Plans for the ‘Go For Broke!’ reunion and claims for Terminal Islanders

Vol. 32, No. 14, April 7, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

East Coast veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and 100th Infantry Battalion were organizing a reunion in New York, timed to the opening of MGM’s film “Go For Broke!”, with six advance showings arranged for the “Go For Brokers” and their families. Variety’s review of the film is also here. Redress-era claims news ran alongside it: Justice Department claims chief Holmes Baldridge ruled that Terminal Island evacuees were eligible under the Evacuation Claims Act, and Mike Masaoka pressed for faster payments. Larry Tajiri’s column looked at the fading opposition to naturalization, and Mike Masaoka’s testimony to Congress stressed the contributions of the Issei.

Other pages carry two suits by Tule Lake renunciants seeking to regain citizenship, a report on how Nisei were drawn into Communist activity in Hawaii, and Marion Tajiri’s short story “The Golden Butterfly.” The sports page follows Nisei baseball players, swimmers and bowlers, and the community pages report on chapter meetings from Chicago to Orange County. In all, 50 articles fill these 8 pages.

What’s in this issue

National

• East Coast Veterans of 442nd Plan ‘Go for Broke!’ Reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 1. East Coast veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and 100th Infantry Battalion are organizing a reunion timed to the opening of MGM’s film ‘Go For Broke!’ in New York. The committee has arranged special advance screenings and secured national media attention for the film.
• Masaoka Sees Improved Chance for Isle Statehood, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee reported out a bill granting Hawaii statehood. JACL ADC legislative director Mike Masaoka expressed hope the Senate would approve it this session.
• Contributions of Issei Group to American Life Stressed in JACL Testimony to Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 2. In testimony before a joint congressional subcommittee, Mike Masaoka argued that eliminating race restrictions in naturalization would benefit the United States. He highlighted the contributions of Issei to agriculture and the wartime record of Nisei soldiers.
• JACL Urges Establishment of FEP Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL joined some 50 national organizations in urging the President to establish a Fair Employment Practices Commission with enforcement power. The letter pledged support for an effective FEP commission.

Military & Veterans

• Lillian Hatsuki Tanaka Crowned Miss Nisei of Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lillian Hatsuki Tanaka, 25, was crowned Miss Nisei of Hawaii in a contest sponsored by the Hawaiian AJA Baseball Association. She won a free trip to Japan and a screen test with a Japanese film studio.
• Ten Hawaiian GIs Wounded in Korean War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense notified the JACL ADC of Nisei casualties in Korea, including one soldier missing in action and nine wounded. The list identifies each soldier by family and hometown.
• Ohye Enters Race in Plane Named for Picture on 442nd, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Veteran airman Henry Ohye entered the Los Angeles to San Diego air derby in a plane named ‘Go for Broke!’ as publicity for MGM’s film. Actor Lane Nakano rode as co-pilot.
• Fresno Sergeant Wounded in Attempt to Capture Enemy, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sgt. Bill Nakagawa of Fresno was seriously wounded in Korea while attempting to capture two North Korean soldiers. He wrote from a Tokyo hospital that he expected to recover over a year at Letterman General Hospital.
• Nisei Combat Veteran Gives His Views on Korean Conflict, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Corp. Fred J. Ito, a Hawaiian Nisei rifleman in Korea, shared his views in an INS dispatch. He hoped for an end to the war and described enemy tactics and the grueling conditions of front-line duty.
• Nisei Buck Private in WW II Is Air Force Captain in Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Captain Ko Sameshima, a Pasadena Nisei who enlisted as a private in 1944, is now an Air Force captain serving in Korea. He rose through the ranks and was recalled to service after the outbreak of war.
• Report Tells How Nisei Were Duped Into Communist Activity, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. A 360-page Hawaii territorial commission report detailed how Nisei and others were drawn into the Communist party. It traces Marxist groups from the 1920s through the postwar period and notes several Nisei who later left the party.
• 442nd Veteran Given $30,000 for Research, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dr. Samuel Jiro Kimura, a 442nd veteran and Purple Heart recipient, received a $30,000 five-year fellowship for medical research at UC. His work includes studying cataracts caused by atomic bombing and hormones in uveitis.

