Honoring Nisei soldiers: Texas, Arlington and Los Angeles

Vol. 31, No. 18, November 4, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

Remembrance of Nisei soldiers filled this eight-page issue. On the front page, men of the 36th Division’s 1st Battalion, 141st Regiment, rescued by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in 1944, kept a promise at a Fort Worth reunion, where Texas named 442nd veterans honorary citizens. Mike Masaoka and Wilson Makabe were among those honored. I. H. Gordon reported on the second Nisei Soldier Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery, and services in Los Angeles, Guadalupe and Portland honored local war dead. Bill Hosokawa, back from Korea, described life for correspondents and infantry there.

Elsewhere, Larry Tajiri wrote on McCarthyism in the 1950 elections, and Ray Tucker reported on a California court ruling in an Alien Land Act case. Pensions were set to resume for 39 retired Issei Navy men living in Japan. Elmer R. Smith looked at JACL work outside the camps in the early war years. The sports pages followed Toby Watanabe, Tak Kobayashi and Ford Konno.

What’s in this issue

National

• Promise Made by Rescued Men Kept as 442nd Veterans Proclaimed ‘Honorary Texans’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Members of the 36th Division’s 1st Battalion, 141st Regiment, rescued by the 442nd Combat Team in 1944, honored their Nisei rescuers at a Fort Worth reunion where Texas granted honorary citizenship to 442nd veterans. Mike Masaoka and Wilson Makabe received white ten-gallon hats and were praised for the Nisei’s loyalty and sacrifice.
• Secretary Acheson to Await California Decision Before Intervening in Land Law Case, by Ray Tucker, page 4. Columnist Ray Tucker reports that Solicitor General Perlman persuaded Secretary Acheson to postpone challenging a California appellate decision that the UN Charter invalidates the Alien Land Act. The case has implications for Senate ratification of the Genocide Treaty.
• Issei Veterans of U.S. Navy in Japan to Get Pensions, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Comptroller General authorized resumption of pensions to 39 retired Issei navy enlisted men living in Japan, suspended since 1941. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee pressed the case, with payments effective January 1, 1949.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Soldier Memorial Day Marked with Simple Rites in Arlington National Cemetery, by I. H. Gordon, page 1. A second annual Nisei Soldier Memorial Day service was held at Arlington National Cemetery honoring the Nisei war dead buried there and in Korea. Speakers including Jack Hirose, Henry Kobayashi, and Col. Earl Payne praised the courage and loyalty of Nisei soldiers.
• Los Angeles Rites Honor 40 War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles held Nisei Soldier Memorial Day services at Evergreen Cemetery honoring 40 Nisei soldiers buried there. Multiple churches and veterans groups participated in the observance.
• Nisei War Dead Honored in Guadalupe, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Guadalupe, California held a community-wide Nisei Soldier Memorial Day observance on October 29 with speeches by local officials and JACL representatives. Wreaths were presented and the Buddhist and Union churches received JACL donations.
• Hosokawa, Post’s First War Writer, Returns from Korea, by Randall Gould, page 2. Bill Hosokawa, the Denver Post’s first special war correspondent, returned from Korea and described the dangers faced by correspondents and infantry. He recounted a tense moment at a checkpoint and his experiences flying and traveling in the war zone.

Community

• 32 Japanese Americans Seek Offices in Hawaii Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Thirty-two candidates of Japanese ancestry appeared on territorial and county ballots in Hawaii’s November 7 general election. The article lists senate, house, and county supervisor candidates by district and party.
• Gov. Warren Asked to Appoint Qualified Nisei to State Posts, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Northern California JACL Regional Representative Joe Grant Masaoka wrote Governor Earl Warren urging that merit, not race, govern appointments of minority members to public office. The letter cited a vacancy on the Los Angeles municipal court and proposed a meeting with JACL representatives.
• Portland Dedicates Memorial to 15 Nisei Killed in War, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Portland’s Japanese American community unveiled a $4,000 monument at Rose City Cemetery honoring fifteen local Nisei killed in World War II. Mayor Dorothy McCullough Lee and military officers paid tribute at the October 29 ceremony.
• Aloha Week Pageants Show World Hawaii Still Remains Pacific’s Racial Melting Pot, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Honolulu’s Aloha Week festivities October 22-29 featured pageants celebrating the racial diversity of Hawaii, including Japanese picture bride and sampan scenes. The author argues the event shows that Hawaii’s many races live together harmoniously.
• Clevelanders Hold Successful Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Cleveland JACL held its first Oriental festival in the city at the Downtown YMCA, drawing about 1,000 attendees. Features included an Oriental exhibit, a sukiyaki dinner, and a flower arrangement lecture with media coverage.
• Civic Unity Group Urges Claims Speedup, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The California Federation for Civic Unity urged faster processing of Japanese American evacuation claims and removal of racial barriers to naturalization and immigration. The resolutions were passed at its October 28 board meeting.
• Veteran of 442nd Teaches Music in Sacramento School, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Mas Tsuda, a 442nd combat team veteran and recent Sacramento State graduate, is teaching a combined 5th and 6th grade class at Arden Manor elementary school. He will take over the school’s instrumental music program next fall.
• Dedicate New War Memorial to Snake River Area War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Japanese American residents of Ontario, Oregon dedicated a monument in Ontario City Park to area men who served in World War II, with funds from Issei and Nisei. The stone shaft honors all local veterans, not Japanese Americans alone.
• 30 L.A. Issei Graduate from Training Class, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Thirty Issei graduated from the third English and citizenship class sponsored by the JACL and Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles. Supervisor John Anson Ford praised their loyalty and presented completion certificates.

