The 1948 JACL convention in Salt Lake City: naturalization and claims

Vol. 27, No. 11, September 11, 1948. 12 pages. View this issue

The 10th biennial JACL convention in Salt Lake City filled this 12-page issue. Delegates made naturalization for Issei their central legislative goal and, for the first time, opened membership to resident Japanese aliens. Saburo Kido gave the keynote, Mike Masaoka spoke at the recognition dinner, and Governor Herbert B. Maw crowned June Yoshimoto national queen. The national council also approved help with evacuation claims, chose Chicago for the 1950 convention, and set October 30 as a national day for Nisei war veterans.

Other stories looked at the JACL’s future in a panel on civil rights, Dr. Thomas T. Yatabe’s history of the American Loyalty League, and a survey of local chapters by Henry Tani. Lawrence Nakatsuka wrote on Hawaii’s service for 78 returned war dead, and further pages covered Nisei soldiers buried at Arlington, Hood River and Fresno.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Panel Experts Urge JACL Join in Wider Program for Civil and Racial Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A panel of JACL experts debated whether the organization should continue once Japanese American problems are solved, at a session on the future of the JACL during the 10th biennial convention. Panelists urged the JACL to join broader civil rights efforts, fight discrimination within its own ranks, and expand services to Issei and local communities.
• ADC to Assume Expenses of JACL Regional Offices, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The national council decided that the JACL ADC will take over control and expenses of regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington. The JACL will contribute $4800 toward office costs under the 1948-50 budget.
• Saburo Kido Sets Keynote For 10th Biennial Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Saburo Kido, past JACL president, keynoted the 10th biennial convention by warning Japanese Americans against complacency and urging Nisei to defend minority rights broadly. Governor Herbert B. Maw and Mayor Earl J. Glade welcomed the delegates to Utah and Salt Lake City.
• Evacuation Claims Filing Assistance Approved by JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The national council decided the JACL will help Japanese Americans file evacuation claims at no charge, with filing expected to begin in October. Special counsel Edward Ennis outlined the three-part claim form and the Washington office’s role in providing information.
• Chicago Takes Bid As Convention City After Close Race, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Chicago was unanimously chosen to host the 11th biennial JACL convention in 1950 after beating New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles in the bidding. The vote followed a first ballot in which Chicago led but did not yet win unanimous support.
• JACL Pledges Organization to Program for Naturalization, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The convention voted to make Issei naturalization its central legislative goal and approved a membership plan letting resident Japanese aliens join as non-voting members. Several changes to JACL structure and regional offices were also adopted.
• ADC Plans to Expand Work In Coming Year, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The ADC passed a record $140,000 budget for the coming year to pursue naturalization and evacuation claims work. It also voted to establish another regional office in the northwest or Fresno.
• Los Angeles Girl Wins Coveted Title As National Queen, by P.C. Staff, page 3. June Yoshimoto, a 20-year-old Los Angeles beauty school student, was crowned national JACL queen by Governor Maw from a field of nine contestants. Julia Yoshioka and Helen Kinoshita were named her attendants.
• 10th Convention Recorded by Movie Camera, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Five cameramen filmed the 10th biennial JACL convention in Salt Lake City, producing about 1500 feet of 16 mm footage. The films are expected to be shown later to JACL members.
• Governor Maw Keynote Coverage: The JACL Recommits to Citizenship Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The JACL reaffirmed its first objective of securing citizenship rights for aliens of Japanese ancestry at its 10th biennial convention in Salt Lake City, attended by nearly 500 delegates. The convention also opened membership to resident Japanese aliens for the first time.
• Masaoka Pledges JACL ADC To Fight for Naturalization At Recognition Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Mike Masaoka pledged the ADC would continue fighting for citizenship for Japanese alien parents of the Nisei at the convention’s recognition dinner. He argued the Issei had earned the right to citizenship through their devotion to the country.
• Council Approves Budget for Next Biennium, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The national council approved a two-year JACL budget of roughly $70,700 covering salaries, publications, travel and office expenses. Income sources were projected to include membership dues and the 1000 Club.
• JACL Approves Mountain Plains District Council, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Delegates from Denver, Omaha and Fort Lupton formed the Mountain Plains district council, the JACL’s seventh, and elected Bessie Matsuda as its first chairman. The council was accepted by the national council.

Community

• Mid-Columbia Sends Fruit to Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Mid-Columbia JACL sent five boxes of pears to delegates attending the convention in Salt Lake City. The fruit was distributed at a Wednesday luncheon hosted by a local women’s club.
• Program Committee Reveals Activities of Local Chapters, by Henry Tani, page 7. A survey of local JACL chapters, with 32 of 63 responding, showed wide variation in membership and community involvement. The committee issued recommendations urging chapters to lead social functions, join broader community work and train younger members.
• Hood River Community Holds Services for Nisei Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Frank Hachiya, a Silver Star recipient from the Hood River valley, was buried with honors after dying on Leyte. The American Legion and VFW joined in services, a notable reversal from wartime when Nisei names had been struck from the county honor roll.

Military & Veterans

• JACL to Initiate National Day for Nisei War Veterans, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The national council designated October 30, the anniversary of the rescue of the Lost Battalion by the 442nd, as a national day honoring Nisei war veterans. The suggestion came from the JACL national veterans committee chaired by Frank Mizusawa.
• Delegates Honor Nisei War Dead at Special Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A memorial service at the University of Utah honored Japanese American soldiers who died in World War II. Colonel Charles W. Pence, former commander of the 442nd, praised the unit’s combat record and conduct.
• Pacific Citizen Editorial: Hawaii Pays Solemn Tribute to Nisei War Heroes, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 9. Hawaii held a memorial service with thousands in attendance as the remains of 78 war dead, most of them Nisei, returned home on the Dalton Victory. The dignified ceremony honored soldiers of the 442nd and 100th Battalion who fell in Italy and France.
• Third Nisei To Be Buried At Arlington, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Corporal Jimmie T. Kokubu of the 442nd, killed in action near Bruyeres in October 1944, will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on September 16. He becomes the third Japanese American war hero laid to rest there.
• Impressive Funeral Held in Fresno for Pfc. John Okada, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Funeral and military burial services were held in Fresno for Pfc. John Okada, killed in action in France while serving with the 442nd Combat Team. American Legion Post No. 4 conducted the burial rites at Liberty Cemetery.

In-Depth

• The Nisei Come Back: Japanese Americans Made Quick Recovery, Panel Says, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A JACL panel including Annie Clo Watson, Robert Cullum, A. L. Wirin, Edward Ennis and Thomas Yatabe agreed that Japanese Americans had recovered remarkably since wartime confinement. Panelists credited the Nisei’s dignity, organized advocacy and Mike Masaoka’s work for the progress.

Obituaries

• Story of the JACL: Yatabe Tells Early History of First JACL Organization, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dr. Thomas T. Yatabe recalled the founding of the American Loyalty League in 1919 by five San Franciscans seeking to learn voting and registration. He traced its growth into the JACL and its wartime struggles, stressing that education remained the group’s core mission.

National

• Immigration Service Issues New Instructions Based On Stay of Deportation Law, by Lorraine Yamasaki, page 9. The Immigration Service published procedures allowing certain ineligible aliens residing illegally to apply for permanent residency under Public Law 863. Eligibility depends on a hardship showing or seven years of continuous residence, along with good moral character.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Illustrator Draws Fashions for Harper’s Bazaar, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Mary Suzuki, a Nisei fashion illustrator, had sketches published in the August issue of Harper’s Bazaar. She began her art career during the resettlement period and continued it after her husband entered the army.

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