The McCarran Act and what it could mean for Issei and other aliens

Vol. 31, No. 15, October 14, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

The McCarran Act led the news in this eight-page issue. The front page reported that the Act’s exclusion and deportation provisions would soon be used to review the status of aliens already in the United States, and I. H. Gordon described the law on page 3 as a catchall touching nearly every part of immigration. Elsewhere, the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee expected a new bill on equality in naturalization when Congress met again on Nov. 27. The paper also followed Nisei soldiers in Korea, including a wounded warrant officer and a Pfc. reported to be the first American to cross the 38th parallel.

Other pages carried a San Francisco labor council’s resolution against California’s Alien Land Law, Larry Tajiri on MGM filming Go for Broke, Bill Hosokawa on Nisei workers in occupied Japan, and Elmer R. Smith on the JACL’s August 1942 conference in Salt Lake City. Sports, editorials and Mitsu Yasuda’s convention notes filled the rest.

What’s in this issue

National

• McCarran Act May Be Used to Review Status of Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The McCarran Act’s exclusion and deportation provisions will soon be applied to aliens already in the United States, potentially affecting thousands. The Immigration and Naturalization Service is preparing regulations that could be issued within a week.
• Truman Signs Amendment to Trading Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Truman signed a law allowing American dual nationals, including many Japanese Americans in Hawaii, to reclaim vested property. The amendment corrects a 1948 ruling that had disregarded their American citizenship.
• Ban Damage Suits For Violation of Restrictive Covenant, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A federal district court dismissed a $42,000 damage suit against a white family who sold their home to Negroes. The judge cited a 1948 Supreme Court ruling that racial covenants cannot be enforced in courts.
• San Francisco AFL Council Passes Resolution Backing Test of Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The San Francisco Labor Council of the AFL passed a resolution supporting the Masaoka family’s challenge to the California Alien Land Law. The resolution calls the law an expression of unfair Oriental prejudice.
• Report Nisei Veterans Get Brushoff from Home Dealers, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Nisei veterans in Los Angeles seeking to buy homes in new tracts have been refused sales outright. JACL official Tats Kushida said developers can legally discriminate unless public FHA funds are involved.
• Strandee Wins Right to Appear in Own Case, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Seattle circuit court of appeals ruled that Nisei strandee Kiyoshi Kawaguchi should be allowed to appear in his own citizenship case. The court found the federal judge erred in denying him a continuance.
• New McCarran Law Seen as Catchall Which Affects All Phases of Immigration, by I. H. Gordon, page 3. Gordon reports that the McCarran Act contains a catch-all provision that affects virtually every phase of U.S. immigration law. One section could bar most immigration if countries refuse to accept deportees.
• JACL ADC Believes New Bill Will Be Introduced for Equality in Naturalization, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Senate and House leaders promised to pass an equality in naturalization bill before Christmas, opening citizenship to about 90,000 resident aliens of Japanese ancestry. A new clean bill is expected when Congress reconvenes Nov. 27.
• Racial Segregation Continues Expensive Luxury, Says JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee criticized the armed forces for refusing to use available white replacements for Negro combat units in Korea. It argued segregation costs American lives on the front lines.
• Unclaimed Articles Stored by Evacuees Sold at Auction, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Weapons, bows, swords, and cameras confiscated from Japanese Americans at the war’s start were auctioned in San Francisco for $4,306.50. Proceeds will go toward claims for losses of stored property.
• History, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Arizona elected two Negro state legislators, H. B. Daniels and Carl Sims, marking the first time Negroes have held seats in the state legislature. The victories were effectively decided in the September primary.
• Eastward Migration of Nisei Studied, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Dr. Martin Hayes Bickham described the eastward migration of West Coast Japanese Americans after mass evacuation as one of three major U.S. migrations. He called for California to study and address the problems of migrant workers.
• Federal Jury Indicts 39 for Refusal to Talk, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A federal grand jury in Honolulu indicted 39 witnesses who refused to testify before a House subcommittee about Communist affiliations. Twenty-one of them are of Japanese ancestry.

