORRAINE YAMASAKI, page 1. A draft revoking the 1907 Executive Order that restricted Japanese aliens with Hawaii labor contract visas from entering the mainland has been prepared by the Interior Department. Once approved, it will allow these residents to enter the mainland for permanent residence rather than only under six-month visitor permits.
• Postpone Move to Waive Issei Exit Permits, page 1. The State Department postponed indefinitely its planned waiver of exit permits for alien Japanese seeking to leave the United States, citing administrative difficulties. The waiver was intended to ease travel for non-citizen Japanese, especially to Occupied Japan, though military clearances and re-entry permits would remain required.
• Ennis, Masaoka Discuss Claims Program for Evacuees With Justice Department Officials, page 1. JACL ADC representatives Edward Ennis and Mike Masaoka met with Justice Department officials to urge simplified claim forms, liberal interpretations of the evacuee claims law, and decentralized processing. Preliminary forms are expected by mid-September, and the National JACL will defer its participation until the September national convention.
• President Truman Declares Evacuee Bill Only Part of Civil Rights Program Passed by Congress, page 2. In his message to the special session of Congress, President Truman noted that the evacuation claims bill was the only part of his ten-point civil rights program enacted so far. He urged Congress to pass the remaining measures, which include a fair employment practices commission, an anti-lynching law, and a civil rights division in the Justice Department.
• President Sets Up Government Anti-Bias Policy, page 2. President Truman created a fair employment board in the Civil Service Commission by executive order to prevent racial or religious discrimination in government hiring. He also established a committee on equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed services and required each cabinet officer to designate a fair employment officer.
• Seek Passage of Contraband Articles Claims Proposal During Special Session, page 2. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee will seek enactment of S. 29, the contraband articles claims bill, which would allow the Attorney General to settle claims up to $1,000 for property deposited under wartime contraband regulations. The bill, passed by the Senate, now awaits action in the House Judiciary Committee.
• Canada Government Asked to Extend Inquiry on Losses, page 2. The Cooperative Committee on Japanese Canadians asked the Minister of Justice to extend the inquiry into evacuee property losses to include fishing vessels sold by the Fishing Vessels Disposal Committee. Under current terms, only owners of vessels sold by the Custodian of Japanese Property may claim losses.
• Progressive Party Platform Urges Full Equality for Nisei, page 2. The new Progressive Party platform adopted at its Philadelphia convention included planks calling for full equality for Japanese Americans, a more equitable evacuee claims law, naturalization rights for Issei, and immediate statehood for Hawaii. Nisei delegates, including Chiye Oshima of New York, presented the case for these measures.
• Defense Testimony Initiated in Kawakita Case as Move for Dismissal Denied by Judge, page 3. Judge William Mathes denied defense attorney Morris Lavine’s motion to dismiss the treason indictment against Tomoya Kawakita, and the defense began presenting its case with deposition testimony. Lavine argued that the acts charged were war crimes rather than treason and that Kawakita could not be considered to have renounced his citizenship.

Arts & Entertainment

• Al Nozaki Does Art Direction on New Film, page 1. Al Nozaki, art director at Paramount studios, is working on ‘A Mask for Lucretia’ starring Paulette Goddard and John Lund. He previously shared art direction credit on ‘The Big Clock’ and regained his pre-war job after evacuation.

