Evacuee claims, civil rights bills and the Tokyo Rose trial

Vol. 28, No. 25, June 25, 1949. 8 pages. View this issue

Evacuee claims and the push for civil rights law ran through this eight-page issue. Los Angeles JACL chapters offered free help to claimants, and more than $750,000 in claims were filed in the first three nights. Mike Masaoka testified before a House committee that civil rights laws would have prevented the 1942 mass evacuation, and Congress passed an appropriation tied to preparing claims payments. On the front page, the Japanese Supreme Court ruled that Asayuki Okuma, a Hawaii-born Nisei, could not divest himself of Japanese citizenship.

The Tokyo Rose trial of Iva Toguri d’Aquino drew several stories, including a judge’s rulings on defense requests and the arrival of nineteen Japanese witnesses in San Francisco. Japanese Canadians voted in a British Columbia provincial election for the first time. Bill Hosokawa and Togo Tanaka wrote columns on page 6, which also carries sports coverage of Henry Aihara, Wally Yonamine and Hank Matsubu.

What’s in this issue

National

• Japan Supreme Court Rules Against Nisei Case, Upsets Ruling Permitting Divestiture of Japanese Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese Supreme Court overruled a lower court and held that Asayuki Okuma, a Hawaii-born Nisei, cannot divest himself of Japanese citizenship. The case was remanded to the Tokyo District Court for further investigation.
• Evacuee Claims Filed Total $750,000 in Los Angeles Chapters, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Evacuation claims totaling more than $750,000 were filed through Los Angeles JACL chapters during the first three nights of free stenographic service. JACL officials said the effort helped small claimants who might otherwise not have filed.
• Court Denies Defense Demand for Data on Government’s Tokyo Rose Trial Witnesses, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal Judge Michael J. Roche rejected a defense demand for the identities of prosecution witnesses in the Tokyo Rose treason trial of Iva Toguri d’Aquino. The judge ordered government attorneys to provide a witness list three days before trial.
• Court Denies Access to Nisei Arrest Records, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal Judge Michael J. Roche denied a defense motion seeking communications between the Army, Justice Department, and State Department about arrests of California-born Nisei in occupied Japan. The government argued that gathering the communications would take weeks and would not bear on the case.
• JACL ADC Urges Civil Rights Laws as Bulwark Against Mass Evacuation in Future, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka, JACL ADC legislative director, testified before a House committee that civil rights laws would have prevented the 1942 mass evacuation of Japanese Americans. He urged Congress to adopt the civil rights bills H.R. 4682 and S. 1725.
• Japanese Canadians Take Part in British Columbia Elections For First Time in History, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Several thousand Japanese, Chinese, and Indian Canadians voted for the first time in a British Columbia provincial election on June 15. Japanese Canadians gained the franchise only through legislation passed in the spring session.
• Declare Fear Prevents Many Evacuees from Filing Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The ACLU Open Forum reported that many wartime evacuees fear filing claims because of further harassment, which explains the relatively few claims filed. The publication estimated evacuee property and income losses at hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Witnesses Arrive For Tokyo Rose Trial, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nineteen Japanese witnesses for the prosecution in the Tokyo Rose trial arrived in San Francisco under Army escort, including American-born residents of Tokyo formerly employed by Radio Tokyo. Defense counsel said the government would not allow defense witnesses from Japan to travel to the trial.
• Congress Passes Bill for Evacuee Claims Expenses, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Congress passed a deficiency appropriation of approximately $35,000 to compensate the Department of Justice for preparing evacuation claims payments. A separate $1,200,000 appropriation pending in conference would allow claim payments to begin.
• Governors Conference Recommends Passage of Bill for Equality in Naturalization, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The 41st governors conference recommended that no qualified resident be denied naturalization because of race or color, supporting the Walter resolution. The statement backed the JACL ADC drive to open citizenship to resident aliens of Japanese ancestry.
• Nisei Strandees Ask Recognition of U.S. Status, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Two Nisei strandees in Japan, Emy Yamamoto and Emi Yasuda, asked U.S. courts to recognize their American citizenship and allow their return. Both cases rely on a recent ruling by Judge Charles C. Cavanah that voting in Japanese elections did not forfeit citizenship.
• Plan Survey on Public Attitude Toward Nisei, Others in Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A public opinion survey of Seattle residents’ attitudes toward Chinese, Japanese, Negro, and white persons will be conducted by the University of Washington and the Seattle Council of Social Agencies. The study is financed by a $2000 Sigmund Livingston fellowship and will include views on religious groups.

