Claims funding, escheat repayment and Go for Broke! in 1951

Vol. 33, No. 3, July 28, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

Money owed to Japanese Americans ran through the July 28, 1951 issue. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee planned to ask the Senate to raise funding for the Justice Department’s evacuation claims division, which faced nearly 24,000 pending claims. On the same front page, Governor Earl Warren signed a bill returning roughly half a million dollars in escheat settlements to Nisei, and an editorial welcomed it. An 8-page issue, it also followed bills to suspend the deportation of twelve people of Japanese ancestry and to admit minor children and fiancees.

The film Go for Broke! drew a page of national reviews and a standing ovation at a Pennsylvania premiere. Bill Hosokawa wrote about buying live chickens, and Elmer R. Smith explained what the term minority group means in the United States. Lawrence Nakatsuka reported from Honolulu on a first Nisei appointment to the police commission. Sports pages covered Ford Konno’s 1500-meter win at the national AAU meet.

What’s in this issue

National

• ADC Will Ask Senate to Boost Appropriation for Evacuation Claims Division, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL ADC will seek increased administrative funding for the Justice Department’s evacuation claims division after the House passed an appropriations bill allotting $225,000 for administration. The group argues the amount is insufficient to process nearly 24,000 pending claims totaling about $130,000,000.
• Explosion Rips House on Eve of Occupancy by Doctor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. An explosion damaged a Los Angeles home bought by Dr. Denshichi Matsumoto, a person of Japanese ancestry, the night before he was to move in. A note reading ‘Negroes—keep off of Dunsmuir’ was found pinned to the door, and a neighboring home owned by a woman who had shown it to Negro buyers was also hit by an explosion.
• Senate Passes Private Bills for Fiancees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Senate passed two private bills unanimously to admit Japan-born fiancees of American citizens for marriage. One bill was sent to the White House and the other still awaits House action.
• Housing Authority Praised as Relocation Program Completed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Los Angeles Housing Authority received praise for relocating about 1,000 residents from the former Little Tokyo area. The clearing was done to make way for new city buildings.
• Mas Yonemura Sets Talk on Revision of Naturalization Laws, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Oakland attorney Mas Yonemura will address the Commonwealth Club’s immigration committee on revising U.S. citizenship and immigration laws. He will also describe JACL ADC efforts to change them.

Incarceration & Redress

• Senate Judiciary Committee Reports Bill to Suspend Deportation of Twelve Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Judiciary Committee favorably reported a bill to suspend deportation for twelve persons of Japanese ancestry, according to the JACL ADC. The bill was ordered placed on the Senate Calendar.
• California Governor Signs Bill Returning Escheat Case Settlement Funds to Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Governor Earl Warren signed a bill returning roughly half a million dollars in escheat settlement payments and land forfeiture losses to Nisei, with three percent interest. The measure concludes a six-month legislative fight and was initiated by the JACL.
• Kawakita Asks for Rehearing By Federal Court on Appeal of Conviction for Treason, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tomoya Kawakita asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for a rehearing of his treason conviction, arguing he was an American citizen and had elected Japanese nationality. He is on death row at San Quentin.

