Truman’s civil rights pledges and the Judd bill, after the 1948 election

Vol. 27, No. 19, November 6, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue

The 1948 election shaped this eight-page issue. Sen. Alben Barkley predicted the new Democratic Congress would carry out President Truman’s civil rights pledges, including equal opportunity for resident aliens to become citizens. Mike Masaoka of the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee said the campaign for the Judd bill on naturalization and immigration equality might slip to the next session. Bill Hosokawa looked at how the Nisei vote followed the national trend, Larry Tajiri wrote about ordinary voters backing Truman, and an editorial praised his Harlem speech. Robert M. Cullum argued that the Judd bill would end racial discrimination in naturalization.

Elsewhere, Col. Sherwood Dixon, former commander of a 442nd battalion, was elected lieutenant governor of Illinois. Guy Halferty reported on Judge William Mathes explaining the Kawakita death sentence. Henry H. Hayden’s story “Nakamura Comes Home” follows a returning veteran, and news from Chicago, Lancaster and Los Angeles chapters fills the inside pages.

What’s in this issue

National

• Barkley Says New Democratic Congress Will Carry Out Truman Civil Rights Pledges, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Alben Barkley predicted the new Democratic Congress will carry out President Truman’s civil rights pledges after a meeting with the president. He also expected Congress to grant price control authority, continue rent control, and revise Taft-Hartley labor restrictions.
• Nisei Teacher Loses Post for Political Views, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. John Reinecke and his wife Aiko, Honolulu schoolteachers for 20 years, were dismissed by the Territorial school commission on charges of Communist party membership. Former Nisei students organized to support their right to teach.
• Limited Passports Group Urged to Act as Ban Rescinded, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Alien Japanese from Hawaii affected by the rescinded limited passports order were advised to write to the Immigration and Naturalization Service with their individual cases. The advice came via Mike Masaoka of the JACL ADC.
• Truman Victory, Democratic Majority in Congress May Change ADC Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka said the ADC must undertake a major educational campaign to acquaint new congressmembers with the Judd bill for naturalization and immigration equality. He noted the bill’s timetable may slip to the second session of the 81st Congress.
• 40 Thousand Nisei in Japan, Says Official, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Koh Ishii, former information chief of the Japanese Foreign Office, stated that over 40,000 U.S.-born persons of Japanese ancestry are now in Japan. The figure came from Foreign Office records and was discussed at a Nichi Bei club meeting in Tokyo.

Incarceration & Redress

• Two Perjury Charge Issues, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Takeshi Goto, a California-born Nisei, was sentenced to a year at hard labor in Japan for perjury while trying to regain his American citizenship. He obtained a false certificate from a village office concealing his service in the Japanese army in 1945.
• Dismissal Move May Be Filed for Mrs. d’Aquino, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Counsel for Iva Toguri d’Aquino indicated a motion to dismiss treason-related charges would be entered at her November 8 arraignment. The defense may argue she lacks U.S. nationality due to her marriage to a Portuguese national and wartime employment by a Japanese agency.
• Veteran Held for District Court in Davis County Farm Slaying, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kenichi Imaizumi, a Pacific theater veteran, was bound over for trial on first-degree murder charges for allegedly killing his father on the family farm in Utah. Family members testified to long-standing disputes.
• Judge Mathes Says Kawakita Death Sentence Decision Terribly Hard One to Make, by Guy Halferty, page 2. Federal Judge William Mathes explained to a Christian Science Monitor correspondent why he sentenced Tomoya Kawakita to death for treason against American POWs. The correspondent argued the treason trials have revived anti-Japanese sentiment in California.
• Two Hilo Residents Appeal Convictions in Flag Display Cases, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two Japanese aliens convicted of displaying the enemy flag at the Dai Jingu shrine in Hilo appealed their sentences. Their attorney argued wartime regulations should not remain in effect absent a peace treaty.

