Go for Broke premieres and the first Nisei at West Point

Vol. 32, No. 17, May 5, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was in the news across this issue. MGM’s film Go for Broke had its world premiere in Honolulu, reported by Lawrence Nakatsuka, with a Tokyo premiere and a Fifth Avenue parade for veterans on the way. Tooru Kanazawa, a Cannon Company veteran, reviewed the film after a New York preview. On page one, Cadet George Shibata of Garland, Utah, the first American of Japanese ancestry enrolled at West Point, won Senate confirmation as an Air Force second lieutenant.

Also inside: Jobo Nakamura on how returning Issei found their pre-war economy changed, a Supreme Court ruling that may affect Japanese aliens, and JACL work on evacuation claims and a California fair employment bill. Bill Hosokawa’s column describes his son Pete, nicknamed Pudgy, and four pages of sports cover baseball and bowling.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• First Nisei at West Point Gains Senate Confirmation as Air Force 2nd Lieutenant, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Cadet George Shibata of Garland, Utah, the first American of Japanese ancestry enrolled at West Point, was confirmed as an Air Force second lieutenant by the Senate, effective with his June 1 graduation. He entered the Point in 1947 after nomination by Senator Elbert D. Thomas and is a veteran who served overseas in 1944-45.
• Metro’s Story of Nisei GIs Given Glittering Premiere at Honolulu’s Waikiki Theater, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 1. MGM’s ‘Go for Broke,’ a film about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, held a glittering world premiere in Honolulu with star Van Johnson and several Hawaii-born Nisei cast members in attendance. The premiere drew unprecedented public enthusiasm and ticket demand.
• Two Hundred 442nd Veterans Will Be Guests at Tokyo Premiere of ‘Go for Broke!’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two hundred Nisei veterans of the 442nd stationed in the Tokyo area will be honored guests at the Japanese premiere of ‘Go for Broke!’ on May 7 at the Ernie Pyle Theater. Gen. Ridgway’s command is actively participating in the festivities.
• Nisei Veterans Will March in New York Parade, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A contingent of 442nd veterans will march in the Armed Forces Day parade up Fifth Avenue on May 19, coinciding with a New York reunion weekend tied to the film’s opening. Related events for about 150 veterans include a luncheon and dinner dance.
• Ask 442nd Vets in Colorado to March in Parade, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Min Yasui and John Noguchi are compiling a list of 400 442nd veterans in Colorado and seeking their participation in a parade preceding the Rocky Mountain premiere of ‘Go for Broke!’ on May 17. Army units from Denver-area installations are also expected to take part.
• Report Hawaii Nisei Dead in War in Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense notified the JACL-ADC of Nisei casualties in Korea, including one Hawaii Nisei killed in action and several wounded. The list names soldiers from Honolulu, Kauai, Hawaii, and California.
• Veterans Rally in Colorado, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Colorado veterans were organized to participate in events surrounding the Rocky Mountain premiere of the film. Organizers hoped for broad participation from area veterans.
• Nisei Veterans Honored in Washington Film Opening, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Veterans and officials were recognized at the Washington opening of the film. The event served as a tribute to the 442nd.
• Officer Finds Grandmother Still Alive in Japan Village, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Lieut. Mizuho D. Yoshida of the 40th Division located his grandmother in Mizusawa, Japan, after eleven years with no word from her. He had been stationed in Northern Honshu with the 160th Regiment.