Military & Veterans

• Parents Notified Body of Son Found, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The parents of 442nd Combat Team soldier Pfc. Masao Ikeda were notified that his remains, missing since 1944 near La Petite, France, had been found. A funeral with full military honors will be held at the Japanese Methodist church in Seattle with burial at Washelli cemetery.
• Three Soldiers Reported Hurt in Korean War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense reported Nisei casualties in the Korean area, including Private Kiyoshi Inouye, Private First Class Masato Kusaka, and Sergeant First Class Kosumo J. Sagami. All three were listed as wounded.
• Vetterli Given 6-Year Term in Perjury Case, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Clarence H. Vetterli, a junior college journalism instructor, was sentenced to six years in prison for perjury after denying he had funded a Nisei’s trip to Tokyo in 1941 to oppose militarists. The Nisei witness, Ted Ichiro Miwa, later served as an Army first lieutenant.
• Six South California Combat Veterans Home from Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Six Southern California Nisei soldiers returned from the Korean front on Army rotation during the past week. They included Pfc. Sho Adachi, Corp. Harry K. Ishimoto, and Corp. Ray M. Noda.
• Nisei Airmen Plan Race on Pacific Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Nisei Flyers of America will hold a second annual trophy air race this fall over a Pacific Coast route. Albert Kushihashi, group president, won the first race held last year.
• Nisei Airmen Plan Race on Pacific Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Nisei Flyers of America are organizing a second annual trophy air race along the Pacific Coast this fall. The first race was won by Albert Kushihashi.
• Private Aoki Attends Army School, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Pfc. Kaoru Aoki of Madera, California, entered the airplane and engine mechanics school at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. He is expected to be assigned to a major air force command after graduation.
• Gilroy Legion Honors Nisei War Veterans, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Eighteen Nisei veterans of the 442nd Combat Team were honored in Gilroy, California, with special scrolls and a ceremony during the Go for Broke! showing. A tribute was also given to Chiz Toyota, the only Gilroy-area Nisei killed in World War II.

Obituaries

• Body of Student Drowned in Pacific Found After Search, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The body of William Katsuki Hada, a University of Southern California student, was recovered at Huntington Beach four days after he drowned while swimming with friends. He is believed to have been caught in a riptide.

Community

• California Woman Finds $100, Turns It In to Police, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mrs. Miyo Toda of Santa Monica found a $100 bill on a downtown Los Angeles street and turned it over to police. The money will be hers unless the loser can prove his loss.
• Washington Co-ed Named Nisei Queen of Seattle Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Elaine Sakai, a University of Washington sophomore, was chosen Japanese American queen for Seattle’s International Festival. Her court includes Jane Hanada, Tsukiyo Tanino, and Jean Aya Fujii.
• RKO Seeks Nisei Extras for Roles in Korean War Film, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sixty-five Japanese Americans in the Denver area were sought for extra roles in RKO’s film The Korean Story, shooting near Camp Carson. Roy Takeno of the Colorado employment agency is coordinating the recruitment.
• House Passes Bills to Admit Minor Children, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The House of Representatives unanimously passed five private bills, three admitting minor Japan-born children, one admitting an alien wife of a Los Angeles Nisei, and one allowing a Japan-born fiancee of a veteran to marry. The bills were sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
• Nisei Girl Violinist Wins Berkshire Festival Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Teruko Akagi of Chicago became the first Nisei to win a scholarship to the Berkshire Music Festival. A violinist who came to Chicago from Oberlin College, she is now a member of the Kansas City Symphony.
• Plan Nisei Service Group to Aid East Coast Soldiers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Nisei Service Organization is being established in New York City to serve servicemen stationed on the East Coast and those on furlough. Its Hostess Club and board are seeking sponsors and donations.
• Honolulu Newsletter: Hawaii Governor Appoints Nisei Dentist to Fill Vacancy on Honolulu Police Commission, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Dr. Ernest I. Murai became the first Nisei appointed to the Honolulu police commission by Governor Long. The appointment follows two unsuccessful earlier attempts to name a person of Japanese ancestry to the post.
• Seattle Family Greets Nisei Veteran of Korean Conflict, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sgt. First Class Fred Y. Furukawa returned from Korea to be greeted by his family at a Seattle pier. His brother Isaac had been killed in Korea a year earlier.
• Nisei Student Named to Honor Society, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mort Fujii was elected to Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu, national engineering honor societies, at Illinois Institute of Technology. He is a former Sacramento resident now living in Chicago.
• Western Buddhists Will Send Delegate to Hawaiian Parley, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Western Young Buddhist League will send Kinji Hiramoto as its official delegate to the Hawaiian territorial YBA convention on Maui. Members are advised to book airline reservations early due to a maritime strike.
• Chicago Recreation Group Plans Outing, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Chicago Resettlers Committee is organizing a weekend at Lake Geneva’s College Camp with recreation options for young adults and families. The fee is $5 per person including food and lodging.
• Community Support Promised Benefit Concert Featuring Michiko Sunahara, by P.C. Staff, page 7. More than seventy Issei and Nisei couples will serve as patrons for the July 26 JACL ADC benefit concert featuring prima donna Michiko Sunahara. Co-sponsors include the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Los Angeles Japanese newspapers.
• Michiko Sunahara Honored at Reception, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Prima donna Michiko Sunahara was feted at an informal reception at Fred Wada’s home in Los Angeles ahead of the JACL ADC benefit concert. More than forty Issei and Nisei attended.
• Losses on Sales of Household Items by Evacuees Compensable, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Justice Department ruled that losses from selling household goods before evacuation are compensable under the Evacuation Claims Act. The case involved a Hawaii-born woman in Los Angeles who sold her possessions under pressure before entering the camps.
• Nisei Week Group Abandons Newspaper Ballot Procedure, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Organizers of the Nisei Week queen contest discontinued publishing ballots in local newspapers. Sadako Higa led the vote tally at the time of reporting.
• Arizona Fund Drive Nets $800 for JACL ADC, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Arizona JACL ADC fund drive has raised $800 toward a $1,500 goal, according to chapter treasurer Ted Fujii. The money was forwarded to the Los Angeles regional office.
• Veteran of 442nd Designs Furniture, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Tom Hirai, a twice-wounded 442nd veteran, exhibited three pieces of functional furniture he designed in Beverly Hills. His designs included a coffee table, a utility table, and a bamboo clothes hamper.

