The September 1950 JACL convention in Chicago and the Walter naturalization bill

Vol. 31, No. 12, September 23, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

Naturalization and the coming JACL convention shaped this eight-page issue from September 1950. On the front page, the Senate held back action on President Truman’s veto of the Walter resolution, while Sen. Pat McCarran promised a new measure to end racial requirements in naturalization. Delegates were headed to the 11th JACL convention in Chicago, where national director Masao Satow said they would decide whether to keep the regional offices. Editorials honored outgoing national president Hito Okada and examined McCarran’s security riders from the ADC’s vantage point.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about flying over the Inchon landing in Korea and about Isamu Noguchi’s Tokyo exhibit. Ernest Maass profiled Dr. Hachiro Yuasa of Doshisha. The sports pages followed Nisei football backs, the pitcher Bill Nishita and weightlifter Tom Kono, and a page-seven item told of Japanese books from the Tule Lake library given to the Los Angeles JACL office.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Senate Withholds Action on Walter Measure Veto as McCarran Promises New Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate postponed action on President Truman’s veto of the Walter naturalization resolution until after November 27. Sen. Pat McCarran pledged to introduce a new measure to eliminate racial requirements in naturalization when Congress reconvenes.
• Nisei Supervisor in Honolulu Decides Not to Seek Reelection, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Honolulu Supervisor Richard Kageyama announced he will not seek reelection amid impeachment proceedings over his alleged Communist party membership. He argued that his withdrawal would promote harmony within the Democratic party.
• Chicago Awaits Delegates to 11th JACL Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL national director Masao Satow outlined critical decisions facing delegates at the Chicago convention, including whether to retain regional offices and the organization’s future direction. He noted that legislative issues such as evacuation claims and Issei naturalization will also be debated.
• San Francisco Chest Campaign Will Be on Interracial Basis, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco’s Community Chest will solicit donations through interracial volunteer teams rather than through racially or religiously organized groups. Persons of Japanese ancestry are serving on the local advisory council.
• Utah State FEPC Group Plans Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Fair Employment Practices Committee for the State of Utah will hold an organizational dinner on September 28 with David Robinson of Portland as main speaker. Several Nisei leaders hold committee positions.
• Los Angeles Group Donates to ADC, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Fukushima-Kent Club of Los Angeles donated $15 to the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee. The contribution was presented in appreciation of the ADC’s legislative work.
• Pacific Southwest District Assures Moral, Financial Support of JACL Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 100 delegates at the Pacific Southwest district pre-convention rally in Baldwin Park voted to support maintenance of the national and regional JACL offices. They also approved a ten-cent per capita assessment for 1951.
• Denver Group Seeks to Retain Regional Office, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Denver JACL delegates Toshio Ando and John Noguchi will ask the Chicago convention to reconsider the board’s decision to close regional offices. They cite services provided to the Mountain Plains area under regional director Roy Takeno.
• Credit Union Hits $100,000 Savings in Salt Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The JACL credit union in Salt Lake City reached $100,000 in member share purchases shortly before its seventh anniversary. It is the oldest and largest of the four JACL credit unions.
• Chicago Plans Annual Election of Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Chicago JACL chapter will nominate officers in October and hold elections in November after the national convention. Installation is planned for an inaugural ball on December 2.
• JACL Office Gets Japanese Books From Tule Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 7. More than 5,000 Japanese books and magazines from the Tule Lake Relocation Center library were donated to the JACL regional office in Los Angeles by bookseller Louis Epstein. Plans for their use were not yet announced.
• Japanese Classes Now Offered by Buchanan YM-YWCA, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Buchanan Street YM-YWCA in San Francisco began Japanese language classes at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Instructor Seizo Oka teaches conversation, reading, writing, and grammar.
• Idaho Farmer Suffers Leg Injury, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Kay Yamamoto of Caldwell suffered a compound ankle fracture when his clothing caught in a tractor potato digger’s power shaft. The accident occurred on September 12.
• Ventura JACL Seeks Return of Seventh Street Community Building, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Ventura JACL chapter filed a petition in Superior Court to compel the city to return the Seventh Street community center, which it had leased since 1936. The suit challenges the validity of a 1942 agreement.

Military & Veterans

• One Nisei Dead, One Missing in Korea War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Defense Department reported one Nisei killed, one missing, and three wounded in Korea. Corp. Hideo Hashimoto was honored for heroism at Hogback Hill, where his company helped save the 25th division.
• Expatriate Nisei Seeks GIs Who Saved His Life During War, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Ken Murayama, a former Domei correspondent, wants to contact two American privates who rescued and nursed him on Luzon in 1945. Hosokawa recounts how the soldiers gave him water, washed him, and carried him to safety.

In-Depth

• Dr. Yuasa and the War: As Doshisha’s Head, He Fought to Maintain Academic Freedom, by Ernest Maass, page 2. This second installment profiles Dr. Hachiro Yuasa, who accepted the Doshisha presidency despite military pressure to preserve Christian education. After the attack on Pearl Harbor he remained in the United States to work toward reconciliation.