Community

• Woman in Hawaii Becomes U.S. Citizen for Third Time, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mrs. Katherine Yonemura, a Honolulu resident, regained her American citizenship after a federal judge ruled she was coerced into losing it. The judge found she acted under pressure and did not lose her citizenship.
• Vandals Destroy Fruit Trees on Farm of Evacuee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fifty young fruit trees on the Chatham, Ontario orchard of Torakuma Yanoshita were chopped down by vandals. Provincial police called it one of the most vicious cases of vandalism on record.
• Fresno Council Approves Plan For Memorial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Fresno city commission approved a plan for a granite monument in Roeding Park honoring Japanese Americans from the San Joaquin Valley killed in World War II. The project was proposed by Nisei Liberty Post No. 5869 of the VFW.
• Japanese Americans Make Strong Showing in Hawaii Primary Election Contests, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 1. Of 35 Nisei candidates in Hawaii’s territorial and county primary, only three failed to win nomination. Senate President Wilfred Tsukiyama polled strongly while several newcomers advanced to the general election.
• Two Utah Nisei Join Coast Guard, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Isamu Sugiyama of Draper and Saburo Owada of Salt Lake City were among 12 men selected from 140 candidates sworn into the U.S. Coast Guard. They will train at Cape May, N.J.
• Nisei Architect Will Draft New Honolulu Building, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ernest H. Hara, a Nisei architect and University of Southern California graduate, was selected to draft a $275,000 three-story addition to Honolulu’s City Hall. Construction is expected to begin in November.
• Hold Driver in Hit-Run Accident, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Rev. Yasaburo Tsuda of Florin was arrested for a hit-and-run that killed Natha Singh near Florin. Physical evidence from the accident scene linked his car to the crime.
• Berkeley Appoints First Nisei to Teaching Post, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Yoshio Isono became the first Nisei teacher in the Berkeley public school system at Willard junior high school. A 1948 UC graduate, he also coached Berkeley basketball teams to championships.
• Nisei Operate Car Rental Service in Japan Cities, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A group of Nisei introduced a car rental service in Tokyo and Yokohama through Aloha Car Rental Co., which operates 25 Dodge sedans. The company offers self-drive rentals, chartered cars, and motor tours.
• McKibbin Admitted to California Bar, by P.C. Staff, page 3. David McKibbin, JACL special attorney on evacuation claims, was admitted to the California bar. He is a Harvard law graduate and former assistant U.S. attorney.
• Florin Nisei Dies After Accident at Soup Factory, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Roy Kiyoshi Nakashima, 26, of Florin died from injuries sustained when he was crushed between a forklift and his truck at the Campbell Soup plant. He had been unloading tomatoes when the accident occurred.
• Whitney Fund Plans Award to Minorities, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The John Hay Whitney Foundation is accepting 1951 applications for fellowships supporting graduate study for people limited by racial or other barriers. Three Nisei, including Hisaye Yamamoto, won awards in 1950.
• Michigan Governor Attends Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Michigan Governor G. Mennen Williams spoke at a Japan Night program at the Detroit YWCA. Featured performers included classical dancers Haruko and Tomeko Uyeda of Chicago.
• Ellis Center Installs Teachers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eighteen Sunday school teachers and officers were installed at the Ellis Community Center church in Chicago. The Rev. George Nishimoto conducted the ceremony.
• War Bride of Nisei Ex-GI Hurt in Crash, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Tosh Suyematsu, Italian war bride of a 442nd veteran, was critically injured in a two-car collision in Laramie, Wyoming. She suffered a fractured skull and internal injuries.
• Former Patients Sought by Hospital, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Eleven former patients of Los Angeles County Hospital are being sought to complete surveys. Their names and last known addresses are listed.
• Community Center To Urge Voters To Register, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Members of the Ellis Community Center in Chicago are conducting a house-to-house campaign encouraging eligible Nisei to register to vote. The group will not endorse any candidate or party.
• Intermountain JACL Bowling Tourney Planned in Caldwell, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Intermountain JACL District will hold an invitational bowling tournament at Caldwell, Idaho, on Nov. 25-26. Events include team, doubles, singles, and open doubles.
• Seattle Nisei Thank Writer for Fight Against ABC Ban, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Seattle Nisei bowlers thanked the Post-Intelligencer and sports editor Royal Brougham for helping remove racial discrimination from American Bowling Congress membership rules. The paper focused national attention on a Nisei team barred from the Boeing league.
• Cortez JACL Plans Annual Fishing Derby, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Cortez JACL will hold its fourth annual benefit bass derby at Frank’s Tract on Nov. 5. Proceeds fund chapter activities and the Ballico Community Recreation Center.
• Los Angeles Group Hopes to Stimulate Non-Bias Projects, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Los Angeles Urban League is working to develop housing projects with open-occupancy policies across the city. The JACL regional office pledged its cooperation.
• Koyama Wins National Nisei Golf Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 6. George Koyama of Chicago won the first national Nisei amateur golf tournament in Chicago with a 72-hole score. Harry Sakamoto finished second, and plans were made to hold the 1951 tournament in Seattle.
• Japan Agency Changes Name, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Japanese Overseas Government Overseas Agency changed its name to Japanese Government Overseas Agency. The announcement came from its Los Angeles office.
• Canadians Get Payment for Wartime Losses, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Japanese Canadian evacuees are receiving awards for losses from forced property sales during the 1942 mass evacuation. Payments in Alberta alone are estimated to reach $250,000.
• Schoolmates Now Operate Corner Grocery in Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 8. George Suzuki and Orwin Thomas, boyhood friends from Davenport, Washington, jointly operate a corner grocery store in Seattle. They took it over in February after Thomas worked at Boeing and Suzuki had been a cook.
• Ruby Yoshino Will Present Benefit Concert in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Soprano Ruby Yoshino will give a benefit concert at Kimball Hall on Nov. 17 for Christ Congregational Church. The program includes first public performances of songs by Dukelsky and Kagen.
• Floral Wreath Pays Tribute to Former Colorado Governor, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A Denver florist created a floral boxing glove tribute at the funeral of former Colorado Governor Ralph Carr. Carr was the only western governor who welcomed wartime evacuees of Japanese ancestry.
• Former Colleague Reports Hosokawa’s Views on Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Des Moines Register correspondent Gordon Gammack reports Bill Hosokawa’s view that the Japanese regard Americans as gracious conquerors. Hosokawa also described a Nisei who turned to Japan during the war.

