Evacuation claims offices open as Nisei press for Hawaii statehood

Vol. 30, No. 9, March 4, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

Evacuation claims were the lead news of this eight-page issue. The Justice Department opened a second field office in San Francisco under William H. Jacobs to process claims for property lost in the 1942 mass removal of Japanese Americans, and asked for $5,000,000 to pay claims in fiscal 1951. Mike Masaoka warned that a small administrative budget could slow more than 24,000 filed claims. He also urged JACL chapters and more than 60 national groups to back statehood for Hawaii. Bill Hosokawa’s column, “From the Frying Pan,” described meeting four Japanese foreign office officials in Denver.

Other items include a Supreme Court decision that delayed deportation hearings, an interracial housing project begun in Palo Alto, and a campaign against the American Bowling Congress’s whites-only rule. Joe Oyama’s “Mannahatta” column covers New York, and the sports pages follow Nisei basketball players, bowlers and baseball rookie Wally Yonamine. Chapter installations fill much of page 8.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Second Claims Office Opened in California, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Justice Department’s second evacuation claims field office opened in San Francisco on March 1 under William H. Jacobs. Letters inviting claimants to interviews will be sent out immediately.
• Nisei Role in U.S. Race Relations Told by JACL Official, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Midwest regional representative Richard Akagi told the Milwaukee JACL chapter that the fight of one minority for recognition is the fight of all minorities. He also installed the chapter’s 1950 cabinet led by president Kazumi Oura.
• Fresno State Nisei Raise Money for Scholarship Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Fresno State College Japanese Students club raised $1,155.25 in a campaign for a Nisei scholarship fund. Two $50 awards will be made each semester to qualifying students in the designated area.
• St. Louis Chapter Reelects Tanaka, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL vice president Henry Tani installed the 1950 St. Louis JACL cabinet, with Joseph Tanaka reelected president. The full slate of officers was named at the Town Hall restaurant ceremony.
• Nisei Make Strong Comeback in Coast Floral Industry, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese Americans produced about half of Northern California’s greenhouse output in 1949, with gross returns of $6,000,000. This marked a strong recovery from prewar levels since their return after evacuation.
• Child Dies of Burns, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three-year-old Jimmy Ichiro Kihara of North Delta, Colo., died February 27 from injuries sustained when he fell into a tub of hot water at home. Funeral services were held March 1 at the Delta Baptist church.
• Honolulu Divorcee Slain by Suitor, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mrs. Lorraine Manuel, 27, a Nisei divorcee and waitress, was fatally stabbed in a Honolulu cafe backroom on Feb. 24 by Severino Olaya, a jilted suitor. Olaya then stabbed himself twice and died.
• Domoto Brothers Remembered in Contribution to JACL Council, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A $600 donation in memory of the Domoto brothers, pioneer floriculturists of Northern California, was given to the JACL district council. Toichi Domoto made the gift in honor of his father Kanetaro and uncle Motonoshin, both of whom died during the war.
• Sen. Downey Sponsors Pilot Measure on Illegal Entrants, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sen. Sheridan Downey introduced a private pilot bill to gauge Congressional sentiment on legalizing residence for persons who entered illegally before July 1, 1924. Mike Masaoka said the bill would give early illegal immigrants the same residence status granted under the Stay of Deportation Act.
• Rep. Yates Lauds Nisei in House Talk, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Sidney Yates described Nisei as upright, industrious and hard-working when visiting Japanese Diet members were recognized in the House. Rep. George Miller also praised the 442nd Regimental Combat Team as the most decorated outfit in the Army.
• Ken Mazawa Handles Camera at FCC’s Color TV Showing, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Chicago Nisei Ken Mazawa operated the camera for Color Television, Inc. during its demonstration before the Federal Communications Commission. He also appeared on camera in the live show used for the tests.
• Salt Lake JACL Raises $1,200 Quota in ADC Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Salt Lake JACL chapter presented $1,200 to JACL ADC as its quota after two nights of benefit movies raised $1,689. The remaining funds were allocated to the Peace Garden committee and a memorial restoration.
