Evacuation claims and the opening of Go for Broke!

Vol. 32, No. 19, May 19, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

Evacuation claims and the film Go for Broke! ran through this eight-page issue. The Attorney General ruled that an authorized agent may file a claim for an evacuee, a case that ended with an award of $585.81. A House Judiciary Subcommittee approved a faster way to settle smaller claims, which Mike Masaoka of the JACL ADC called a workable method. The film brought parades, screenings and honors for 442nd veterans and Gold Star Mothers in Pomona, Santa Ana, Salt Lake City and Toronto. A Denver parade was called off.

Other pages followed the JACL ADC’s push in California for Issei old age pensions and other bills, plus an editorial on the pensions. Bill Hosokawa wrote about the possible first Caucasian member of the JACL, Joe Oyama about riding the New York subway, and Elmer R. Smith about racial nicknames. Sports pages covered a no-hitter by Henry Tominaga and Japanese Americans bowling in the national championships for the first time.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Agent May File Claim for Evacuee, Attorney General Rules, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Attorney General ruled that an authorized agent may file an evacuation claim on behalf of an eligible claimant who cannot file personally. The decision arose from a California evacuee’s claim filed by his son-in-law, and the claimant was awarded $585.81.
• Seven Nisei Soldiers Hurt in Korea War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense listed Nisei soldiers wounded or injured in Korea, with hometowns in Hawaii and California. The list was provided to the JACL ADC.
• Posthumous Honor Planned for Nisei News Cameraman, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ken Inouye of Telenews will receive a posthumous award from the National Headliners Club for his service as a combat newsreel photographer. He was killed in the crash of an Army transport plane in Korea.
• 442nd Veterans Plan Eastern Reunion in New York City, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A 442nd reunion for east coast veterans is planned for May 19-20 in New York, coinciding with the Go for Broke! premiere. Events include an Armed Forces Day parade, a luncheon, and a Hawaiian Room reception.
• Pomona Area Citizens Honor Nisei Veterans, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Local 442nd veterans rode in open cars through downtown Pomona at the opening of Go for Broke!. A scroll of appreciation from citizens was presented to the veterans’ representative.
• Toronto Will Have Special Showing of Nisei GI Picture, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A special screening of Go for Broke! is planned in Toronto for minority affairs leaders, and a Canadian premiere is expected in June. The Canadian newspaper will host the guests.
• Honor Three Issei Mothers at Santa Ana Film Opening, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three Issei Gold Star Mothers were honored on stage at the Santa Ana opening of Go for Broke!, presented with roses. The program was arranged by the Orange County JACL.
• Return Remains of Two Nisei Soldiers Killed in Korea War, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The bodies of two Nisei soldiers killed in Korea, Pfc. Haruo Tomita and Sgt. Isaac Furukawa, were being returned to the United States aboard the East Point Victor. Their families were notified of the arrival.

National

• Compromise Settlement Plan for Evacuation Claims Wins Approval of House Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A House Judiciary Subcommittee approved an amendment to the Evacuation Claims Act allowing the Attorney General to settle smaller claims quickly. JACL ADC’s Mike Masaoka called it one of the more workable methods yet suggested to speed the program.

