Communism hearings in Hawaii and the Nisei dual citizenship charge

Vol. 30, No. 15, April 15, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

The House un-American activities hearings in Hawaii opened with a surprise: Richard M. Kageyama, a Honolulu supervisor, admitted he was a Communist in 1947. Lawrence Nakatsuka reported from Honolulu. Another thread ran through the issue: the dual citizenship charge used to deny Dr. Jerry K. Aikawa clearance at Oak Ridge, which Joe Grant Masaoka answered in a letter to the Atomic Energy Commission and the editors took up in “The Bogey of Dual Citizenship.”

Other pages followed Nisei stranded in Japan, evacuation claims funding, and the Walter naturalization resolution. Larry Tajiri defended Dillon Myer, Elmer R. Smith traced the early Nisei organizations, and Bill Hosokawa and Togo Tanaka wrote columns. Readers will also find news of the 442nd, chapter reports, and sports, including Wally Yonamine in Salt Lake training.

What’s in this issue

National

• Kageyama, Hawaii Supervisor, Admits Communist Membership As House Hearing Opens, by By LAWRENCE NAKATSUKA, page 1. Richard M. Kageyama, a Honolulu city-county supervisor and Nisei veteran, admitted he was a Communist Party member in 1947 as the first witness at the House un-American activities hearings in Hawaii. His confession shocked the territory and raised questions about his continued service in public office and at the state constitutional convention.
• Screen Writer Collects Data on Nisei GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Anthony Coldeway, a 20th Century-Fox writer, gathered material in Hawaii on the 442nd Nisei combat team for a possible film. The studio will decide whether to produce the movie after reviewing the data he submits.
• Few Canada Evacuees Return to Coast Evacuated Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A year after Canada lifted wartime restrictions, only a few of the more than 22,000 Japanese Canadians have returned to the British Columbia coast. Most now live in Toronto, while several thousand remain in interior areas where they were relocated.
• Stranded Nisei Wins Divorce from Husband in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Judy Aya Enseki, a 27-year-old American of Japanese ancestry, was granted a divorce in Los Angeles from her husband, who renounced his American citizenship during the war while in Japan. She testified that his action made her ill and emotionally upset.
• Use “Dual Citizenship” Charge to Deny Clearance to Nisei at Atomic Energy Project, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Jerry K. Aikawa was barred from clearance at the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies because of an alleged dual citizenship charge. JACL officials responded that dual citizenship carries no legal force for Japanese Americans and that the requirement he declare intent to become a citizen was absurd for a native-born American.
• House Group May Cite Two Nisei Witnesses for Contempt in Hawaii Communism Inquiry, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The House un-American Activities subcommittee signaled it would seek contempt citations against witnesses who refused to say whether they were Communist Party members, including Ralph Tokunaga and Wilfred Oka. The hearings also heard testimony implicating ILWU regional director Jack Hall as a Communist.
• Oak Ridge Raises Dual Citizen Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL-ADC Director Joe Grant Masaoka wrote to the Atomic Energy Commission arguing that dual citizenship has no bearing on loyalty and that Dr. Aikawa, born in the United States, is already a citizen. He concluded that the dual citizenship notion unfairly casts doubt on the basic allegiance of Japanese Americans.
• Status of Shintoism as Religion Becomes Issue in Court Case Over Return of Seized Shrine, by LAWRENCE NAKATSUKA, page 2. A federal trial in Honolulu over the return of a seized Shinto shrine turned on whether Shintoism is a true religion or a state religion. Witnesses testified that worshippers did not pray to the emperor, while the government presented prewar newspapers to challenge that claim.
• Senate Group Holds Fate of Judd Proposal, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Delegate Joseph R. Farrington reported that the fate of immigration and naturalization bills, including the Judd bill to remove racial restrictions, depends on a Senate subcommittee report expected soon. He also described private bills he introduced to admit alien brides and fiancees of American soldiers.
• Returnee Asks Court to Restore Rights Lost During War, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Tom T. Kimura, a Nisei strandee in Japan, filed suit in federal court in Los Angeles seeking restoration of American citizenship lost through his service in the Japanese navy. He claims the service was performed under coercion.
• Rep. Hand Urges Congress to Increase Appropriation for Evacuation Claims Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Representative T. Millet Hand repeated on the House floor JACL national legislative director Mike Masaoka’s appeal for more evacuation claims funds than the $4,000,000 proposed. He warned that the underfunding would delay settlement for years and ultimately cost more.
• Seek Return of Money Sent to Japan Kin, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kichiro Yoshimura sued to recover $15,015 he entrusted to two men six days before Pearl Harbor to be delivered to relatives in Japan. He learned only two years ago that the transaction had been illegal under presidential orders issued earlier that year.
• Ennis to Talk on Evacuation Claims Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Edward J. Ennis, JACL special attorney on evacuation claims, was scheduled to attend the Northern California-Western Nevada district council meeting in Stockton to address local complaints about hearing procedures and delays. Other agenda items included a credit union and FEPC participation.
• Reduction of Issei Fish License for California, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL-ADC Director Joe Grant Masaoka learned that a bill to reduce the alien fishing license fee from $25 is unlikely to be considered in the current special legislative session. Requests to seek the reduction came from Japanese American angling clubs in Stockton and Los Angeles.
• Masaoka Confers With Senate Leader to Urge Early Action on Naturalization Proposal, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Senate Majority Leader Scott Lucas pledged to push for a calendar call that could bring the Walter resolution, which removes race as a barrier to naturalization, to the floor within days. Mike Masaoka reported that Senator Russell would not oppose the measure.
• Roger Baldwin Notes Rapid Progress Made by Nisei Group Toward Winning Full Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Roger N. Baldwin, chairman of the International League for the Rights of Man, praised the JACL for accelerating Japanese American progress toward full citizenship rights in Salt Lake City. He also raised concern about roughly 10,000 American-born Nisei in Japan who cannot obtain passports to return.
• ABC National Secretary Favors Retention of Non-Whites Ban, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A suit seeking a temporary injunction against the American Bowling Congress tournament over its whites-only membership rule was denied. ABC national secretary Elmer Baumgarten reportedly opposed changing the membership rules, and multiple discrimination suits remain pending in several states.
• Nisei Attorneys Meet Japanese Judicial Officials in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 7. Visiting Japanese judicial officials met with Nisei attorneys in Los Angeles to exchange information on the legal systems of the United States and Japan. The visitors were impressed by the JACL-ADC’s role in American lawmaking.
• Gov. Stainback Cites Loyalty of Hawaiian Population as Evidence of Territory’s Fitness for Statehood, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Governor Ingram M. Stainback told the Hawaii constitutional convention that the wartime loyalty of Hawaii’s diverse population proves the territory is fit for statehood. He noted that Hawaii’s citizens of all races served in the armed forces and war work.
• Rep. Sakakihara Named Officer of Hawaii Constitutional Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Representative Thomas T. Sakakihara was elected vice president of the Hawaii constitutional convention from the island of Hawaii. Nineteen Nisei were among the delegates chosen for the convention, which opened April 4.

