The first Nisei Soldier Memorial Day, and bigotry from Hiroshima to the bowling alley

Vol. 29, No. 18, October 29, 1949. 8 pages. View this issue

Race and recognition ran through this eight-page issue. Nisei research workers at the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission in Hiroshima were barred from British-operated clubs, hotels and housing, a subject the commentary piece “White Man’s Burden” took up. Another front-page story reported that the Justice Department would not appeal a ruling restoring citizenship to three Tule Lake renunciants. Plans for the first Nisei Soldier Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery on October 30 included a statement from General George C. Marshall praising the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

On page 6, bowling leagues in Spokane, San Francisco and Rock Springs, Wyoming, quit the American Bowling Congress or its women’s counterpart over the white-only rule, and Illinois sought to revoke the congress’s charter. Bill Hosokawa, Larry Tajiri and Marion Tajiri wrote the columns and book review. JACL chapters announced district conventions in Denver and San Francisco.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Nisei Scientist Barred from British-Operated Facilities in Hiroshima, page 1. American research workers of Japanese ancestry at the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission in Hiroshima face racial exclusion from British-operated clubs, hotels, and housing. White American scientists have protested by avoiding Australian clubs, but acknowledge this is no solution.

Military & Veterans

• Wartime Commander of Nisei Linguists to Talk at Services, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Col. Sidney F. Mashbir, wartime commander of Nisei linguists in the Pacific, will address the first Nisei Soldier Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. Several other speakers, including JACL representatives and a Gosho brother of a Merrill’s Marauders veteran, will also participate.
• General Marshall Pays Tribute to Nisei Soldiers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. General George C. Marshall’s statement honoring Nisei troops who died in WWII will be read at the first Nisei Soldier Memorial Day observance at Arlington National Cemetery on October 30. The statement praises the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the linguist teams for their distinguished combat records.
• Bussei to Hold Special Service for War Heroes, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Los Angeles YBA will hold a National Nisei Soldier Memorial Day service on October 30 at Nishi Hongwanji temple to honor Nisei soldiers who died. The service will list the names of the war dead inscribed on the bronze memorial plaque.
• Nisei Survivor of Hiroshima Bombing Joins U.S. Army, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pvt. Kelly Nakashita, a San Jose-born Nisei who was studying in Hiroshima at the time of the atomic bombing, has enlisted in the U.S. Army. He survived the blast along with 11 of his 56 classmates.
• Swiss Girl Weds Nisei Ex-GI in Aftermath of War Romance, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Tubly Tarko, a Zurich native who hosted 442nd soldiers in Switzerland, married Harry Mizuta in Honolulu after a years-long correspondence. The couple’s romance began during his 36-hour visit to Zurich.

Community

• Little Chance for Extension on Debt Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL ADC reports that the Justice Department is unlikely to extend the November 18 deadline for filing debt claims against Mitsui, Sumitomo, and Yokohama Specie banks. Those who miss the deadline may lose their opportunity to file, and alternative filing instructions are provided.
• Tests Indicate Auto Death of Priest Accidental, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A coroner reported that Rev. Takayu Shirakawa, a Buddhist priest from Walnut Grove, died of carbon monoxide poisoning in his car on October 20. The death is believed to have been accidental, possibly after a heart attack while driving.
• Detroiters Honor Paul Rusch with Sukiyaki Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Detroit Nisei and Issei gathered at a sukiyaki dinner at St. John’s Episcopal Church to honor Paul Rusch, who was in the U.S. to raise funds for a community project in Kiyosato. The church raised $5,000 for the project, to be used for a bell tower and community house.
• Cleveland JACL Chapter Cabinet Candidates Named, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Candidates for the 1950 Cleveland JACL chapter cabinet were presented at a business meeting on October 21. A slate of officers and at-large members was listed, along with plans for a Japanese cooking class.
• Women Bowlers in Wyoming Quit National Group Over Ban on Japanese American, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Rock Springs Women’s Bowling League unanimously withdrew from the Women’s International Bowling Congress after a Nisei member was barred under the WIBC’s white only rule. Members said they would rather not compete in WIBC tournaments without her.
• Nisei Farmer Develops New Onion Topper, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Ault, Colorado farmer Hiroshi Tateyama developed a modified beet topper that tops onions far faster than manual labor and has applied for a patent. The machine topped 3,700 sacks of onions in four days during the recent harvest.
• First Mountain Plains JACL Regional Convention Planned, by P.C. Staff, page 8. All chapters in the Mountain Plains JACL district plan to send delegates to the first district convention in Denver on November 12 and 13. Four new chapters will receive charters at the event, and committee assignments are detailed.
• San Francisco Chapter Makes Plans for District Conclave, by P.C. Staff, page 8. San Francisco JACL committees have been organized for the Northern California and Western Nevada district council convention on November 5 and 6. Registration, a dinner-dance with Sam Stern’s orchestra, and other events are scheduled.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Dances in Road Company of Broadway Musical Show, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Jack Shimada, a Sacramento-born dancer trained in New York, is performing in the road company of the musical High Button Shoes. He previously won a scholarship in Chicago after spending time in a war relocation camp.
• Yuriko Amemiya Hailed in First New York Concert, by Clara Clayman, page 2. Modern dancer Yuriko Amemiya presented a successful solo concert at the YW-YMCA Dance Center before a capacity audience including Martha Graham and Walter Terry. The review praises her technique, dramatic range, and choreography across several works.
• Japanese Film Star Kinuyo Tanaka Arrives in Hawaii on First U.S. Visit, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Japanese film actress Kinuyo Tanaka arrived in Honolulu on her first trip abroad, the first movie star permitted to leave Japan since the occupation. She will spend two months in Honolulu and Hollywood.
• Miki Morita’s Journey, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. A profile of Miki Morita, a Japanese-national actor in prewar Hollywood who protested a role he felt was anti-Japanese in Marie Galante. He later returned to Japan, became a radio broadcaster, and was killed in the Philippines in 1945.