Community

• Mary Ban to Teach at Private School in Arizona Mountains, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mary Ban, former teacher at the Sunny Ridge School in Idaho, will teach mathematics at Verde Valley, a college prep school in Sedona, Arizona. The school enrolls students from across the United States and Canada.
• Los Angeles JACL Chapters Give Free Services to Claimants, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles Nisei attorneys and volunteer Nisei girls from several JACL chapters and community groups assisted evacuees at special claims clinics. JACL ADC officials estimated total claims filed with their aid could reach $1,000,000.
• Richard Isamu Tanaka Wins UC Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Richard Isamu Tanaka, a senior electrical engineering student, won the Arthur Gould Tashiera scholarship at the University of California. The award was announced in Berkeley.
• Nisei Girl Heads Stewardesses on Hawaii Air Line, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Jean S. Sumida of Honolulu was named chief stewardess for Trans-Pacific Airlines, which serves the major Hawaiian islands. She started with the airline in 1947 as an operations clerk and now supervises eight stewardesses.
• Nisei Widow Told $2500 Loan To Be Marked Paid in Full, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL credit union marked a $2500 loan as paid in full after a Nisei borrower died ten days after taking it out. The credit union’s loan insurance cancels the balance upon death, and the widow also received $1,000 in life insurance proceeds.
• Eight Nisei Graduate From Northwestern’s Commerce School, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Eight Nisei were among the 541 graduates of Northwestern University’s Chicago Campus School of Commerce at June 12 commencement ceremonies. Shigeji Takeda received a master’s degree in business administration.
• Student Is Named Senior of the Year at Hollister High, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Namie Yamanishi was named outstanding senior girl at Hollister High School for her leadership, efficiency, and personality. She has been active in band, orchestra, Girls League, and other organizations.
• Cortez JACL Fetes School Graduates, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Cortez JACL sponsored an outing at Lake Yosemite honoring 1949 graduates from the area. Ninety-five people enjoyed swimming, boating, and a weenie bake.
• Twenty-one Nisei Attend Asilomar YWCA Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Twenty-one Nisei were among 141 delegates to the YWCA western region summer conference for young adults held June 12 to 18. Yoshiye Otani chaired the conference and Caryl Okuma and Miyo Sandy Sunago were elected to regional posts.
• California Civic Unity Official Raps Legislature’s Refusal to Pass Fair Employment Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Richard Dettering, executive director of the California Federation for Civic Unity, condemned the State Assembly’s refusal to consider fair employment practices legislation. He announced a conference to plan a campaign for passage in the 1951 session.

Arts & Entertainment

• Pupil Wins First Prize, Teacher Second at Fresno Exhibition, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles artist Sueo Serisawa won second prize at the Fresno Art League’s first statewide exhibition with his oil painting Family Portrait. One of his pupils, Nancy Stableford of Claremont, took the $200 first prize with her Still Life.
• 20th Century-Fox May Film Documentary Story of Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. 20th Century-Fox has registered an idea for a semi-documentary motion picture about the Nisei, though producer Darryl Zanuck described it as just an idea with production unlikely for at least a year. The proposed film would address West Coast discrimination against Nisei, including a plot concerning the California Alien Land Law.