Community

• Hold Preliminary Meeting to Plan for Nisei Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A preliminary meeting to plan the August Nisei Week Festival in Los Angeles was held April 5 under the Downtown Los Angeles JACL. Representatives of twenty Japanese American civic and veterans organizations were invited.
• Delegates Vote to Continue JCCA Activity, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Delegates to the Japanese Canadian Citizens Association’s conference voted to continue the organization as a national representative body and emphasize provincial and local work. Ted Tetsuo Aoki of Alberta was elected national president.
• Teacher Tells of Encampment Project, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Georgianna Honda, Denver JACL delegate to the 1950 Encampment for Citizenship, spoke to teachers’ groups about the program. The JACL will again offer scholarships to the encampment this year.
• Uyetake Elected Chapter President, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Shio Uyetake was elected president of the Gresham-Troutdale JACL in Oregon, with other officers named. The announcement was made at a recent chapter meeting.
• East Bay JACL Officers Take Oath, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Cabinet members of the East Bay JACL were installed at the chapter’s annual dinner on March 16 at Orinda Willows. Regional director Joe Grant Masaoka administered the oath of office.
• Coloradans Raise Large Sum for Japan University, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Colorado Japanese American communities pledged $1,019.69 toward the International Christian University fund in Japan. The statewide campaign raised more than $9,000 as of February 28.
• Bussei, Christians Hold Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nisei of Christian and Buddhist faiths in Cleveland held a joint social with a spaghetti dinner, skits, games, and dancing. Leaders of both groups gave dinner speeches.
• JACL Orange County Chapter Meeting Hears Kushida on Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Orange County JACL members met and heard regional director Tats Kushida report on the national legislative program and ADC fund drive. The membership voted to reduce annual dues from $3.50 to $2 to attract younger members.
• Chicago Chapter Hears Talk on Mayoralty Election, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Chicago JACL discussed the mayoral election at a meeting where Republican candidate Robert L. Hunter spoke. Democratic incumbent Mayor Kennelly, who was reelected, sent regrets.
• Nisei Farmer Dies in Colorado Tractor Mishap, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fred Tomoharu Morimoto, 36, was killed when his tractor overturned in a ditch near Lamar, Colorado. He had remained in the area after the closing of the Granada relocation center.
• Matsumoto Directs English Program on Japanese Radio, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Toru Matsumoto, author of two books published in the United States, was named director of an English conversation program on Japan Broadcasting Corporation radio. The program premiered April 2.
• French Camp JACL to Hold Fourth Annual Picnic, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The French Camp JACL will hold its fourth annual community picnic on April 22 at Bradley’s ranch. Committee chairmen for the event were listed.
• San Francisco YW Announces Many Co-ed Activities, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The San Francisco YWCA’s Nisei branch offers co-ed activities including dancing, swimming, basketball, volleyball, and craft classes. Several social clubs for young adults also meet there.
• Japanese Canadians Return to Coastal Fishing Industry, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Japanese Canadians are gradually returning to British Columbia’s fishing industry after exclusion orders were lifted in 1949. Four hundred twenty fishing licenses have been issued to them.

Incarceration & Redress

• Terminal Islanders Held Eligible Under Claims Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Justice Department claims chief Holmes Baldridge ruled that Terminal Island evacuees are eligible under the Evacuation Claims Act, reversing an earlier position. The JACL had argued the act’s language covered Navy-ordered evacuations as military areas.
• Masaoka Asks Action to Speed Payment of Evacuee Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka met with House Appropriations staff and Justice Department officials to press for faster evacuation claims payments. He urged increased administrative appropriations to untie the program’s hands.
• Renunciant Wants to Return to Volunteer for U.S. Army, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Yoshio Kawato, who renounced his citizenship at Tule Lake, filed suit in federal court seeking the right to return to the United States and recognition of his citizenship. He argued his renunciation was void because he was under 21.
• Tule Lake Renunciant Seeks Restoration of U.S. Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sadako Abo, who renounced her citizenship at Tule Lake and later voted in Japanese elections, sued in federal court to regain her U.S. citizenship. She claims both actions were involuntary.
• Two Strandees Win Right to Seized Property, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Federal Judge Ben Harrison ruled that Sachiko and Tayeko Kawasaki, wartime strandees in Japan, retained their U.S. citizenship. They may recover downtown Los Angeles property vested by the Alien Property Custodian.