JACL

• Name Joe Masaoka Member of Advisory Group on Employment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL regional director Joe Grant Masaoka was appointed to a new California Department of Employment advisory committee on minority group problems in the San Francisco area. The committee aims to ensure equal employment opportunities regardless of color, ancestry or creed.
• Committee Names Ishikawa for Leadership Award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sam Ishikawa, former JACL Southern California regional director, was nominated by the national recognitions committee for a leadership award. His citation highlights his long record of service to the JACL and other organizations promoting interracial understanding.

Community

• Nisei Escapes Death As Ship Runs Aground, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three crewmen, including a Nisei, were washed overboard when the tuna clipper Olympia ran aground in fog near Santa Margarita island. All three managed to reach shore after two hours in the water, and all ten crew members were later returned to San Diego.
• Six Deputized, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Six members of the Sacramento JACL were sworn in as deputy registrars to register voters for the upcoming election. The chapter’s participation was part of its civic engagement efforts.
• Elect Nisei to Top Posts at Hawaii U., by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japanese American students won all four top student body offices at the University of Hawaii for the coming year. The winners are Ralph S. Aoki as president, Dixon Y. Mugiishi as vice president, Leanore I. Nishikawa as secretary and Charles K. Hamane as treasurer.
• Southwest Chapter Hears Job Specialist, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Hugh B. McAgee of the California Department of Employment spoke at the Southwest Los Angeles JACL monthly meeting. The chapter also registered voters and reported more than 170 new members in a membership contest with Chicago.
• Sacramento JACL Hits 250 Members in Current Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Sacramento JACL signed 250 old and new members in its ongoing membership drive, with teams canvassing door to door. The chapter has set a goal of 400 members by the drive’s April 30 close.
• Passes Bar, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kei K. Matsuoka of Cleveland was among 87 candidates who passed the recent state bar examinations in Columbus. He was sworn in by Chief Justice Weygandt on March 30.
• Claims Problems Discussed at JACL Meet in Pismo Beach, by P.C. Staff, page 7. JACL officials and local guests at a joint dinner in Pismo Beach discussed evacuation claims, the JACL credit union, and upcoming conventions. San Luis Obispo mayor Timothy O’Riley commended Nisei wartime loyalty and encouraged civic participation.
• Santa Monica Newspaper Hails Clarke Ruling on Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Santa Monica Evening Outlook editorially praised Superior Judge Thurmond Clarke’s ruling declaring California’s Alien Land Law unconstitutional in the Masaoka case. The editorial argued the law’s injustice affected citizens as well as aliens.
• Sacramento Chapter Plans Newspaper, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Sacramento JACL announced plans to publish a twice-monthly newspaper for Northern California, to be edited by Gene Okada and Stirling Sakamoto. The chapter named its staff of editors, business managers and office workers.
• Nisei Instructor at Washington Holds One-Man Show on Campus, by P.C. Staff, page 8. George Tsutakawa, a University of Washington art instructor, held a one-man exhibit of oils, sculpture, watercolors and a fresco at the Henry Art Gallery. He explained that modern artists interpret rather than merely reproduce what they see.
• Nisei Teacher Asks Return of Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Akio Oye filed suit in federal court in San Francisco to restore her American citizenship, which the State Department says she lost by accepting a Japanese grammar school teaching job open only to Japanese nationals. She says she was unaware of the change in the Japanese law.
• Reno JACL Plans Part in YWCA’s Fellowship Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Reno JACL will again participate in the World Fellowship Festival hosted by the Reno YWCA on May 5. Mrs. Ham Aoyama was named general chairman of the chapter’s project.
• Strandee Will Return to U.S. for Hearing, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Minoru Furukawa, a Nisei who lost citizenship through conscription into the Japanese army, was granted permission to return to the United States for his citizenship restoration suit. His case is expected to be heard in federal court in Los Angeles this fall.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Veterans in Hawaii Help 442nd Chaplain Build Church, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Roughly 500 to 600 former 442nd combat team members volunteered two years of weekend labor to build the Waipahu Community Church for their wartime chaplain, Rev. Hiro Higuchi. The church building was completed through their donated work and contributions from veterans organizations.
• Nisei Veterans in Japan Feted at Tokyo Party, by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 100 442nd Combat Team veterans serving with the occupation forces in Japan were to be honored at a cherry blossom festival party hosted by the Tokyo metropolitan government. Invitations were also sent to President Truman and other military leaders.
• Nisei from Texas Gets Midshipman Rating in Navy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Joe L. Akagi of Houston completed a year of training at the Navy’s Pre-Flight school in Pensacola and became a midshipman. He is stationed on a carrier and will be commissioned as an ensign upon completing his training.