Military & Veterans

• Report Nisei GI Wounded in Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Warrant Officer George Kinoshita of Bakersfield was wounded in action in Korea, according to a Defense Department telegram to his father. He is recovering at a Red Cross hospital in Kyoto, Japan.
• Report Nisei First to Cross 38th Parallel, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pfc. Ronald Yata of Kealia, Kauai, was reportedly the first American soldier to cross the 38th parallel in the Korean War. He led a reconnaissance group that crossed without opposition on Oct. 7.
• Report Five Nisei GIs Hurt in Action in Korean War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense announced casualties including five Nisei soldiers wounded in Korea. The list includes Corporal Roy Moriyasu, Corporal Bill Shimizu, and others.
• Three Survivors of Hiroshima Blast Become U.S. Soldiers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three Japanese Americans who were near Hiroshima during the 1945 atomic blast were sworn into the regular army. They will train at Fort Ord before attending the army language school in Monterey.
• Nisei GI Day Will Honor Japanese Americans in Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL national director Masao Satow asked chapters to include recognition of Nisei killed in the Korean War when observing Nisei Soldier Memorial Day on Oct. 30. The JACL will also send $100 to Bruyeres, France, for maintaining its memorial.
• Mother Learns ‘Missing’ Son Wounded in Battle for Seoul, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Salt Lake City mother learned her son Corporal Bill Shimizu, previously missing, was wounded in action in Seoul and is hospitalized in serious condition. He is a member of the 1st Cavalry Division.

