Vol. 28, No. 22, June 4, 1949. 8 pages. View this issue
The Judd bill, which would open citizenship to Issei, was the lead story of this eight-page issue. Colorado Gov. Lee Knous and Denver Mayor Quigg Newton endorsed it, and Roy Takeno of the JACL ADC Mountain Plains office reported that JACL members had written to and met with their representatives. Sen. Paul H. Douglas also pledged support in a letter to Tats Kushida. An editorial asked why the Senate had not yet acted since the House passed the bill in March.
Memorial Day coverage ran across several pages: wreaths at Arlington honoring Nisei servicemen of the 442nd, a monument for 55 war dead in Seattle, and a memorial shaft unveiled in Los Angeles. Larry Tajiri previewed Morton Grodzins’ book Americans Betrayed, Bill Hosokawa wrote about Alaska salmon canneries, and Jobo Nakamura continued his Bay Area homecoming report.
What’s in this issue
National
- Colorado Officials Endorse Judd Citizenship Measure, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Colorado Gov. Lee Knous and Denver Mayor Quigg Newton have endorsed the Judd bill, according to the JACL ADC Mountain Plains regional office. Roy Takeno noted active JACL work in presenting the measure to Congressional representatives.
- House Committee Stalls Hawaii Statehood Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Washington Post criticized the House Rules Committee for delaying action on statehood bills for Hawaii and Alaska. The Post argued that the merits of statehood for both territories are conclusive.
- Hawaii Survey Debunks Charge of Bloc Voting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A University of Hawaii survey of 1948 ballots found racial bloc voting was insignificant, with only 3.24 percent of ballots marked for candidates of one racial group. The study also measured plunk voting and straight-ticket patterns.
- Senator Announces Approval of Issei Citizenship Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Paul H. Douglas expressed support for the Judd bill in a letter to JACL ADC representative Tats Kushida. He pledged to do everything possible to advance immigration liberalization.
Community
- Pacific Citizen Editor Travels East for Publicity Conferences, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Larry Tajiri, editor of the Pacific Citizen, arrived in Washington for conferences on JACL activities. He will also meet newspaper publishers and radio editors in New York City.
- First Nisei to Be Ordained as Catholic Priest, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rev. James S. Tokuhisa of Los Angeles will be ordained on June 11 as the first Nisei Catholic priest in the United States. He has been assigned to work in Kyoto prefecture in Japan.
- Nisei Nurse Chosen for Mexico Trip, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seattle nurse Mary Matsuda will serve without salary in Mexico this summer under the Methodist Youth Fellowship. Her work will focus on nursing.
- Nisei Presides at Opening Session of Technologists’ Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pauline Kurachi, a medical technologist at Pueblo State Hospital, presided over the opening session of the Colorado State Society of Medical Technologists. She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in biochemistry.
- Canada Nisei Leaves for Europe News Job, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Margaret Inouye, a McMaster University graduate, left for London to take a newspaper job. She had been editor-in-chief of the McMaster board of publication.
- Two Stanford Nisei Win School Honors, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yuriko Ito and Tom T. Hikido were elected into Phi Beta Kappa at Stanford. The honor recognizes their academic achievement.
- Poison Oak Saves Nisei Trying to Commit Suicide, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A 24-year-old Nisei woman jumped from Loma bridge in Pasadena and was caught by a poison oak thicket. Officers attributed the attempt to an unhappy love affair.
- Interracial Housing Project Stirs Interest in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 3. York Center, an interracial cooperative housing community in DuPage County near Chicago, faces opposition from neighbors who fear declining property values. Nisei families are among those interested in building homes there.
- Kaneko Elected JACL President by Seattle Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mac Kaneko was elected president of the Seattle JACL chapter along with a new cabinet. Members also honored Nisei war dead with memorial rites and graves visits.
- Homecoming, Part II: A Look at the East Bay, by Jobo Nakamura, page 6. Nakamura reports on his return to Berkeley and the San Francisco Bay Area, describing Nisei students, Chinese American changes, and Japanese American housing conditions. He also notes the decline of San Francisco’s Nihonmachi since before the war.
JACL
- Masaoka Declines Invitation to Attend Rearmament Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka, JACL ADC legislative director, was selected for the American delegation to a moral rearmament conference in Switzerland but declined due to legislative duties. JACL national president Okada said the selection was a tribute to Nisei in America.
Military & Veterans
- JACL Honors Arlington Nisei in Memorial Day Ceremony, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL members placed wreaths at the Arlington tomb of the war dead and on the graves of Nisei servicemen buried there on Memorial Day. Sada Onoye, whose brother Lloyd was killed with the 442nd, placed the JACL wreath.
- Pfc. Ikeda Memorial Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Gold Star parents and wives throughout the nation took part in Memorial Day rites honoring their war dead. Photos show Nisei parents at the Seattle memorial for Pfc. Masao Ikeda.
- Four Nisei Win Scholarships Dedicated to UCLA War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Four UCLA students received scholarships established by the Nisei Bruin Alumni in honor of Gold Star classmates. Recipients were chosen for leadership, character, and scholarship.
- Seattle Unveils Monument to Honor 55 War Heroes, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Seattle’s Japanese American community dedicated a granite monument at Lake View cemetery honoring 55 local Nisei war dead. Col. James M. Hanley delivered the principal address.
- Twin Girls Right of Entry to United States, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Congressional action advanced a private bill granting entry to the Japanese twin daughters of Mrs. Yoshiko Higo and her American husband Dr. Carpenter. The girls are expected to join their mother in Seattle.
In-Depth
- Visit to a Miso Factory, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Fujimoto miso company, founded in San Francisco in 1918, was forced out of business during evacuation and reestablished in Salt Lake City in 1945. The article traces the founders’ struggles and the production process.
Incarceration & Redress
- Japanese Americans Honor War Dead Throughout Nation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese Americans nationwide observed Memorial Day with services honoring Nisei war dead. In Los Angeles, over 5,000 attended the unveiling of a memorial shaft at Evergreen cemetery.
Arts & Entertainment
- Issei-Nisei Themes in Plays Given at University of Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Two one-act plays by University of Hawaii students explored Issei-Nisei themes, including Robert Suyeoka’s prize-winning The Return. Both plays dramatized generational conflict and grief.
Commentary
- Delay on the Judd Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Denver Post questioned the delay in Senate action on the Judd bill, which passed the House last March. The editorial suggested the Walters bill as a faster partial remedy for Japanese alien naturalization.
- Just the First Step, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A House subcommittee unanimously approved a fair employment practices bill that the JACL ADC supported with testimony. The editorial warns that Congressional passage will still face serious obstacles.
- Story of the Betrayed, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri previews Morton Grodzins’ book Americans Betrayed, which argues that wartime mass evacuation resulted from a disastrous political decision shaped by pressure groups. Tajiri praises the book as a democratic reckoning with wartime mistakes.
- From the Frying Pan: Smells, Salmon, Memories, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa recalls his early 1929 work in Alaska salmon canneries and how labor unions improved conditions. He also reflects on door-to-door cookware salesmen and his family’s switch to waterless cooking.
Sports
- Stadium Record Falls as Aihara Places First in PCC Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. USC broadjumper Henry Aihara broke the University of Washington stadium record with a 24-foot 9-inch jump, winning the event as USC took the PCC title. The mark bettered his previous season best by five inches.
- Zebras Wallop Southerners in Double Header, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The San Jose Zebras defeated the Harbor Skippers 18-13 and 22-5 over Memorial Day weekend in the first intersectional games since the war. Hiro Nakamura pitched and fanned 11 Skippers in the opener.
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