Commentary

• Nisei Should Work Politically Outside Own Racial Group, by Franklin Chino, page 2. Chicago attorney Franklin Chino argues that Nisei should participate in politics through established party and civic organizations rather than through separate Nisei committees. He contends ethnic committees treat Nisei as a distinct political bloc to their detriment.
• Editorial: Filibuster Threatens Statehood, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial warns that a Southern Democratic and Republican coalition may filibuster Hawaiian and Alaskan statehood bills in the coming Senate session. It urges opponents to allow a roll-call vote so the will of the electorate can be honored.
• Preparing for Naturalization, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes 30 Issei graduated from an English and citizenship class and urges Congress to act promptly on naturalization rights for Issei. It stresses that time is running out for many aging immigrants.
• Race Stereotypes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns racial stereotyping in American culture, citing a Santa Fe fiesta float and the Army’s adoption of the term ROK in place of the slur ‘gook’ for South Koreans. It argues such attitudes permeate everyday language.
• Minority Week Credit Column and Other Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Brief items note Brazil moving toward an anti-discrimination law after a hotel refused an American Negro dancer, a Colorado Spanish American veteran denied a postmaster job, and Alaska’s successful civil rights law. The column also reports on Negro nurses joining a national association.
• McCarthyism in the Elections, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri argues the 1950 campaign is among the dirtiest in recent history, linking Senator McCarthy’s tactics to earlier California Yellow Peril politics that contributed to wartime evacuation. He examines the limited Nisei political activity on the mainland and its historical causes.
• New York Week, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reports on New York City election campaigns, Nisei political participation, entertainment ticket hunting, and Nisei-run pearl and import businesses. He also remembers Rafu Shimpo leader H. T. Komai.

JACL

• Chicago JACL ‘ACL’ Aids Membership Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Chicago JACL began its annual membership drive November 1 with leaders Hirao Smoky Sakurada and Takayo Tsubouchi named to direct it. The junior division will focus on enrolling younger members to build future leadership.

Sports

• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa profiles Air Force meteorologist and multi-sport athlete Frank Miyake, reports on former Hawaiian players Bozo Wakabayashi and Kaiser Tanaka in Japanese baseball, and comments on baseball culture in Tokyo. The column is a sports-focused piece.
• Brougham Pays Tribute to Toby Watanabe, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Seattle sports writer Royal Brougham praised Franklin High fullback Toby Watanabe and recalled earlier Nisei football stars, several of whom served in the 442nd. Watanabe’s two long runs led Franklin to a 25-6 win over Lincoln.
• Kobayashi is Only Nisei Prep Coach, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Tak Kobayashi, a 442nd veteran, coaches the backfield at Montebello High School in California and is the only Nisei prep football coach on the Pacific coast. The item also notes several Nisei players making headlines across the region.
• Ford Konno Invited to Swim in New Zealand, Brazil, by Ken Misumi, page 7. Honolulu swimming star Ford Konno, a McKinley High student, received invitations to compete in New Zealand and Brazil. Konno is considered among the world’s top middle-distance swimmers and is weighing college offers.

In-Depth

• Do You Know? JACL Groups Outside Camps Kept Busy in Early War Years, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Smith describes JACL chapter activities outside the evacuated areas in 1942-43, including fundraising, relocation assistance, and war effort work. He also covers JACL leaders inside the relocation centers and their conflicts with anti-JACL groups.

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