Arts & Entertainment

• Variety Calls ‘Go for Broke’ Topnotch Film, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Weekly Variety praised MGM’s ‘Go for Broke!’ as a topnotch war feature with strong box office potential. The review commended its objective treatment of Japanese Americans who fought in Italy and France.
• The Golden Butterfly, by Marion Tajiri, page 5. A short story follows an old man in his final days, drifting through memories of his childhood and his mother’s kimono. He reaches for a butterfly in a dreamlike final moment before dying in his wheelchair.
• The Nisei and Television, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A columnist explains television’s demand for scripts and Nisei opportunities in writing and acting for the new medium. He suggests flower arrangement programs, Japanese dance, and mystery series as possible formats.
• Serisawa’s Prize Painting Shown in Los Angeles Exhibit, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Sueo Serisawa’s painting ‘Puppet and Child’ was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for $1,000 and is on display at the Los Angeles City Hall Art Gallery. The exhibition runs through April 29.
• Yuriko Amemiya Hailed as Broadway’s Newest Dance Star, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Yuriko Amemiya, dance captain in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘The King and I,’ received strong reviews for her performance. Michiko Iseri also received favorable critical comment for her role.

Commentary

• Justice for Terminal Islanders, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises Holmes Baldridge’s ruling that Terminal Islanders are eligible to file claims under the Evacuation Claims Act. It notes that Congress never intended to exclude them merely because the Navy ordered their evacuation.
• The Right to Marry, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes the Oregon Senate’s vote to repeal its 85-year-old anti-miscegenation law. It argues that race-based marriage restrictions are indefensible.
• Hate, Incorporated, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the Illinois Supreme Court for dissolving the White Circle League as a hate group. It draws parallels to prewar anti-Japanese organizations in California and to modern property owners’ associations.
• Nisei Views: The Vanishing Opposition, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri examines the decline of anti-Japanese opposition to naturalization, citing the House-Senate hearings on omnibus immigration bills. He credits Nisei wartime service for changing national attitudes.
• Grammar Lesson, by James A. Atkins, page 4. Reprinted from The Denver Post, the column examines why the suffix ‘-ess’ in ‘Negress’ is considered derogatory. It draws on usage authorities to explain the distinction between grammatical gender and biological sex.
• Civilian Defence Still Practices Race Discrimination, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Anthropologist Elmer Smith argues that civilian defense programs still segregate racial groups despite calls for unity. He links the issue to the need for fair employment practices laws during defense mobilization.

Sports

• Many Nisei in Hawaii Can Play Pro Ball, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Many Hawaiian Nisei baseball players could play minor league ball but prefer island non-pro baseball due to low pay. Minor league salaries are modest compared with the cost of living.
• Zenimura, Hirayama Pace Classy Bulldogs, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Fresno State’s baseball team remained unbeaten, with Nisei players Howard Zenimura and Fibber Hirayama leading the batting order. Both have caught the attention of baseball scouts.
• Nishita’s Pitching Heartens Cal Coach, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei pitcher Bill Nishita from Honolulu threw seven no-hit innings against San Francisco, boosting Cal coach Clint Evans. He was less effective in a later loss to Arizona.
• Kobayashi Swims on Buckeye Relay Team, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Captain Herb Kobayashi anchored Ohio State’s 300-yard medley relay to victory at the NCAA swimming championships. Teammate Jack Taylor and Jerry Holan completed the winning event.
• Chiyo Tashima Holds Third in Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Chiyo Tashima, JACL national women’s all-events champion, placed third in Class B of the California women’s bowling tournament. Several other Nisei bowlers posted notable scores.
• Placer JACL Team Will Enter Strong Semipro Baseball, by Homer Takahashi, page 6. The Placer JACL nine defeated the Auburn Cubs 11 to 7 in a practice game, with Aki Hada hitting a key triple. The team is preparing to enter the semipro Placer County league.
• San Jose Wins Salt Lake JACL Cage Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The San Jose Zebras won the 16th annual Salt Lake JACL invitational basketball tournament by defeating Seattle’s Tokuda Drugs 49 to 40. Three Zebras were named to the all-star team.
• Name Hayashida, Hada to Lead Placer Squad, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Chuck Hayashida and Mori Hada were named managers of the Placer JACL baseball club. The team begins play in April in the Placer County semipro league.

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