• Nisei Student Heads School Council, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Lucille Inami, president of the Pershing grammar school student council in Madera, launched a campaign to beautify school grounds. Funds came from student-sold ice cream and hot dogs.
• Ray Iwamoto Heads Cleaners Union in Wyoming Community, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ray Iwamoto was installed as president of the Cleaners Union, Local 18491 of the United Mine Workers in Rock Springs, Wyo. He is the only Nisei member of the union.
• UCL Will Sponsor Civic Unity Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Santa Clara County JACL voted to sponsor the reorganized San Jose Council for Civic Unity. Assemblyman Byron Rumford warned race relations must catch up with scientific progress.
• 80-Year Old Christian Church to Be Rebuilt in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Japanese Federated Church of Christ in San Francisco is being reconstructed at Post and Laguna streets at a cost of up to $35,000. The original building, serving since the turn of the century, is considered the mother church of similar congregations on the Pacific coast.
• Coachella Valley JACL Chapter Holds Installation Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eighty-five members of the Coachella Valley JACL attended an installation dinner where George Shibata and other officers were sworn in. Regional director Tats Kushida spoke on the organization’s importance.
• Oxnard Council May Return Center to Use of JACL Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Ventura County JACL will seek return of the Seventh Street Recreation Center building it leased in 1936, to be considered by the Oxnard City Council on March 7. Councilmen admitted a moral obligation to return the building.
• Committee Chairmen Named by Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Los Angeles JACL chapter announced its new committee chairmen and cabinet officers. Lynn Nagaki was named president, with other officers listed for the year.
• Nisei Evacuee Finds Career in Famous New York Store, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Lee Seo, the only Nisei employee at Saks Fifth Avenue, has built a career in the New York store’s out-of-town shops department. She also works as a professional model for artists and photographers.
• Public Invited to Meeting on Evacuee Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A public report on evacuation claims progress will be given March 8 at the Tenrikyo building in Los Angeles. William Palmer, head of the local claims office, will discuss the payment program along with ADC and alien land law issues.
• Koyama Installed as Chapter Prexy, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Tom Koyama and other Montana JACL cabinet members were installed at Laurel on February 21 by regional director Roy Takeno. Chapter awards were presented to student winners in a bookkeeping contest and an essay contest.
• Mari Sabusawa Says Nisei Must Become Politically, Socially Conscious, by Chizu Iiyama, page 8. Mari Sabusawa, national JACL convention public relations chairman and national secretary, discusses her involvement with the JACL, employment problems facing Nisei, and her hopes for the community. She urges Nisei to become more politically and socially conscious.
• Spring Fantasy, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Puella Societa will sponsor its third annual Spring Fantasy dance in Sacramento on May 6 at the Odd Fellows temple. Committee chairmen for decorations, refreshments and programs were named.
• Chicago JACL Plans Box Lunch Social, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Chicago JACL membership drive committee will sponsor a box lunch social on March 11 at the McCormick YWCA. Auctioneer Joe Sagami will sell the lunches, with dancing and games to follow.
• Nisei Will Sing at Memorial Concert for Folk Singer, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Earl Robinson’s inter-racial chorus, including three Nisei singers, will perform at a Huddie Leadbelly Ledbetter memorial hootenanny in Los Angeles. Proceeds will go to the singer’s widow.
• JACL, Resettlers Open Drive for Registration of Voters, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Chicago Resettlers Committee and JACL chapter launched an educational campaign to register eligible Nisei voters for the April primaries. Wiley Higuchi is organizing registration teams in every precinct with a Japanese American community.
• Beach Hotel Will Be Site of Southwest Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The 1950 Pacific Southwest District JACL Council convention will be held July 1-2 at the Chase Hotel in Santa Monica. Fifteen chapters from Southern California and Arizona will attend.
• Lancaster Completes ADC Fund Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Lancaster became the first Pacific Southwest community to complete its 1950 ADC drive, raising $235 against a $200 goal. Sensaku Uyeda chaired the campaign with help from supporters in Rosamond and Palmdale.