Commentary

• A Booster’s Notebook: Convention Echoes, by Mitsu Yasuda, page 2. Yasuda offers lighthearted impressions of the JACL national convention in Chicago, covering the dances, fashion show, and delegate interactions. She concludes with delegates parting with the promise to meet again in San Francisco.
• The AFL Opposes the Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors praise the San Francisco labor council’s resolution opposing California’s Alien Land Law, noting its reversal from earlier race-baiting. They frame it as part of a broader shift toward minority rights.
• The Court and Race Covenants, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors welcome the dismissal of a damage suit that tried to circumvent the 1948 Supreme Court ruling on restrictive covenants. They argue covenants themselves should be outlawed.
• American Council on Race Relations, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors mourn the closing of the American Council on Race Relations for lack of funds after six years of valuable work. They hope other organizations will complete its work.
• Realists, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors praise a University of Alabama editorial that accepted Negro students with matter-of-fact realism. They contrast it with other Southern and northern college responses to race.
• All For One, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Loyola University of Los Angeles canceled a football game rather than leave its Negro halfback behind. The editors welcome this as a sign northern and western colleges are rejecting southern segregation customs.
• Other Students, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A University of Connecticut fraternity chapter defied its national organization by electing a Negro member. The national group suspended the chapter, and New York chapters voiced support for Connecticut.
• The Gook: Ken, the Patriot, by Dyke Miyagawa, page 5. Miyagawa describes his friend Ken being harassed on a Brooklyn subway by a drunk who called Asians Gooks and Reds. The incident reveals lingering prejudice that Ken, a disabled war veteran, takes personally.
• Problems Ahead for Nisei in Japan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa examines the comfortable but uncertain situation of Nisei civil service workers in occupied Japan. He notes they worry about finding comparable work and readjusting to the slower pace of stateside life.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A brief column of Nisei entertainment and news items, including Shirley Yamaguchi’s Broadway offer, Sono Osato’s TV debut, and Bill Hosokawa’s correspondence from Korea. It also notes a novel on the evacuation being written by Rose McKee.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Cameraman Makes New Films on Africans, U.S. Indians, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Toge Fujihira, a former Seattle Nisei cameraman, has filmed color documentaries on Navajo and Southwest Indians and on African tribes. His work has been shown on television and produced for church groups.
• Designer Enters Fashion Finals, by P.C. Staff, page 3. June Sakai, a Parsons School of Design graduate, advanced to the finals of the 11th annual Chicago Tribune fashion show. Her designs were also featured at the JACL convention fashion show.
• MGM and Go for Broke, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri reports on MGM’s filming of Go for Broke near Idyllwild, California, about the 442nd Combat Team. The film, produced by Dore Schary and written by Robert Pirosh, features many Nisei and Hawaiian veterans in its cast.
• Between Carbons, by Al T. Miyadi, page 5. Miyadi offers a poetic sketch of night life in Los Angeles, depicting the city’s streets, pool halls, and the lives of its residents. The piece uses sensory impressions to evoke the stories of the town.
• Uyedas to Dance for Toronto Group, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Dance stars Haruko and Tomeko Uyeda will perform classical and modern Japanese dance at the Toronto Young Buddhists Society concert. The performance will be their last before their November marriages.

Incarceration & Redress

• War-Stranded Nisei Seek to Regain Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Seven Nisei stranded in Japan received certificates to return to the United States to establish their citizenship in federal court. They lost citizenship through voting in Japanese elections or serving in the Japanese army, claims they dispute as involuntary.

In-Depth

• JACL’s Policy in Relocation Period Set at Conference, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Smith recounts the August 1942 JACL conference in Salt Lake City, which set policies on relocation center hiring, membership, and military service. The conference also addressed the JACL’s position on test cases challenging curfew and evacuation orders.

Sports

• Imanaka Leads Idaho College to Triumph, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Herb Imanaka, a Hawaiian quarterback at the College of Idaho, led the Coyotes to a 13-6 upset over Pacific College. The column also notes other Nisei players across the West Coast.
• Five Nisei Start for Hawaii’s Rainbows, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Five Nisei started for the University of Hawaii in a 34-20 loss to Fresno State. Mansfield Doi blocked a punt that he recovered for a touchdown.
• Tsugawa, Namba Score Key Touchdowns, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Several Nisei high school football players scored key touchdowns across California, Oregon, and Washington. The column highlights performances by Tsugawa, Namba, Nariké, and others.
• Injury to Watanabe Hurts Seattle School, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Franklin high school of Seattle lost star back Toby Watanabe to a torn knee ligament, dealing a blow to its title hopes. Watanabe had been rated among the best running backs in the Seattle league.
• Salt Lake Bees Hold Contract of Nisei Outfielder, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Wally Yonamine, a centerfielder who hit .335 for the Salt Lake Bees, was expected to go to spring training with the San Francisco Seals. He had been brought to the mainland to train with the club before signing with Salt Lake.
• Nisei Liquors Take Lead in Chicago League, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Nisei Liquors team leads the Chicago JACL Southside bowling league after four weeks of play. Tak Fujii and Dyke Miyagawa led the team with strong series.

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