Commentary

• California Cleanses Its Conscience, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The editorial welcomes Governor Warren’s signing of the escheat repayment bill, which returns money taken under the discriminatory Alien Land Act. It calls for the legislature to revoke the anti-alien land act entirely as a sign of ending injustice.
• Digest Article Emphasizes Mother of Nisei Soldier Unable to Become Citizen, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Reader’s Digest article by Blake Clark highlights Mrs. Nawa Munemori, mother of Medal of Honor recipient Sadao Munemori, who remains denied citizenship under outmoded immigration laws. Clark argues these discriminatory laws harm America’s standing in Asia.
• Group Action Against Prejudice, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial credits Nisei legal and legislative victories since 1945 and urges Japanese Americans to share their organizing experience with other minority groups. It suggests joint efforts to solve common problems.
• Japanese Tea Garden, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes the Oriental Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park will return to its pre-war name, Japanese Tea Garden. It views the change as a sign of improved attitudes toward Japan and Nisei Americans.
• Discrimination on the Job, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that defense contracts still contain non-discrimination clauses, but without an enforcing body like the disbanded FEPC they are ineffective. It contends this inconsistency undermines American credibility abroad.
• Hawaiian Bills, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A column reports that the 1950 Hawaii Constitutional Convention and the territorial House considered measures resembling an anti-alien land act aimed at Issei. The Senate killed the House bill in committee.
• Mat Background, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A brief column recounts that Haruo Ishimaru, the new San Francisco JACL chief, wrestled for the University of Chicago in 1945-46 before a rib injury ended his career.
• Phone Workers, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A brief item reports that CIO officials tried to organize Nisei girls employed in San Francisco’s telephone business department ahead of a strike. The effort came as the phone company strike was underway.
• Comment, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A brief item notes that Pacific Citizen editorial comment was quoted in Dr. Edward W. Barrett Jr.’s book on the California Tenney Committee’s handling of the Issei and Nisei during the war.
• Go for Broke!, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The PTA film listings recommend Go for Broke! as an excellent film for adults and teens while calling it tense for younger children. A Chicago-area theater ad campaign also promoted the film.
• U. S. Minority Groups, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Sociologist Elmer R. Smith explains that the term minority group in the United States differs from its European origins and refers to groups facing discrimination and prejudice. He argues minority status is elastic and depends on time and place.
• Chickens with Feathers, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa recounts buying chickens from a farmer who would not dress them, leaving the author unwilling to slaughter them. He reflects on the difference between live poultry and the clean butcher-shop product.