JACL

• Coronation Ball to Be Social Highlight of JACL Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The semi-formal convention ball on September 30 in Chicago’s Stevens Hotel will crown Miss National JACL of 1950. Roger Wolff’s orchestra will provide music.
• Convention Mixer Will Start Social Program in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The convention mixer on September 28 will feature games, dancing, and the first public introduction of national queen candidates. The winner of a 1950 Ford convention drive will also be announced.
• List Delegates From Chapters for Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 2. National director Masao Satow released the official list of chapter delegates and alternates for the Chicago convention. Delegations from chapters across the country are named.
• Duck for Clam Program Set for Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The schedule of events for the national JACL convention runs from September 26 through October 2 in Chicago. Activities include board meetings, registration, council sessions, sports tournaments, and social functions.
• Nominate Saburo Kido for JACL’s Leadership Award, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The national recognitions committee nominated Saburo Kido, Harold Robert Gordon, and Frank Shiba for distinguished leadership awards to be presented at the Chicago convention. Kido is credited as a founder of the JACL who devoted his energy to Japanese American welfare.

Commentary

• Hito Okada, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial honors Hito Okada on the end of his second term as JACL national president. It credits his leadership during the critical postwar years in resettlement, evacuation claims, and naturalization rights.
• The Accuser and The Accused, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial draws parallels between the dismissal of actress Jean Muir over unproven subversion charges and the wartime treatment of Nisei. It argues that the accused lack any real means to answer their accusers.
• New Weapons, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the Army for banning the derogatory term gook among troops in Korea. It argues that soldier conduct toward Korean civilians will shape attitudes toward the United States.
• ADC’s Watch on the Potomac, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial analyzes how Sen. McCarran attached security riders to the Walter naturalization resolution, prompting President Truman’s veto. It warns that the McCarran anti-subversives bill threatens civil liberties and that the naturalization measure may now face a race against time.
• Minority Week, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column reports on the hiring of Negro teacher Robert Terry in a Seattle public school and on a Negro attorney’s bid for an Arizona House seat. It also notes NAACP support for Interior Secretary Oscar Chapman and actress Jean Muir.
• The Pseudo-Native, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A columnist returns to New York and describes the city’s fast pace, postwar atomic-age air raid precautions, and the Nisei community there. The piece contrasts the success of some Nisei with the hardship faced by others.
• Do You Know? Letters to JACL in 1942 Reflect Extremes in Attitudes, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. This column reproduces a sympathetic letter about animal welfare and a threatening letter from a vigilante group sent to the JACL in 1942. The contrast illustrates the range of responses the organization received during evacuation.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa’s column covers the Tokyo exhibit of Isamu Noguchi’s work and Noguchi’s travels across Asia. It also profiles the designer’s reflections on postwar Japanese interest in new art.

Arts & Entertainment

• 44 Collages by Kitagaki Go on Exhibition, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Oakland artist Nobuo Kitagaki’s non-objectivist collages opened at the Labaudt Gallery in San Francisco. The show features 44 space compositions influenced by Moholy-Nagy.
• Isamu Noguchi in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Sculptor Isamu Noguchi displayed photographs and abstract works in Tokyo that drew thousands of visitors. He also helped design a memorial room for his father at a Tokyo university before returning to the United States.
• Vagaries, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reports that the State Department banned the films Tokyo Joe and Three Came Home in Japan. He also notes several Nisei performers’ Hollywood and recital activities.
• Three Artists to be Featured by Music Club, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Chicago Japanese American Music Club will hold its third annual concert at Kimball Hall on October 21 featuring contralto June Arakawa, pianist June Oda, and soprano Fumi Yabe Saito. Proceeds will fund music scholarships.

Sports

• Nishita Lost Heartbreaker to Capeharts, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Honolulu pitcher Bill Nishita lost a 3 to 2 game to the Fort Wayne Capeharts at the National Baseball Congress tournament. Scouts were impressed enough to name him to the semi-pro All-America team.
• Fast Nisei Backs Sparkle for Preps, by P.C. Staff, page 6. This roundup reports on Nisei players on high school football squads across California, Oregon, and Washington. Several returning letter winners and fast backs are expected to lead their teams.
• Kishimoto May Play for COP Tigers, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Halfback Dick Kishimoto enrolled at Stockton College with plans to transfer to the College of the Pacific. The item also notes Fresno State Nisei players and their upcoming season.
• Three Sports Tourneys Set at Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Golf, tennis, and bowling tournaments are scheduled for the Chicago JACL convention beginning September 29. A bridge tournament will also be held at the Stevens Hotel.
• Tom Kono Enters Meet to Pick American Weightlifting Team, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Weightlifter Tom Kono, a 19-year-old from Sacramento, flew to Brooklyn to compete for a place on the United States team for the Paris world championships. A donation from the Oak Park Athletic Club financed his trip.
• Name Fukushima as Cage Coach at New School, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Danny Fukushima, a former Army intelligence veteran and standout Berkeley Nisei player, was named head basketball coach at the East campus of Contra Costa junior college. He is the first Nisei to coach a California junior college team.

National

• Report Judicial Precedent Set by Court in Kuniyuki Case, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Judge Peirson M. Hall restored citizenship to Mariko Kuniyuki despite her voting in Japanese elections, ruling the votes were not free and voluntary. The decision is reported as the fourth such ruling by a federal judge.
• Hosokawa Covers UN Invasion of Western Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Denver Post correspondent Bill Hosokawa covered the September 15 landing at Inchon from a SkyRaider divebomber. He flew over North Korean targets during the invasion.
• Court Orders Firm to Pay in Damage Suit, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A Los Angeles court awarded $647,301 to 34 plaintiffs, including several Japanese Americans, after the 1947 O’Connor Electroplating explosion that killed 17 people. Two Nisei women were among the dead.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.