National

• Ruling by Supreme Court May Affect Japanese Aliens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Supreme Court 5-to-3 decision requiring a hearing before the Attorney General may list an organization as subversive could affect Japanese aliens with past membership in twenty-one proscribed Japanese organizations. JACL legislative director Mike Masaoka said many members joined for social reasons and were innocent.
• Canadian Nisei Seek Dominion Bill of Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A delegation including George Tanaka of the Japanese Canadian Citizens Association will ask Prime Minister St. Laurent to support a proposed Canadian Bill of Rights. Tanaka said Japanese Canadians gave wholehearted support to the movement.
• Strandee Declares Force Used to Induct Him in Japan Army, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Hawaii-born Kiyokuro Okimura testified in Honolulu federal court that he was forced into the Japanese army during World War II after physical violence from a colonel. He is seeking recognition of his American citizenship and the right to return to Hawaii.
• Wife of Ex-Marquis Issues Denial of Tokyo Suit Charges, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Chie Hachisuka, Nisei wife of former Marquis Hachisuka, denied adultery charges filed by her husband in a Tokyo court. She said she obtained legal separation in 1943 and custody of their daughter.
• Suspects Face New Trial in Issei Slaying, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A new trial has been ordered for Geota Smith and Eager Jones after a hung jury in the January holdup slaying of Fukumatsu Sasaki outside the Sacramento Buddhist church. Two other youths confessed and face juvenile terms.
• 24 Nisei Arrive From Japan Aboard President Liner, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Twenty-four Nisei were among 90 passengers of Japanese ancestry arriving in San Francisco on May 4 aboard the President Cleveland from Japan. The list of arrivals was published.
• References Cover Persons of Chinese, Japanese Ancestry, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Assemblyman Edward Elliott plans legislation to repeal Article XIX of the 1879 California Constitution, which discriminates against Chinese and ‘Mongolians’ including persons of Japanese ancestry. The article restricts employment on public works and by corporations.

Community

• Atom Report, Film Scheduled by Centerville Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Southern Alameda County JACL scheduled a May 4 meeting featuring speaker Oscar Pohl, safety supervisor at Moffet Field, and a documentary film on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The event was held at Warm Springs Grammar School auditorium.
• New York Chapter Ends Fund Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The New York JACL chapter concluded its JACL-ADC fund drive after raising $3,531.50 against a $4,000 quota. Chapter President Frank Okazaki thanked area residents who contributed.
• SACL ADC Official to Testify in Favor of Fair Employment Law Before Assembly Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL-ADC will testify in favor of the Rumford fair employment practices bill (AB 2251) before the Assembly Government Efficiency and Economy Committee on May 9, according to West Coast ADC Director Sam Ishikawa. The bill would create a state commission to enforce fair employment protections against discrimination based on race, creed, color, and national origin.
• Miss Japan to Come to Fair, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fujiko Yamamoto, Japan’s ‘Miss Nippon,’ will travel to Seattle in June to take part in the first state of Washington Japanese Trade Fair, June 17 through July 3. She will reign alongside Seattle’s Miss May Tsutsumoto, the trade fair queen.
• Kazuko Tajitsu Makes Debut in New York’s Town Hall, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nisei violinist Kazuko Tajitsu made her Town Hall debut on April 27 and was received warmly by an audience, according to the New York Times review. The program included works by composer Robert Kurak, a Guggenheim fellow whose Sonata received its first concert performance.