JACL

• Masaoka Will Attend Midwest JACL Council Meeting in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mike Masaoka, national ADC director, will attend the Midwest District JACL Council meeting in Chicago on June 25 and 26. Representatives from seven chapters will discuss plans for district conferences and the national convention.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Killed in Car Crash on Night of School Graduation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Frank Kamiya, 18, was killed in a three-car collision hours after receiving his diploma at San Pedro High School. He was one of five Nisei graduates from the school that year.
• USAT Munemori Aids in Evacuation of Troops in Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Army transport Sadao Munemori, named for the first Nisei Medal of Honor recipient, is carrying 900 American soldiers out of Korea. Eight hundred will disembark at Honolulu and the rest continue to San Francisco.

Commentary

• U.S. Services Ban Jim Crow, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes the Defense Department’s directive to eliminate discrimination and segregation in the army, navy, and air force. It describes the approved navy and air force plans, including disbanding the all-Negro air force wing.
• American Nationality Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial considers whether nationality group organizations help or hinder assimilation, drawing on a Common Council for American Unity study. It concludes these American-made organizations facilitate immigrants’ adjustment and participation in American life.
• The Saga of Hachiro Ohnick, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column profiles Hachiro Ohnick, an Issei who founded utilities and banks in Phoenix and Seattle and became a Masonic 32nd degree member. It also recounts his family’s wartime experiences and notes a biography would be a worthwhile project.
• Politics and Kuniyoshi’s Art, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes Rep. George Dondero’s attacks on modern American artists including Yasuo Kuniyoshi, whom he accused of Marxist influences. It argues the charges against the Artists Equity Association lack substantiation.
• Jack Tenney Steps Down, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reports that California Senator Jack Tenney resigned as chairman of the un-American Activities committee. It recounts his wartime campaigns against Japanese Americans and his opportunistic political career.
• Prejudice in Mississippi, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The column describes Mississippi as a place where Nisei were stationed during the war at Camp Shelby but few settled afterward due to racial hostility. It recounts how Amy and Mayo Tolman of Nicholson welcomed Nisei trainees to their home despite local threats.
• Thoreau’s Philosophy, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The author reflects on Henry David Thoreau’s ideas about self-sufficiency and the appeal of country life. He concludes that the rustic life requires considerable study and funds, and that city life still holds strong appeal.
• Conversation Piece, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Bill Hosokawa’s column describes a man at an interracial gathering who discusses school segregation with a Negro university president’s wife. The column also recounts a talk by Virgin Islands Governor William Hastie on racial attitudes.
• Tongue-Tied Midwesterners, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Togo Tanaka writes that he has lost much of his Japanese language ability since moving from the West Coast to Chicago. A telephone call with an Issei woman who patiently translated for him left him aware of the decline.

Sports

• Yonamine Seen as Pro Ball Prospect, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Columnist Wilfred Rhinelander believes Wally Yonamine has the ability to succeed in professional baseball as well as football. Yonamine’s injury led to his release from the San Francisco 49ers, and he later starred for the Honolulu Warriors.
• Matsubu Is First Nisei to Play Pro Baseball Since Early ’30s, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hank Matsubu became the first Nisei to sign a major league contract in 15 years when he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He was assigned to the Modesto Reds in the California State League.
• Aihara Wins Broad Jump for Coast Squad, by P.C. Staff, page 6. USC’s Henry Aihara won the broad jump at 25 feet 1 1/2 inches as the Pacific Coast all-stars lost to the Big Ten all-stars. Aihara outleaped competitors from Northwestern and Stanford.
• USC Nisei Star Enters Hop, Step Jump at Fresno, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Henry Aihara is entered in the hop, step and jump and broad jump at the National AAU track and field championships for the Los Angeles Athletic Club. He is believed to be the first Japanese American athlete to compete for a major Pacific Coast athletic club in an AAU event.
• Aihara Takes Third in NCAA Broad Jump, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Henry Aihara helped USC win the NCAA track and field team title by placing third in the broad jump with a leap of 24 feet 4 1/4 inches. He had won the 1945 NCAA championship while competing for the University of Illinois.

Obituaries

• Vital Statistics, by P.C. Staff, page 7. This vital statistics listing reports births, deaths, and marriages among Nisei families in various communities. It is a routine listing of names and dates.

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