Community

• Dr. Yokoyama Will Do Cancer Research at Kansas School, page 1. Dr. Hisako Yokoyama, a zoology instructor at the University of Hawaii, left for the University of Kansas to conduct cancer research. She was accompanied by her husband, a World War II veteran, and her mother.
• Nisei Ex-GI’s Relive War on Stage, page 3. The 442nd Veterans Club in Honolulu staged ‘A Sound of Hunting,’ a war drama adapted from the Broadway version, using a cast of Nisei veterans. The production was received warmly by the community and was described as an experimental effort in local theater.
• Nisei Veterans Produce Play About S. Troops in Italy, page 3. Nisei veterans in Honolulu staged Harry Brown’s play adapted for their own cast. The production proceeds benefited a community cause.
• Five Nisei Teach at Summer Classes at U. of Washington, page 3. Five Nisei scholars, including Iwao Matsushita, Midori Nishi, Henry Tatsumi, Fumio Yagi and D. Yamamura, are teaching summer session classes at the University of Washington. They teach subjects ranging from geography and Far Eastern studies to mathematics and sociology.
• Court Grants Full Refund to Plaintiffs, page 3. Judge Benton O. Worley ordered a full refund of overcharged rent to eleven Nisei tenants in Los Angeles who had been charged above the OPA ceiling. The defendants were also ordered to pay attorney’s fees.
• Joe Tobari Wins JACL Ping Pong Tourney, page 3. Joe Tobari won first place at the JACL ping pong tournament held at the YWCA. Several other semifinalists and standouts were recognized for their play.
• Ruth Sato Reinhardt Runs Chicago Night Club, page 5. Ruth Sato Reinhardt, a former Nisei Broadway dancer, operates Jazz, Ltd., a North Side Chicago night club with her husband Bill Reinhardt. She describes the transition from show business to club ownership.
• Chicago Groups Give $1000 for Vanport Relief, page 5. Chicago Japanese American groups raised $1,000 for relief of Japanese Americans made homeless by the Vanport, Oregon flood disaster. The funds were forwarded through the Portland JACL.
• San Francisco Faces a Dilemma: What Price Slum Clearance?, page 5. San Francisco’s Western Addition urban redevelopment plan has raised concerns among Nisei and other minority residents who fear displacement without adequate safeguards. Community leaders including JACL president Yori Wada and Dr. Kazue Togasaki called for protections against discrimination and for low-cost housing.
• Nisei Hot Rod Driver Scores Clean Sweep at Los Angeles, page 7. Yoshihiro Okamura, known as ‘Yam Oka,’ won multiple events at Gilmore Stadium in Los Angeles, including the trophy dash in record time. The 33-year-old Nisei has become one of California’s top hot-rod racers.
• Hawaii Players Beat Trotters in Utah Tilts, page 7. The Honolulu Hawaiians defeated the Harlem Globetrotters 9 to 8 in two games held in Ogden and Salt Lake City. Jun Muramoto and Ernie Cabral were key contributors to the victories.
• Leadership Training Clinic Planned at Chicago Center, page 8. The Ellis Community Center in Chicago is sponsoring a three-day Leadership Training Clinic on August 6-8 under the theme of service to the community through the church. The clinic is open to Protestant leaders and includes accredited leadership courses.
• Duplicate Bridge Will Be Discussed by Culbertson Expert, page 8. Ann Corey, a master Culbertson associate, will give a talk on duplicate bridge for Salt Lake area Nisei bridge players on August 12. The discussion will cover new international bidding and scoring rules effective September 1.
• Ontario Area Nisei Join Community Service Groups, page 8. Several Nisei in the Ontario, Oregon area joined local civic groups including the Kiwanis, Lions Club, and Junior Chamber of Commerce. Mun Iseri became the first Nisei member of the Ontario Kiwanis club.
• Stranded Nisei Miss Boat, Take Plane to Coast, page 8. Three war-stranded Nisei who missed the American President Line’s General M.C. Meigs in Honolulu flew to San Francisco by plane. The ship’s sailing time had been advanced without much notice, and eighteen passengers chased the vessel by launch to board it.
• Ben Masaoka Scholarship Winner to Go to JACL Contest, page 8. The Pvt. Ben Masaoka college scholarship of $200 will be awarded at the oratorical contest during the 10th Biennial National JACL Convention in Salt Lake City. Several chapters have announced their entrants.
• Nisei Intermountain Collegiate Group Will Hold Oratory Meet, page 8. The Nisei Intermountain Collegiate Conference plans an oratorical contest in late August, with the winner earning an expense-paid trip to the national JACL oratorical contest in Salt Lake City. Douglas Taguchi, president of the conference, announced the plans.
• Dr. Nishikawa Heads New JACL Chapter, page 8. The new Los Angeles Southwest JACL chapter held its first general meeting and installed officers including Dr. Roy Nishikawa as president. Delegates were elected to attend the national conference in September.

Military & Veterans

• ‘One Man USO’ Continues to Aid Nisei Veterans, page 1. Earl Finch, the Mississippian known as the ‘One Man USO’ for befriending Nisei soldiers during the war, has returned to Honolulu to help with the 442nd Veterans club play and assist veterans with business problems. He plans to travel to the mainland before returning for the arrival of war dead in September.
• 442nd’s Record Known in Japan, Says Y Official, page 1. Soichi Saito, Japan’s national YMCA secretary, told the Rafu Shimpo that the heroic record of the 442nd Combat Team in Italy and France has become a symbol of faith, respect and courage in Japan. He stated that the record of Nisei GIs was well known there.
• Harry Brown’s Play Fits Nisei Veterans, by LAWRENCE NAKATSUKA, page 3. The 442nd Veterans Club in Honolulu opened a stage production of Harry Brown’s war drama ‘A Sound of Hunting,’ which was adapted to feature Nisei actors. The play, directed by John Kneubuhl, drew a favorable community response.

Obituaries

• New York Buyer Killed in Japan Jeep Accident, page 2. Shigeo Yamazaki, a New York City buyer for Pacific Supply Co., died on July 23 after a jeep driven by his son ran off the road near Summit Mountain in Japan. He suffered internal injuries and died during emergency surgery in a Japanese hospital.

Incarceration & Redress

• Defense Witness Cites Cruelties in Japanese Prisons, page 3. Dr. Wayne C. Bleich, a former American medical officer at a POW camp, testified in the Kawakita trial about cruelties inflicted on Bataan and Corregidor survivors at the Oeyama prison camp. He described the inadequate diet and clothing and punishments meted out by American non-commissioned officers.
• Leader of Moose Jaw Protest Group Convicted by Court, page 7. Hirokichi Isomura, a leader of protest demonstrators at the closed Moose Jaw hostel for Japanese Canadian evacuees, received a three-month suspended sentence after obstructing a sheriff. Two other holdouts continue to resist relocation and demand the right to return to British Columbia.

Sports

• Televised Game: Nisei Baseball Players Compete on Television, page 7. A game between the Honolulu Hawaiians and the Harlem Globetrotters was televised by Salt Lake City station W6XYZ. The Hawaiian players, many of them veterans, prepared carefully for the broadcast.
• San Jose Zebras Lose First Round in Semipro Meet, page 8. The San Jose Zebras lost their first-round game in the Santa Clara-San Jose semipro tournament to Kaufmann Milling 7-0. The Zebras will face the second-round losers on August 10.

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