• Denver Rookie Cop Gets Traffic Duty, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Jim Nakagawa, one of twenty rookie policemen appointed in Denver, was assigned to traffic duty as his first post. The appointment is notable for a Nisei entering the force.
• Mother’s Day Tea Scheduled by So. Alameda JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Southern Alameda County JACL will hold its annual Mothers’ Day tea on May 12 at Hansen Hall with games, entertainment, and refreshments. The oldest and youngest mothers will be honored and all guests will receive corsages.
• Honolulu Group Will Aid Drive of JACL-ADC, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce voted unanimously to support the JACL-ADC fund drive in the islands, according to executive secretary Tetsuo Oi. The board’s action endorsed the national program.
• Kurihara Takes Over Ventura JACL Post, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Akira Kurihara, former vice-president, succeeded Dr. Tom Taketa as president of the Ventura County JACL chapter after Taketa’s resignation. Kazuko Masunaga also resigned as chapter secretary.
• Minister Named Court Defendant, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Rev. Keiichi Imai of the Dinuba Japanese Methodist church was named defendant in a $50,000 suit following an April 6 automobile accident that killed John J. Hodel. The suit was filed by Anna E. Hodel in Superior Court.
• Honolulu Court Asks U.S. Decision on Return of Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Federal Judge J. Frank McLaughlin ordered the Secretary of State to decide within sixty days whether wartime strandee Edwin Shigeo Fukumoto may return to Hawaii. The order directs issuance of a certificate of identity unless a decision is made within that period.
• Southwest L.A. Chapter to Discuss Adoption Problems, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Southwest Los Angeles JACL will host county adoption bureau staff to discuss child adoption procedures, with statistics on Japanese children, at its May 8 meeting. The public and married Nisei are invited.
• Reedley to Host CC District Council, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Reedley JACL will host the Central California district council quarterly conference with a dinner meeting on May 6. Delegates and boosters are urged to attend.
• Japan Principal Visits Dayton, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Michi Kawai, principal of Keisen Girls’ High School in Tokyo, visited Dayton on April 25 and 26 to speak to church groups and seminary students. She is studying American education methods and stressed the need for Christian leaders in Japan.
• Western Buddhists Will Hold 1952 Convention in San Jose, by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 500 delegates from California and Arizona attended the Western Young Buddhist League convention in Sacramento. Kinji Hiramoto was elected president and San Jose was selected as the 1952 convention city.
• The Club Service Bureau, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial describes the Los Angeles Club Service Bureau, established by the JACL regional office a year earlier to coordinate services for about 100 Nisei organizations. It suggests other communities could adopt similar central coordinating agencies.
• Salt Lake Drive to Repay Donor Far From $1800 Goal, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Salt Lake City had raised only $300 of its $1800 goal in a campaign to repay Tamotsu Murayama, a Japanese Boy Scout executive who assumed freight costs for cherry saplings burned by Seattle quarantine officials. Donations may be sent to the Tracy-Collins Trust Co.
• Miss New York JACL Weds Dr. Tom Tamaki, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Marian Miyazaki, the 1950 New York JACL queen, married Dr. Tom H. Tamaki of Norristown, Pa., on April 28 at the Little Church Around the Corner. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sadao Miyazaki of Greenwich, Conn.
• East Bay JACL Starts Summer Bowling League, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The East Bay JACL women’s handicap bowling league opened its 1951 summer season on May 2 with ten teams sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress. Alice Nomura was chosen league president.