Commentary

• The Bogey of Dual Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the dual citizenship charge against Nisei, as in the case of Dr. Jerry Aikawa, is unfair because the Nisei never recognized Japan’s claim to their citizenship. It notes that no American court procedure exists to divest them of such claims and that the charge is raised only to malign their loyalty.
• The Strandees in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial describes approximately 10,000 Nisei still stranded in Japan due to technicalities in the amended 1940 Nationality Act. It calls for expedited return of those who committed no conscious act of disloyalty against the United States.
• Dillon Myer and the WRA, by LARRY TAJIRI, page 4. Larry Tajiri defends Dillon Myer, the newly appointed Indian Affairs commissioner and former WRA director, against an attack by Fulton Lewis, Jr. He argues Myer’s courageous leadership resisted anti-democratic pressures and helped the evacuees rebuild their lives.
• Minority Week: Short Quote and Editorial Notes on Censorship and Race, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The editorial page features a quote from Secretary of State Dean Acheson on civil rights and comments on Atlanta censor Christine Smith’s banning of films dealing with race. It also cites the Air Force’s successful desegregation and critiques the regional schools program.
• Birth of a Bigot, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The editorial summarizes psychologist Dr. Samuel H. Flowerman’s view that harsh, domineering parenting produces adults who become race bigots. It explains how such upbringing fosters insecurity, submission to power and hostility toward outside groups.
• We’re Doing Fine, Thanks, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The editorial reports that the Air Force’s policy of ending segregation has succeeded, with 71 percent of Negro airmen working under non-segregated conditions. It also notes the Army’s decision to abolish its racial enlistment quota.
• Ask the Man Who Owns One, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The editorial reports that roughly 800 educators and students opposed the southern regional education program as a device for maintaining segregation. It describes the conference at Atlanta University that criticized the plan.
• A Need for Slum Clearance, by BILL HOSOKAWA, page 5. Bill Hosokawa describes Denver’s planned multi-million dollar slum clearance project, noting that three of four families surveyed live in substandard housing, including 250 Oriental families. He argues the project should bring new affordable housing for residents displaced by redevelopment.
• Togo Tanaka’s Postscript: Lots of Gas, But Just as Much Fun as a Pismo Beach Clambake, by TOGO TANAKA, page 5. Togo Tanaka recounts attending a Chicago candidates’ night hosted by the JACL in the 5th Illinois Senatorial District, where five candidates spoke. He comments on each candidate’s performance and urges voters to participate in elections.

In-Depth

• Nisei Organizations Traced to Early Organizing Efforts, by ELMER R. SMITH, page 4. The article traces the origins of Nisei citizens’ organizations to the Fresno Loyalty League formed in 1918 and the San Francisco meeting of 1920. It describes how local groups in Seattle, Sacramento, San Jose and elsewhere emerged and later convened joint meetings.

Sports

• Yonamine’s Hitting Sparks Salt Lake Training Sessions, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Wally Yonamine, batting star of the Salt Lake Bees spring training, is expected to start in center field when the season opens. Manager Earl Bolyard is also considering him at first base.
• Placer College Nisei Star Will Enroll at Stanford U, by STIRLING SAKAMOTO, page 7. George Goto, a standout Nisei basketball player at Placer junior college who was named most valuable player at the state tournament, will attend Stanford University on a scholarship. He will be the first Nisei in Pacific Coast Conference competition since Ted Ohashi.

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