Community

• Two Nisei Speak, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ayako Terada was named valedictorian and John Yamada salutatorian of the Vale High School graduating class in Oregon. The brief announces the honors for the coming commencement.
• Berkeley Woman Dies of Overdose of Sedatives, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mrs. Masaye Niino, 37, was found dead in her Berkeley home from an apparent suicide by sedative overdose. Her husband reported that she had been depressed from prolonged illness.
• Five-Year-Old Boy Dies in Accident, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Leroy Nitta, age 5, died and his sister Jeanny was critically injured when an old water pipe being removed by gas company workers fell on them in Newcastle, California. Both children were rushed to the hospital.
• Award Whitney Opportunity Fellowships to Six Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Six Japanese Americans were among 53 recipients of John Hay Whitney Foundation opportunity fellowships totaling $100,000. The awards support study in painting, social welfare, sociology, Japanese history and anthropology.
• Sailor Returns From Korea Waters, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Navy seaman Jim Tanikawa returned to Long Beach aboard the USS St. Paul after six months supporting UN forces off the Korean coast.
• Ogden JACL Seeks Names of Veterans, Gold Star Mothers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Ogden JACL is collecting names of Nisei veterans and Gold Star Mothers in its area for a local showing of Go for Broke!. Contacts are listed for submitting names.
• Nisei Student Selected to Make Texas Cotton Tour, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Walter Tanamachi of San Benito, Texas, a World War II veteran and agronomy student, was selected for the annual summer cotton study tour at Texas A&M. He had recently won a national collegiate crops judging award.
• Murayama Resigns as President of Detroit JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sutemi Murayama resigned as president of the Detroit JACL and was succeeded by first vice-president Wallace Kagawa. The chapter’s next meeting will feature a speaker and panel discussion.
• Interracial Chorus Invites Nisei to Join Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Director Earl Robinson invited Nisei, Mexican American and Negro singers to join his re-organized interracial choral group in Los Angeles. Audition arrangements can be made through a listed contact.
• Ellis Center Plans Family Night for Sunday School, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Ellis Community Center Sunday School in Chicago will hold a family night to bring parents and teachers together. The school has 140 children and 27 teachers and helpers.
• Salt Lake Groups Form Council to Coordinate Work, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Representatives of Salt Lake City Nisei clubs formed the Nisei Inter-Organization Council to represent the community and coordinate calendars. Its first project is participation in a VFW military ball.
• Prominent Officials Will Attend Meet of District JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Local officials including the Salinas mayor and a superior judge will attend the Northern California-Western Nevada JACL district council meeting. A preview of Go for Broke! for veterans is part of the program.
• Church to Hold Festival to Aid Building Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Japanese Church of Christ in Salt Lake City will host its 3rd annual Oriental Festival on June 1 and 2, with booths, demonstrations, entertainment and food. Proceeds go to a building fund for Sunday school rooms.
• California County Supervisors Endorse Issei Pension Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The County Supervisors Association of California unanimously endorsed including Issei in state old age pensions after JACL-ADC representatives presented their case. The endorsement covers those who have filed for naturalization.

Incarceration & Redress

• Call Off Denver Parade of Nisei War Veterans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A planned parade of Nisei veterans and Army units in Denver for the premiere of Go for Broke! was canceled after city officials said the City Code bars commercial advertising parades. Festivities were confined to ceremonies outside the theater.
• JACL ADC Initiates Drive for Remedial Laws in California, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL-ADC formed a California Legislative Committee to pursue remedial legislation at a meeting in Fresno. The committee will guide policy on pending bills concerning Issei pensions, fishing license fees, settlement monies and liquor licenses.
• Repeal of Anti-Oriental Ban Nears Vote in State Assembly, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A California assembly committee advanced a proposal to repeal constitutional provisions barring Chinese and Mongolians from public works and corporate employment. The measure now heads to a full Assembly vote.
• Set Hearings in Sacramento on Issei Bills, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Several JACL-ADC supported bills affecting Issei are scheduled for California legislative committee hearings, including old age pensions, liquor licenses, and fishing fees. Tats Kushida will join Sam Ishikawa in advocacy.
• Proposal for Voluntary FEPC Opposed by Nisei Speakers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sam Ishikawa of the JACL-ADC testified before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that the voluntary FEPC plan concealed rather than ended discrimination against Japanese Americans. The board delayed its decision two weeks.

Commentary

• Defense Department Asked By JACL to Authorize Use of Buddhist “B” on Dogtags, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL ADC asked the Defense Department to authorize the letter B on military identification tags to mark Buddhist service members, since current tags lump them with other faiths under O. Masaoka argued this would better reflect religious equality.
• ADC Will Appeal Order to Deport Issei Member of Alleged Totalitarian Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Japanese immigrant and his wife were ordered deported for past membership in a Japanese fencing group the Attorney General cited as totalitarian. The JACL ADC will appeal, arguing mere membership should not be grounds for deportation.
• Japanese Racial Group Has Lowest Divorce Rate, Recent Study Discloses, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 4. A University of Hawaii sociologist’s study found Japanese in Hawaii have the lowest divorce rate among racial groups, with Caucasian, Hawaiian and Filipino groups showing higher rates. The report also challenges predictions that postwar divorce rates would soar.
• Old Age Pensions for the Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that Issei who have lived in California for decades should receive old age pensions, since they paid taxes and many were excluded from social security. It urges support for pending state bills.
• Interracial Activity in Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the Jackson Street Council in Seattle, formed in 1946 to unite residents of mixed backgrounds, for its community projects. Its first project, a tuberculosis X-ray campaign, addressed a disproportionate local death rate.
• Bill Hosokawa: First Non-Nisei in JACL, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recounts that Dr. John A. Rademaker, author of These Are Americans, is possibly the first Caucasian to join the JACL, sworn in at the Seattle chapter. The column also praises Rademaker’s pictorial book on Japanese Americans in Hawaii.
• The Gentle Art of Subwaying, by Joe Oyama, page 5. Oyama offers humorous advice to visiting Westerners on riding the New York subway, covering fares, navigation and the habits of veteran riders. He also describes the tactics of subway pickpockets and panhandlers.
• Box-Score on Race Relations: Derogatory Impulses Inspire Nicknames for Racial Group, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Sociologist Elmer Smith analyzes racial nicknames such as jap and keto, arguing they place the speaker above the group named and assign it a social role. He explains that such labels trigger emotional reactions detached from the actual people.