Incarceration & Redress

• Seattle Issei Woman Named ‘Catholic Mother of Year’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Teresa Matsudaira, a Japan-born Seattle mother of 18, was named the ‘Catholic Mother of 1951’ by the National Catholic Conference on Family Life. She and her family were evacuated to the Minidoka war relocation center during World War II, and three of her sons are war veterans.

JACL

• Form JACL Evacuee Claims Group in Northern California, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Northern California JACL Evacuation Claims Committee has been formed under chairman Victor Abe to advise the regional and national committees on expediting the evacuation claims program. The formation follows a decision by the 1950 JACL National Convention to press for faster and more liberal claims payments.
• Retain McKibbin as Counsel on Claims Problems, by P.C. Staff, page 8. David McKibbin, former assistant U.S. attorney in New York, has been retained for six more months as special counsel to the National JACL Evacuation Claims Committee. He will continue legal research on evacuation claims in Los Angeles.

Commentary

• Former Member of 442nd Reviews Film ‘Go for Broke!’, by Tooru Kanazawa, page 2. Tooru Kanazawa, a Cannon Company veteran of the 442nd, reviewed MGM’s ‘Go for Broke!’ after a preview for veterans in New York. He praised the performances, particularly Henry Nakamura and George Miki, while noting some Hollywood exaggerations.
• Nisei View of Film Review Continues, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A continuation of the film discussion considers the portrayal of camp life and resettlement. The reviewer weighs realism against Hollywood dramatic license.
• Progress in Race Relations, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reviews the National Urban League’s report calling 1950 a good year for race relations, noting growing public understanding that racial disunity endangers the nation. It also credits minority groups’ own efforts, including Mexican Americans and Chinese Americans, and hopes Nisei contributed to this progress.
• The Governor’s Achilles Heel, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial examines Governor Earl Warren’s role in advocating mass Japanese American evacuation in 1942 as California attorney general, a record that could damage his presidential prospects. It draws on Morton Grodzins’ book Americans Betrayed and notes Warren’s later moderation.
• The Kids Call Him Pudgy, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Columnist Bill Hosokawa writes about his nearly three-year-old son Pete, who has adopted the nickname Pudgy with enthusiasm. He reflects on the Nisei tradition of colorful childhood nicknames.
• Box-Score on Race Relations: Racial Prejudice Intensifies Negro Group Identification, by Elmer R. Smith, page 6. Elmer Smith analyzes how discrimination leads racial groups to develop group identification, using the Negro community as the main example. He compares this with the long-standing group cohesion of Japanese Americans through Issei institutions and the JACL.
• Minority Week For Ladies Only, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A column offers a Chinese meat pudding recipe served at Seattle’s Jackson Street Council international dinner and reports on Philadelphia’s Friendship House doll collection teaching interracial friendship. It also notes the University of North Carolina admitting a Negro medical student.

Arts & Entertainment

• Atom Strikes Documentary Shown, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A documentary film on the atomic bombings was shown as part of the Southern Alameda County JACL program. The film was presented alongside a speech by a Moffet Field safety supervisor.
• Nisei ‘Geisha Girls’ Perform at Washington Film Opening, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A troupe of sixteen Nisei dancers from Los Angeles performed Japanese classical routines at the American premiere of RKO’s ‘Tokyo File 212’ at the Keith theater in Washington on May 2. The girls were under contract for a four-week exploitation tour.

In-Depth

• Issei and Evacuation: Returnees Find Pre-War Economy Drastically Altered, by Jobo Nakamura, page 6. Issei who returned to the West Coast after camp found their pre-war economic base drastically altered, with lost properties and exhausted finances. The article describes how many now work in domestic service, gardening, and nurseries, and increasingly rely on public aid.

Sports

• Yonamine Looks Forward to Coaching Career, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Wally Yonamine declined to play for the Salem Senators this year and has been considering an offer from the Yomiuri Giants of Tokyo. He plans to pursue a coaching career after his sensational 1950 season with Salt Lake City.
• ‘Little’ Bill Nishita Beats Trojans, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Bill Nishita pitched the University of California to a 7-6 victory over USC in Los Angeles, allowing six hits despite three home runs. He struck out six and held on in the ninth inning.
• Fresno State Has Topnotch Ball Club, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Fresno State College baseball team boasts a 25-3 record with strong pitching and hitting, including Howie Zenimura’s .482 average. The team is rated among the top collegiate clubs in the country.
• Hawaiian Bowlers En Route to St. Paul, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A six-man Hawaiian team including three bowlers of Japanese ancestry is traveling to the American Bowling Congress tournament in St. Paul. The team was selected after a 100-game rolloff among Honolulu’s top bowlers.
• Watanabe, Otsuki Are Fastest Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 6. UCLA’s Bob Watanabe and East Texas State’s Carl Otsuki are highlighted as among the fastest Nisei sprinters, with Watanabe’s 9.5 century and Otsuki’s relay speed noted. Otsuki helped East Texas win a relay at the Drake Relays.
• Placer JACL Team Upsets Champion Lincoln Potters, by Homer Takahashi, page 7. The Placer JACL ball club upset the defending champion Lincoln Potters 2-1 in Lincoln, scoring the winning runs in the seventh inning. Enkoji’s double drove in the decisive runs.
• Joe Sase Wins Pocatello City Bowling Crown, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Silver Star veteran Joe Sase won Pocatello’s city bowling championship with a 1292 all-events total and helped his Stauffer team take the team title. Nisei bowlers competed in the ABC-sanctioned tournament for the first time that year.
• Abo Brothers Win Bowl Title in Idaho City, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Abo brothers of Burley, Idaho, won the 1951 four-man league bowling championship with a 42-18 record sponsored by Riverside Sporting Goods. Each brother received an individual trophy.

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