JACL

• Full Activity Slate Promised Delegates to Midwest Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Detroit will host the 2nd JACL Midwest District Convention on September 1 with a range of planned activities. Events include a grand ball, a social, a banquet, panel discussions, sightseeing, and tournaments.
• New San Diego JACL President Installed, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Mas Honda and his 1951 cabinet were installed as officers of the San Diego JACL chapter at a dinner meeting. Regional Director Tats Kushida officiated and Honda outlined plans for a membership drive.
• Urge President to Retain Minority Problems Assistant, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The JACL ADC urged the President to keep a special administrative assistant for minority problems after David Niles resigned. Mike Masaoka argued that such an office is vital for protecting minority rights.
• JACL ADC to Notify World Youth Assembly on Nisei Problems, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The JACL ADC will supply information on racial discrimination against persons of Japanese ancestry to the World Assembly of Youth meeting at Cornell in August. Mike Masaoka said the main barrier is the ineligibility of resident aliens for naturalization.

Arts & Entertainment

• Standing Ovation Given Nisei at Go for Broke! Premiere, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Audiences at the Lansdale, Pennsylvania premiere of MGM’s Go for Broke! gave a standing ovation to local Nisei and their parents. Speakers praised the 442nd and local Japanese American contributions.
• Go for Broke! Scrapbook, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A collection of national reviews praises MGM’s Go for Broke! for its honest depiction of the 442nd and wartime discrimination. Critics across the country called it entertaining, moving, and historically significant.

Sports

• St. Louis Browns May Sign Aramaki, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Bill Veeck is reportedly interested in signing Japanese pitchers Atsushi Aramaki and Shigeru Sugishita to help the St. Louis Browns. Aramaki, who had a 26-8 record with the Mainichi Orions, impressed Veeck in a Hawaii appearance.
• Tommy Umeda Wins at L.A. Olympic, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Featherweight Tommy Umeda won a first-round technical knockout over Johnny Malloy at the Los Angeles Olympic. The column also surveys the state of Nisei boxing talent on the mainland.
• Konno Nearly Misses Detroit Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Swimmer Ford Konno nearly missed the National AAU championships in Detroit because funding was not forthcoming. Hawaiian supporters raised money to send him and other swimmers to the meet.
• Davis Cup Matches Run True to Form, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Japanese Davis Cup team lost the first-round American zone matches, with Jiro Kumamaru winning one set. The column notes Japan has a long way to go to match prewar tennis strength.
• Wrestling Promoter Imports Sumo Men, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Madison Square Garden promoter Toots Mondt brought four sumo wrestlers from Japan for a United States tour. The column observes that sumo is a serious sport in Japan unlike American professional wrestling.
• Ford Konno Defeats Mars to Win 1500-Meters Event in National AAU, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Honolulu swimmer Ford Konno defeated Australia’s John Marshall in the 1500-meter freestyle at the National AAU championships in Detroit. A cramp prevented him from challenging Hironoshin Furuhashi’s world record.
• Hirayama, Zenimura Run Wild in Fresno State Victories, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Fresno State’s Nisei outfielders Fibber Hirayama and Howie Zenimura starred in the Bulldogs’ Hawaiian tour. Hirayama stole seven bases in one game, including a steal of home.
• Lodi AC Upsets Fresno Nisei Team, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Lodi AC defeated the Fresno Nisei All-Stars 3-1 to become the first team to beat the claimants to the national Nisei championship. Sam Kawamura pitched the complete game for Lodi.

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