JACL

• Regional Office Reports Donations for JACL Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Mountain Plains JACL-ADC office received a $25 contribution from a Denver sugar company recognizing Nisei evacuees’ wartime work. Additional donations from Florida and Georgia contributors were also reported.
• Joe Masaoka to Be Honored at JACL Testimonial Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Joe Grant Masaoka, retired West Coast JACL-ADC director, will be honored at a testimonial luncheon in Salinas. The event coincides with a Northern California-Western Nevada district council meeting.
• Mountain Plains Area Passes 1950 Mark in JACL Members, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL chapters in the Mountain Plains area reported 805 members for 1951, surpassing the 705 recorded for all of 1950. The Denver chapter leads the area with 486 members.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Artist in National Exhibit at Library of Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pete K. Hironaka, staff artist for the Dayton Daily News, had a lithograph selected for the National Exhibition of Prints at the Library of Congress from among 1,298 entries. He studied at night classes at the Dayton Art Institute.
• Newspaper Features House Designed, Built by Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A San Jose home designed by Paul Zaima and built by J. Nishiura combining Japanese and American features was featured in the Mercury-News. The house includes a terrace, a religious altar, and a Japanese-inspired display shelf.
• Ellen Ochi’s Paintings Go On Exhibition in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Twenty paintings, mostly watercolors, by San Francisco-born artist Ellen Ochi are on exhibition at the Palace of the Legion of Honor. The show includes works she painted while studying in Paris.
• Utah Theater Invites 442nd Vets, Families to Go for Broke!, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Intermountain Theaters and MGM invited Gold Star mothers, widows and veterans of the 442nd to a special showing of Go for Broke! in Salt Lake City. Names of local veterans will be posted in the theater lobby.

Sports

• Tominaga Faces Only 28 in No-Hitter, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Henry Tominaga, a 23-year-old Honolulu lefthander, pitched a no-hit, no-run game for Springfield College, winning 3 to 0 and striking out eight. He retired the final 27 batters in order.
• Placer JACL Scores Upset Win Over Placerville Club, by Homer Y. Takahashi, page 6. George Goto pitched Placer JACL to a 2 to 0 upset win over Placerville, striking out 17 batters. Ed Miyamoto had three hits and scored a run in the victory.
• Japanese Americans Compete in National Bowling Championships for First Time, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Bowlers of Japanese ancestry entered the American Bowling Congress tournament for the first time, as members of the Hawaiian All-Stars team. The team rolled a 2691 series and did not reach the prize money.
• Los Angeles Area Bowlers Win $2390 in Tournaments, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei Bowling Association members won major honors in two Los Angeles tournaments, with Hy Sechi and Mush Matsumoto taking first in their divisions of the Examiner tournament. Jack Yoshimizu won the Forgotten Bowlers Tourney.
• Nancy Ito Makes Seasonal Debut, Gets 3 for 3, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Softball star Nancy Ito made her seasonal debut with the Denver Industrial Bankerettes, going three for three in a 5 to 2 win. She had been named most popular player on the team last year.
• Nishita Gets Credit for Win Over Dons, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Bill Nishita earned the victory in relief as California defeated San Francisco 5 to 3. He entered in the sixth inning with the Bears trailing.

Obituaries

• Nisei Gardener Kills Self at Seattle Home, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Yoshio Kawasa, 27, a gardener, was found dead near his Seattle home after a suicide by neck compression. He reportedly had heavy gambling debts.

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