Vol. 29, No. 10, September 3, 1949. 8 pages. View this issue
Two court stories led this eight-page issue. Marion Tajiri reported from San Francisco on the treason trial of Iva Toguri d’Aquino, where two former schoolmates testified that she vowed to keep her American citizenship during the war. Later defense witnesses said the Zero Hour was an entertainment program. A Ninth Circuit opinion by Judge William Denman condemned the wartime exclusion and the Tule Lake detention, and restored citizenship to three Nisei renunciants. Editorials and newspaper comment on the ruling followed.
Elsewhere, the Army approved a Buddhist emblem for grave markers, and organizations met at the JACL office to plan a test of the California Alien Land law. Columns by Larry Tajiri, Bill Hosokawa and Togo Tanaka fill the inside pages. The sports page covers swimmer Evelyn Kawamoto’s new American records, Wally Yonamine’s baseball prospects and a planned national Nisei basketball tournament in Chicago.
What’s in this issue
Incarceration & Redress
- Yoshiko Toguri’s Pledge to Keep Citizenship Told by Friend at Treason Trial, by By MARION TAJIRI, page 1. Two former schoolmates testified at the San Francisco treason trial of Iva Toguri d’Aquino that she repeatedly vowed to keep her American citizenship during the war. Their testimony described her as a loyal American who was pressured by police and Kempeitai to renounce it.
- Judge Denman Denounces Wartime Exclusion, Detention of Japanese American Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals opinion by Judge William Denman sharply condemned the wartime evacuation and Tule Lake detention of persons of Japanese descent. The ruling restored citizenship to three Nisei renunciants and criticized General DeWitt’s racist doctrines.
- Long Parade of Witnesses Testifies for Mrs. d’Aquino As Treason Trial Nears End, by By MARION TAJIRI, page 2. Numerous defense witnesses, including servicemen and amateur short wave listeners, testified that Radio Tokyo’s Zero Hour was an entertainment program rather than propaganda. Testimony also suggested the Tokyo Rose legend predated Mrs. d’Aquino’s broadcasts.
- Reno Gazette Says Injustice of Wartime Treatment Recognized, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Reno Gazette commented on the Ninth Circuit ruling restoring citizenship to three Japanese American women, stating the injustice of wartime imprisonment is now recognized. It called the mass evacuation order a product of hysteria sponsored by California patriotic groups.
Military & Veterans
- Army Grants Recognition to Buddhist Mark, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Army Department officially approved a Buddhist emblem for grave markers of American soldiers of the Buddhist faith, announced by the Hawaii Federation of Young Buddhist Associations. Next of kin of Buddhist war dead may request the emblem be placed on markers.
- Pick Nisei Veteran to Attend State Department’s Seminar, by P.C. Staff, page 1. 442nd veteran Terry Shimabukuro of Hilo was selected as one of 23 students and instructors attending the State Department’s first student-professor seminar in Washington. The two-month course covers the department’s role in foreign affairs.
National
- San Francisco News Defends Gen. DeWitt’s Wartime Actions, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The San Francisco News editorially defended General DeWitt against charges of applying Nazi-like doctrines during the 1942 evacuation. It argued he was a soldier carrying out an unpleasant task rather than a Nazi-minded officer.
- Discuss Outright Test Case on Validity of Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Representatives of several organizations met at the JACL office in San Francisco to plan an outright test of the California Alien Land law’s constitutionality before the U.S. Supreme Court. The group agreed to coordinate with sponsor Sei Fujii’s pending case in Los Angeles.
Community
- Salt Lake Nisei Keeps Records on War Criminals, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Sgt. George Fukumitsu of Salt Lake City serves in the Prison Records Section at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo, keeping records of Japanese war criminals. He first entered the Army in 1947 and was assigned to GHQ as an interpreter before arriving at Sugamo.
Commentary
- Safeguarding Our Civil Liberties, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the 1942 mass evacuation was a betrayal of American principles and warns against repeating government by suspicion and hysteria. It opposes the revised Mundt bill as a threat to free speech and thought.
- Nisei USA: Labor Issue in the Garment Trades, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri examines why many Japanese American garment workers in Los Angeles have refused to join trade unions and the history of labor’s exclusionary attitudes toward Asian workers. He argues that unions have since moved to organize these workers and that the anti-labor label is unfair.
- Free-Spending Days Are Over, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa writes that the postwar prosperity in Seattle’s Japanese American community is fading as Boeing plans to move production to Wichita. He also describes returnees rebuilding businesses and the housing difficulties faced by Nisei and Chinese professors.
- Visitors in the Summer Night, by Togo Tanaka, page 6. Tanaka recounts being approached at home by missionaries seeking to convert him to Christianity in Chicago. He reflects on their earnest questioning and his own reactions to it.
In-Depth
- Hurricane Days, by Roku Suichora, page 5. A columnist describes September in New Orleans, the season of oysters and the hurricane threat along the Gulf of Mexico. The piece recounts past storms and the region’s dependence on abundant water.
Sports
- Friends Hope Wally Tries Pro Baseball, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Friends of Wally Yonamine in Honolulu suggest he consider pro baseball after his football season, citing his strong batting and fielding with the Honolulu Athletics. Coaches believe he could play in the Coast League with more batting work.
- National Nisei Cage Tourney Set for Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Four teams were selected for the first national Nisei invitational basketball tournament in Chicago over Thanksgiving, including Berkeley, Hawaii, Salt Lake City and Chicago squads. Organizers hope to make the event an annual tradition.
- Evelyn Kawamoto Sets New U.S. Records, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Honolulu’s 15-year-old Nisei swimmer Evelyn Kawamoto set new American records in the 300-meter medley and 200-meter breaststroke at the Hawaiian AAU meet. Japanese swimmer Hironoshin Furuhashi also broke world records in the same meet.
- Japan Swimmers Pay Tribute to Nisei War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Six Japanese swimmers visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu to honor three Nisei interpreters killed at Okinawa. Furuhashi stated that their sacrifice should help secure peace for both the United States and Japan.
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