National

• Rep. Bosone Backs Entry of Canadian Wife of Utah Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Reva Beck Bosone introduced a bill to permit Yukie Nishimura Okubo, a Nisei Canadian, to enter the United States for permanent residence. The bill companions a Senate measure introduced by Sen. Elbert D. Thomas.
• Interracial Housing Project Started in California City, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Construction began in Palo Alto on the Paul Lawrence subdivision, which will house 23 families of Negro, Oriental and Caucasian backgrounds. The project was sponsored by the Palo Alto Fair Play Committee to show families of different races can live as harmonious neighbors.
• Supreme Court Verdict Delays Action on Deportee Cases, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Supreme Court decision in the Wong Yang Sung case halted deportation hearings affecting more than 2000 Japanese under the Stay of Deportation Act of 1948. The Justice Department must now decide who will sit at future initial hearings, and delays of several months are anticipated.
• Justice Department Submits Bid for $5 Million to Pay Claims Filed by Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Justice Department requested $5,000,000 for evacuation claim payments in fiscal 1951 but only $304,800 for administration. Mike Masaoka warned the small administrative request could slow processing of the more than 24,000 claims filed.
• Hawaiian Tourists of Japanese Ancestry Plan to Visit Japan During Cherry Blossom Time, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 2. Several hundred Hawaiian residents of Japanese ancestry boarded liners in the first big postwar tourist exodus to Japan during cherry blossom season. Mostly Issei visiting relatives, they carry gifts and are expected to spend heavily, though local businessmen worry about lost dollars.
• National Progressive Conclave Supports Walter Resolution, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Progressive Party’s national convention in Chicago unanimously backed the Walter Resolution granting equal naturalization rights regardless of race. Delegate Fumi Ishihara also urged liberalizing evacuation claims and enacting a strong FEPC.
• Prejudice Bars Nisei Ex-GI from Buying Home in Boise District, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Nisei war veteran was denied purchase of a Boise home due to objections from property owners and a Caucasian covenant clause. A letter published in the Boise Statesman by eight citizens condemned the intolerance.
• Two Hawaii Nisei Pass Bar Exams in Nation’s Capital, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Hiroshi Sakai and Larry N. Kuriyama, both from Hawaii, passed the District of Columbia bar examinations. Both plan to return to Hawaii to practice law.
• Hawaii Bill for Statehood, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mike Masaoka urged JACL chapters to contact their Representatives in support of statehood for Hawaii as the House scheduled consideration of statehood bills. He argued Hawaii’s wartime loyalty and democratic record show it is ready for statehood.
• Masaoka Urges Sixty National Groups to Back Hawaii Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mike Masaoka urged more than 60 national organizations to work for Hawaii statehood at a National Civil Liberties Clearing House conference. He argued statehood would show Asia the nation’s sympathies and interest in the Pacific.
• ADC Suggests Appointment of Nisei to Hawaii Bench, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee urged Interior Secretary Chapman to nominate a Nisei to a vacant federal territorial judgeship in Hawaii. Masaoka noted no person of Asian ancestry has ever held such a top appointive post there despite Hawaii’s diverse population.

Incarceration & Redress

• Kawakita Waits for Action on Court Appeal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tomoya Kawakami, convicted of treason and sentenced to death in 1948, is still awaiting appellate review in the Ninth Circuit. Court hearings are not expected before June, and he remains in Los Angeles County jail.
• San Jose Judge Considers Test Case on License Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Superior Judge John D. Foley took under submission a test case seeking return of liquor licenses revoked from Japanese Americans in 1942. Toshinaga Taketa argues the revocation was confiscation of property and that the statute of limitations never began while he was confined.

Military & Veterans

• Ex-GIs Plan Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The 442nd Veterans club will observe the seventh anniversary of the formation of the Nisei combat team with a dinner. Newly installed 1950 officers were introduced in a photo caption.

