Bowling champions and the push to settle evacuation claims

Vol. 32, No. 12, March 24, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

The 5th annual National JACL bowling tournament in Los Angeles led this eight-page issue. Shun Nakayama of Denver won the men’s singles and all-events titles, Marge Miyakawa bowled a 654 series, and Sequoia Nursery took the team title. The front page also reported that Mike Masaoka met with Congressional and Justice Department officials on compromise settlements for the claims of Japanese Americans forced from their homes in World War II. MGM gave $3,500 to the JACL for its help with Go for Broke!, the film about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which President Truman previewed.

Inside are congressional testimony on removing racial bars from immigration and naturalization, including statements by Edward J. Ennis and Richard R. Ely. Columns by Larry Tajiri and Bill Hosokawa, who wrote on California, Issei indigents and the town of Oak Creek, fill page 5. Page 6 has more bowling news, and Denver was chosen to host the 1952 tournament.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Sequoia Nursery Wins Team Title at National Bowling Tournament in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Denver’s Shun Nakayama won the men’s singles and all-events titles while Marge Miyakawa set a sensational 654 mixed-doubles series at the fifth annual National JACL bowling tournament at Vogue Bowl. The San Francisco Nisei Majors and Sequoia Nursery claimed team honors as local bowlers dominated the competition.
• District Delegates Endorse Compromise Payments Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Delegates to the Pacific Southwest District Council unanimously endorsed Justice Department compromise settlements for evacuation claims at its quarterly meeting. The council also discussed legislative strategy, chapter business, and the ADC fund drive.
• Joe Masaoka Resigns Post as JACL Regional Director, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Joe Grant Masaoka will leave his San Francisco JACL regional post on March 31 to enter private business, and Sam Ishikawa will serve as temporary head. Masaoka had served the JACL since 1942, including the San Francisco office after evacuation orders were rescinded.
• JACL Worked to Hasten Claims Repayment Program, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Elmer Smith reviews JACL-ADC efforts to speed Justice Department processing of over 24,000 evacuation claims, noting fewer than one percent were processed by the end of 1950. He outlines the 1950 national convention’s recommended amendments to the Evacuation Claims Act.

National

• MGM Studio Makes $3,500 Contribution to JACL Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 1. MGM presented a $3,500 contribution to the JACL in appreciation for its help producing the film Go for Broke!, which depicts the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Mike Masaoka served as special consultant on the picture and the film is scheduled for national release in May.
• Buchanan YM Honors Noted Jurist, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco organizations honored Judge William H. Hastie, the first Negro appointed to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, at a dinner at the Buchanan St. YM-YWCA. Hastie was in San Francisco on a two-week assignment.
• Expect Marriage Boost as Congress Extends Brides Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. American consular officials in Tokyo expect the extension of the GI Brides Act to produce a new wave of marriages between Japanese and U.S. nationals, many of them Nisei. About 2,800 marriages had already been performed in Japan under the act.
• ADA Testifies in Support of Citizenship Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Americans for Democratic Action told a joint congressional hearing it favored removing racial bars in immigration and naturalization. Its spokesman called the proposed omnibus bills a considerable improvement over present law.
• State Department Aide Backs Removal of Race Bias From Country’s Immigration Laws, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Richard R. Ely of the State Department told a congressional subcommittee that removing Asiatic exclusion would counter Communist propaganda in the Far East. He also urged that unused quotas be made available across preference classes.
• CEN Chairman Asks Congress to Give Citizenship to Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Edward J. Ennis, chairman of the Committee for Equality in Naturalization, testified that eliminating race bars would help American prestige in the Far East. He argued that the loyalty of Japanese Americans justified equal naturalization rights.
• Broadcaster Faces Prosecution for Atom Laboratory Entry, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Paul Harvey of ABC faces a possible federal indictment after he attempted to break into the Argonne National Laboratory. JACL president Dr. Randolph Sakada had earlier protested Harvey’s false broadcast claims about Japanese alien sabotage at Pearl Harbor.
• Catholic Group Asks Quota Be Extended to All Asians, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rev. William J. Gibbons of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference commended the proposed elimination of racial barriers in immigration and naturalization. He cautioned against remaining racial concepts in the special Asia-Pacific quota.

Incarceration & Redress

• ADC Director Confers With Officials on Compromise for Evacuation Claims Payments, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka met with Congressional and Justice Department officials on proposed amendments allowing evacuees to settle claims at compromise amounts of up to three-fourths of the loss or $2500. Officials agreed such a change would speed settlements for thousands of claimants.

Military & Veterans

• President Truman Likes Movie on Nisei Combat Team, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Truman and his staff previewed MGM’s Go for Broke! in Key West and called it one of the finest pictures he had seen in years. The film’s final scenes show the President reviewing the famous Nisei regiment.
• Nisei Killed, Four Missing in Korea War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense reported Nisei casualties in Korea, including one killed in action, several wounded, and four missing. The list was released through the JACL ADC.
• Texan Who Just Had to Fly Enlists for Pilot Training, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Harvey Saibara of Webster, Texas, gave up a master’s degree to enter Air Force aviation cadet pilot training at Scott Air Force Base. He had served in military intelligence in Japan after World War II.