Community

• Nisei Girl Reigns as Queen of Parlier Harvest Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Misao Takata was crowned queen of the annual Parlier Harvest Festival in California, becoming the first Nisei girl in the San Joaquin valley to receive the honor. She led a field of seven candidates with 818 votes.
• Five Families to Be Evicted from California Trailer Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Returnees of Japanese ancestry living at a Terminal Island trailer camp face eviction to meet county health ruling on overcrowding. Former JACL regional director Eiji Tanabe sought a reprieve from the operators.
• Three Doctors Win Fellowships at Annual Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three Nisei doctors received fellowships at the 34th annual clinical congress of the American College of Surgeons in Los Angeles. Honorees included Dr. George Kambara, the only Nisei ophthalmologist in the United States.
• Hundred Nisei Seek Civilian Posts in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 2. More than 100 Nisei applied for translator positions with the civil censorship division of the Far East Command in Tokyo. Examinations were to be conducted in Los Angeles by a representative from Tokyo.
• Stars of Stage Invited to Attend Chicago Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Uta Hagen and Anthony Quinn, stars of the play A Streetcar Named Desire, accepted invitations to the Chicago JACL Third Annual Inaugural Ball on November 18. The event continues the chapter’s tradition of inviting stage or screen personalities.
• Ogden Nisei Plays for GI Football Team in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Cpl. Minoru Shibata of Ogden, Utah, is playing football for the Itami Air Force team in Japan. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1946 and serves as a ground control approach mechanic.
• Los Angeles Nisei Army Officer Weds Japanese Movie Actress, by P.C. Staff, page 2. First Lieut. Tsuneo P. Harada, a Los Angeles Nisei officer, married Japanese film star Teruko Akatsuki in a ceremony in Tokyo. The groom served as aide to Maj. Gen. William Marquat.
• Girl to Be Named as Fulltime Worker in Chicago Church, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mary Matsumoto will become the first Nisei girl commissioned as a full-time Christian worker in the Evangelical and Reformed church in Chicago. The commissioning service will be held in November.
• Former Hawaii Resident Given Prison Sentence for False Statements, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tetsuo Takahashi, a Hawaii native, was sentenced to three years at hard labor in Japan for making false statements to regain U.S. citizenship. Two village officials also received one-year sentences for providing false certificates.
• Lily Yasuda Joins Washington ADC Staff, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Lily Yasuda was appointed secretary in the Washington office of the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee. She previously worked for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union in Los Angeles.
• Lancaster Is First to Meet Quota in JACL ADC Finance Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nisei and Issei in Lancaster, California raised $287 to become the first group in southern California to meet its ADC fund drive quota. Guest speakers addressed evacuation claims at a meeting in Sensaku Uyeda’s home.
• Fellowship Officers to Be Installed in Candlelight Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 3. New officers of the Young People’s Fellowship of the Chicago Baptist church will be installed at a candlelight ceremony on November 14. The cabinet includes a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and committee chairs.
• ADC Official Urges Resident Japanese Aliens to Register for Selective Service, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka advised Japanese aliens between 18 and 26 to register under Selective Service unless they have no intention of remaining in the United States. He warned that applying for relief from military service could permanently cost them future citizenship eligibility.
• Nisei Women Among Chicago Nisei Population, Census Shows, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A census of Chicago’s Japanese American population found men over 18 outnumber Nisei women by roughly two to one. The survey was conducted by the Chicago Publishing Corporation for a forthcoming guidebook.
• Musical Night, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Over fifty music lovers attended an evening of Tschaikowsky music at the Ellis community center in Chicago. Hinaye Koito performed vocal selections and the program included the 1812 Overture and Nutcracker Suite.
• Abe Hagiwara Gives Talk During Adelphons’ Tea, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Abe Hagiwara was the featured speaker at an Adelphons Club tea held at the home of Sachi Nakashima in Los Angeles. The club works to foster understanding among racial groups and perform community welfare work.
• Peter Ohtaki Named Candidate for Student Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Peter Ohtaki of St. Paul, Minnesota was named the Twin Cities candidate for the Ben Masaoka memorial scholarship. The scholarship was established by Mrs. Haruye Masaoka in honor of her son, who was killed in Europe in the war.
• Heroism of Aged Flood Victim Recalled as Body Recovered, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The body of 77-year-old Sadao Mizuno was recovered from the debris of Vanport City, Oregon, after the May flood. Witnesses said he waved back a rescue truck rather than risk its overturning, sacrificing his life so others could escape.
• Original Entertainment Presented During Murray Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Mt. Olympus JACL chapter in Murray, Utah held an October meeting where girls hosted with an original fashion show and skit. Helen Shimizu was appointed chapter reporter for the special edition of the Pacific Citizen.

Military & Veterans

• Former Officer of 442nd Elected to Illinois Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Col. Sherwood Dixon, former commander of the 3rd battalion of the 442nd Combat Team, was elected lieutenant governor of Illinois on the Democratic ticket. Nisei veterans organized to support his campaign.
• Nisei Volunteer Ordered to Active Duty in U.S. Army, by P.C. Staff, page 1. William S. Yamaki, the first Nisei to volunteer for the Army from the Hood River valley, was ordered back to active duty and assigned to the 40th anti-aircraft artillery unit at Fort Bliss, Texas. He is a Military Intelligence Service language school graduate who served under MacArthur in Australia.
• Colorado Nisei War Hero Buried in Pueblo Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The remains of Pvt. George M. Futamata, killed in action in France in 1944 with the 442nd Combat Team, were reinterred with full military honors in Pueblo, Colorado. Funeral services were conducted by a local Methodist minister.
• Remains of 75 Nisei War Dead Arrive in Hawaii for Reburial, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The remains of 76 American war dead of Japanese ancestry were returned to Hawaii aboard the USAT Truman Kimbro from San Francisco on October 18. Most came from U.S. military cemeteries in Italy, and many are expected to be buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Commentary

• The President and Civil Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises President Truman’s Harlem civil rights speech and his ten-point program, including settling evacuation claims and equalizing naturalization. It predicts early legislative action with the new Democratic Congress.
• National Nisei Memorial Day, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial responds to a Minnisei critique questioning the need for a special Nisei Memorial Day on October 30. It argues the day honors the rescue of the Lost Battalion and all Nisei war dead, not as a segregated observance.
• Post-Mortems on the Election, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa analyzes how the Nisei vote largely followed the national trend toward Truman, while noting the Nisei press was mostly pro-liberal. He observes that Governor Warren’s wartime racist record weighed against GOP support.
• Little Guys Speak Their Piece, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri argues that ordinary voters rejected complacency and supported Truman because they wanted prosperity, lower living costs, and peace. He reviews Truman’s record against the Republican-led 80th Congress.
• Cullum Comments on Judd Bill: Naturalization Equality Law Will Ending Racial Discrimination, by Robert M. Cullum, page 8. Robert Cullum argues the Judd bill would end racial discrimination in naturalization and immigration and that there are sound reasons to expect its passage. He reviews the technical drafting problems and the restrictive quota structure the bill would adopt.

In-Depth

• Nakamura Comes Home, by Henry H. Hayden, page 5. Returning Nisei veteran Kido Nakamura revisits a California town, facing persistent anti-Japanese hostility and his lost place at the Palace Hotel. He ends the story deciding to stay and fight for his place in the community.

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.