Commentary

• Experiment in Interracial Living, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes the Paul Lawrence housing subdivision in Palo Alto, whose first 23 homeowners are of Negro, Oriental and white ancestry. It argues such projects reflect the democratic principle that citizens should live where they wish.
• Dillon Myer and the Record, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial corrects a House subcommittee misstatement blaming Dillon Myer for evacuee property losses. It explains the Army’s WCCA carried out the evacuation and Myer’s WRA only took over afterward without control over property.
• The Star-Bulletin’s Protest, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial responds to Hawaiian criticism of Mike Masaoka’s request for a Nisei federal judgeship in Hawaii. It argues race should not be a qualification, but notes no person of non-Caucasian descent has ever held such a federal post there.
• False Prophet in California, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns William E. Riker, a white supremacist gubernatorial candidate from Holy City, California. It argues his racist campaign is an anachronism that voters have rejected since the war.
• Mannahatta, by Joe Oyama, page 4. This New York column reports on visiting Korean artists, a Japanese museum exhibit, and assorted Nisei news in the city. It also notes recent arrivals and business developments among Japanese Americans in the East.
• Should Nisei Take Active Role in Democratization of Japan?, by Gordon, page 5. The column explores whether Nisei, because of their ancestry, should take an active role in building democracy in Japan. It concludes the question is complex, noting Americans of Asian ancestry are naturally more attuned to Asia while citizens share a general obligation.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa describes meeting four Japanese foreign office officials in Denver who were arranging consular offices in the U.S. He notes their cooperative outlook and Ohno’s view that Japan’s destiny is linked with the United States.

Sports

• Gunner Sumida Enrolls at Utah University, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Herbert Gunner Sumida, one of the best Nisei basketball players developed in Hawaii, arrived in Salt Lake City to enroll at the University of Utah. Several other Nisei athletes across the country are profiled in sports notes.
• Jim Yokota Wins New Cage Laurels, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Jim Yokota was named to the Placer high school tournament all-star team as Placer won its eighth annual tournament. Victor Nakamoto was also a key scorer.
• Denver Keglers Get Hot in Salt Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Denver’s Denargo Box team bowled a 2946 scratch series against Salt Lake’s Okada Insurance en route to the National JACL tournament. Dr. Takashi Mayeda led with a 653 series.
• Nisei Win Top Prizes in Coachella Open Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Three Nisei bowlers claimed the top three prizes in a valley-wide open tournament held during the Riverside County Fair in Indio. Mack Nishimoto took first place with a 670 handicap score.
• Salt Lake Team Wins Tourney in Idaho Falls, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Salt Lake Zephyrs won the three-day JACL invitational basketball tournament in Idaho Falls, defeating the host team 63-47. Murray’s Taiyos took the consolation title in an overtime game.
• Pilot of Seals Praises Batting of Nisei Star, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Manager Lefty O’Doul praised Wally Yonamine, a former 49er football player, as one of the most impressive rookies in camp. Yonamine impressed with line drives and two singles in the first training camp game.
• New York Judge Withholds Decision on ABC Prejudice, by P.C. Staff, page 6. New York State Supreme Court Justice Samuel Hofstader reserved decision on motions in the Attorney General’s suit to oust the American Bowling Congress over its whites-only membership. The state seeks to remove the organization on grounds of racial discrimination.
• Hawaii Nisei Cagers, Enroute to Japan, Denied Permission to Play by National AAU, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The U.S. Amateur Athletic Union denied Hawaii’s Nisei all-star basketball team permission to play an eight-game schedule in Japan. The team had already departed, and AAU officials forbade Japanese affiliated teams from meeting them.
• Chicago JACL Plans to File Brief Supporting State Suit Against Bowling Discrimination, by Harold R. Gordon, page 8. The Chicago JACL chapter plans to file an amicus curiae brief supporting Illinois’ suit against the American Bowling Congress. Chapter members have also documented cases where company bowling teams were barred from sanctioned tournaments for containing non-white members.

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