Community

• Nisei Is Named Queen for First State Trade Fair, by P.C. Staff, page 1. May Tsutsumoto, a University of Washington student, was chosen queen of the first State of Washington Japanese Trade Fair to be held in June and July. She will be shown in traditional Japanese costume on posters and brochures distributed nationally.
• University of Hawaii Gives Kabuki Play in English, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 2. The University of Hawaii produced the 200-year-old kabuki play The House of Sugawara with English dialogue, funded by a Rockefeller Foundation grant. The production offered American audiences insight into feudal Japanese ethics and loyalty.
• Ogden JACL Names George Sugihara as New Prexy, by P.C. Staff, page 2. George Sugihara was elected president of the Ogden JACL, succeeding Ken Uchida, and a slate of officers and committee chairs was named. Sugihara works at the Utah general depot and is an active motorboat and motorcycle enthusiast.
• Bay Region YPCC Tells Plans for Annual Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Bay Region Young People’s Christian Conference will hold its 1951 annual meeting April 7 and 8 at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. Dr. Robert E. Fitsch will give the keynote on the theme of maturity.
• Appeals Court Hears Plea From Tokyo Rose Attorney, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Attorney George Olshausen asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse Iva Toguri d’Aquino’s treason conviction, arguing suppressed evidence and denied constitutional rights. Prosecutors countered that her broadcasts were a basic part of Japanese war strategy.
• Luncheon Starts ADC Fund Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Seattle JACL kicked off a campaign to raise $5,000 for the Anti-Discrimination Committee with a luncheon honoring volunteers. The drive was to run door-to-door through March 31 with 41 solicitor teams.
• Initiate Red Cross Blood Bank Drive in Los Angeles Area, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Los Angeles Japanese community organizations launched a civilian blood donation drive to help meet demand for GIs in Korea and civilian needs. Issei area co-chairmen and Nisei organizations and churches joined the program.
• Watsonville JACL to Hold Party for New Members, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Watsonville JACL will welcome its new members at a party March 31 at the E. A. Hall school gym. The chapter has 90 members so far and expects more from its ongoing membership drive.
• Salt Lake Prepares for 16th Annual Cage Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Intermountain Nisei basketball tournament will be held in Salt Lake City March 29 through 31 with Seattle and Pacific Northwest teams participating. A list of teams, trophies, and events is provided.
• Nisei Is Sued as Result of Traffic Accident, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A truck driver and Nisei defendant George Nakano is named in two lawsuits seeking $90,000 after a fatal head-on collision in San Clemente. Nakano had earlier been found not guilty of manslaughter in a criminal trial.
• Goes Over Top in Fund Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Southern Alameda County JACL exceeded its ADC fund drive quota of $160 by raising $227. The chapter also announced its newsletter and community events.
• Postpone Date of Benefit Talent Show, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Chicago Resettlers’ benefit talent show was postponed to April 29 as part of a drive to raise $20,000 for purchasing their building. More than half that amount has already been raised.

Commentary

• A Remnant of Anti-Orientalism, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Oregon Governor Douglas McKay has asked for repeal of a discriminatory state law requiring a census of Japanese and Chinese residents, along with repeal of anti-miscegenation and white supremacy apportionment provisions. The editorial applauds the move as a step toward racial equality under the law.
• FEPC and the Nation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial laments that Utah’s legislature let a fair employment practices bill die in committee and notes that FEPC has proven successful wherever states adopted it. It argues that fair employment protections remain essential to national progress.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This column gathers Hollywood and entertainment news, including MGM’s Go for Broke! previews and Nisei cameo prospects, along with notes on filmmakers and recordings. It also mentions a song honoring the first Mexican American GI killed in Korea.
• Nisei and Name Changing, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri examines why Nisei entertainers often adopted Chinese or Anglicized stage names for box-office reasons. He concludes that changing names in response to prejudice is itself a concession to discrimination.
• Storm of Protest, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa responds to readers who objected to his earlier column dismissing California, recalling fond memories of Los Angeles neighborhoods, Little Tokyo, and the state’s landscapes. He acknowledges his sentimentality while explaining that he has moved on.
• Conspicuous as a Holstein, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes feeling out of place as the only bow tie at a cattle growers’ meeting and notes Nisei Rotarians in Gardena and Fort Lupton. He praises the JACL One Thousand Club as a worthwhile investment.
• Problem of Issei Indigents, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa observes that the community’s concern has shifted from the Nisei problem to aging and indigent Issei, whom Nisei children now assist. He views this as a sign of Nisei maturity.
• A Visit to Oak Creek, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recalls the abandoned Colorado mining town of Oak Creek, where Issei coal miners once lived. He notes how many small Japanese and Chinese communities made contributions to the state’s development.

Arts & Entertainment

• Book Shelf: Amos Fortune, Free Man, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This review highlights Elizabeth Yates’s Newbery Medal-winning book Amos Fortune: Free Man, the true story of an African-born slave who bought his freedom. The review notes his bequest still funds education in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.

Sports

• Sacramento Withdraws Bid for Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Sacramento withdrew its bid to host the 1952 National JACL bowling tournament because its largest center has only 16 alleys. Denver’s bid for 1952 was accepted, and various notes about the tournament and its participants follow.
• Weakest Prospect Makes Best Showing, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Japanese pitcher Shigeru Sugishita, invited to train with the San Francisco Seals, pitched well against the Chicago Cubs despite a loss. The column also covers other Nisei athletes across collegiate, high school, and amateur sports.
• New JACL Team Champions, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Sequoia Nursery of Redwood City and the Stonehurst Nursery of Berkeley were crowned the JACL men’s and women’s bowling team champions. Photos show the winning squads with their trophies.
• Three Nisei Make Hawaiian Team for ABC Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Three Nisei bowlers are among the six-man Hawaii All-Stars who will compete in the American Bowling Congress tournament in St. Paul. The team was selected through a roll-off.
• Denver to Host Next National Bowling Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Denver was chosen to host the 1952 Sixth Annual National JACL Bowling Tournament over a Chicago bid. The team captains also agreed to hold future tournaments outside California every other year.
• Pocatello JACL to Hold Tourney for Bowlers, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Pocatello JACL will sponsor an open doubles and singles bowling tournament March 31 and April 1 at Steve’s Bowling Courts. Prizes and entry details are provided.

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