National

• Justice Department Will Not Appeal Denman Verdict on Renunciants, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Justice Department will not appeal a Federal Court of Appeals decision restoring U.S. citizenship to three Tule Lake renunciants who were coerced into renouncing. The appeals court ruling condemned the wartime evacuation and the racial doctrines that justified it.
• Defense Attorney Asks Court for Bail for Mrs. d’Aquino, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Defense attorney George Olshausen argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that the Tokyo Rose trial record contains serious errors and requested bail for Iva Toguri d’Aquino pending appeal. The government opposed release, and the court took the motion under submission.

Commentary

• White Man’s Burden, page 2. A Nisei woman recounts being denied access to a British-operated bar and being barred from overnight lodging at a Navy base in occupied Japan because of her ancestry. She argues that racial discrimination against any minority is a present concern requiring correction now.
• Masaoka Plans National Tour, Returns from Canadian Trip, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka, JACL ADC legislative director, returned from Toronto talks on Canadian evacuation claims and announced a fall and winter schedule of conferences and speaking engagements. His legislative priority is passage of the Walter Resolution granting naturalization rights.
• A City Meets a Challenge, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial praises Redwood City’s Council for Civic Unity for establishing a non-profit employment agency that has placed over 400 people of all backgrounds. The editorial presents the council as a model of translating racial democracy ideals into practice.
• Claims Provisions Inadequate, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial argues that the evacuation claims program is grossly inadequate compared to estimated losses of $367 million. It cites Chet Huntley, Louis Noyes, and others calling for restitution that would aid economic recovery.
• Vagaries, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. A column of brief items covering Nisei achievements and news in Hollywood, publishing, art, and campus life. It includes notes on a Rep. Walter tour of Italy honoring the 442nd and a Hayakawa film release.
• Hatai-san Carries Out Motoshige’s Tanomu, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A reflective story follows a humble Issei shipping clerk who, after an FBI detention of his wealthy boss, secretly provides for the boss’s secondary family for seven years. The narrator questions the meaning of loyalty and the word tanomu.
• From a Man of Good-will, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa contrasts a proposal by former U.S. soldier Drummond to bring a Japanese ski team to America with the Alabama white supremacy school endowment. He argues that good-will efforts are hampered by lack of funds while bigotry is well funded.
• Removal and Return: Evacuation Forced Significant Changes in Evacuees’ Economy, by Marion Tajiri, page 5. A book review of Leonard Bloom and Ruth Riemer’s study estimating $367 million in evacuation losses and documenting the economic setback to Japanese Americans. The review highlights the inadequacy of the claims act and the postwar shift in occupational patterns.

JACL

• Pre-Convention Spotlight: Dr. Randolph M. Sakada, by Chizu Iiyama, page 2. An interview profiles Dr. Randy Mas Sakada, chairman of the JACL 1950 convention board in Chicago. The piece covers his background, civic involvement, and views on the housing challenges facing Nisei.

Sports

• Tallest Nisei in Cage History, by P.C. Staff, page 6. University of Hawaii sophomore Saturo Amaki, at 6 feet 4 inches, is among several Nisei players on the Roaring Rainbows basketball team scheduled to tour the mainland next February. Coach Art Gallon also expects John Tashiro to become a standout.
• Hawaii Nisei Get Japanese Offers, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Two new Japanese professional baseball teams are reportedly seeking six Nisei players from Hawaii. The piece notes that Hawaiian Nisei teams have historically competed well against Japanese professional clubs.
• Spokane League Quits ABC Over Race Prejudice, by P.C. Staff, page 6. An AFL bowling league in Spokane withdrew from the American Bowling Congress after twenty years of affiliation to protest the ABC’s white males only rule. The move was a direct response to exclusion policies that barred non-white bowlers.
• Illinois Suit Asks Revocation of Charter of National Bowling Group on Whites Only Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Illinois States Attorney John S. Boyle filed suit seeking revocation of the American Bowling Congress charter because its membership restriction to white males incites racial discrimination. The CIO had earlier filed a similar call for revocation.
• San Francisco Team Drops Out of ABC Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A San Francisco bowling team withdrew from an ABC-sanctioned tournament rather than drop Chinese American member Sammy Lee, who is barred by the ABC’s white-only rule. Columnist Herb Caen publicized the protest.

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