Naturalization for the Issei, and Nisei casualties in Korea

Vol. 33, No. 6, August 18, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

Hopes for Issei naturalization rights were the lead story. Mike Masaoka of the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee said prospects for the Omnibus Immigration and Naturalization Bill looked dim this session, as Congress planned to adjourn around October 1. The front page also followed the Korean War: three Hawaii casualties were reported, and Sergeant Albert Ishimoto and Private First Class Robert Ishimoto, brothers killed in action in Korea, were buried side by side in Honolulu. President Truman signed the evacuation claims amendment, and 21 Japanese had stays of deportation granted.

Inside are Larry Tajiri on William Randolph Hearst and the wartime climate against Japanese Americans, and Bill Hosokawa on his family’s garden harvest. Mary Oyama profiled director Hiro Okubo. Sports pages follow Evelyn Kawamoto’s new Japan record and Wally Yonamine’s .345 average. Plans for the Midwest district convention in Detroit, with poet Edgar A. Guest as speaker, fill page 8.

What’s in this issue

National

• Prospects Dim for Early Action on Bill to Grant Issei Naturalization Rights, page 1. Mike Masaoka of the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee said prospects for the Omnibus Immigration and Naturalization Bill this session appear dim as Congress plans to adjourn around October 1. The bill would repeal Japanese exclusion sections of the 1924 Act and authorize naturalization of alien Japanese.
• 21 Japanese Given Stays of Deportation, page 1. Twenty-one alien Japanese had deportation proceedings cancelled and status changed to resident alien, the Immigration and Naturalization Service advised. The action followed a Senate concurrent resolution approving the Attorney General’s recommendations under the JACL ADC-sponsored 1948 law.
• House Passes Four Bills on Japan Aliens, page 1. The House passed four private bills benefiting Japanese aliens, including admission of minor children of citizens and a waiver of exclusion for the wife of a World War I veteran. Two of the bills await the President’s signature after Senate passage.
• Truman Signs Evacuee Claims Amendment, page 1. President Truman signed the evacuation claims compromise settlement bill on Aug. 17, allowing the Attorney General to settle smaller evacuation claims up to three-fourths of compensable amounts or $2,500. The bill was drafted by the Justice Department and sponsored by the JACL-ADC.
• Invite JACL ADC Official to Attend Japanese Treaty Conference in San Francisco, page 2. The State Department invited Mike Masaoka, JACL ADC national legislative director, to attend the Japanese peace treaty conference in San Francisco beginning Sept. 4 as an unofficial observer. Several congressmen had suggested the invitation.
• Latest McCarran Proposal May Affect Issei, Nisei, page 2. Senator Pat McCarran proposed an amendment to the Internal Security Act letting employers fire workers listed as members of Attorney General-designated subversive groups. Masaoka warned that Issei and Nisei who once belonged to now-defunct Japanese organizations could be dismissed under the loose phraseology.
• Senate Approves Deportation Stays for 12 Japanese, page 2. The Senate approved two concurrent resolutions suspending deportation for 12 alien Japanese recommended by the Attorney General. If the House concurs, their status will change to permanent residents under the JACL ADC-sponsored 1948 law.

Military & Veterans

• Hawaii Invites 442nd Veterans to 1953 Reunion, page 1. Veterans of the 442nd combat team were invited to a large reunion in Honolulu in 1953 by Clarence Taba, vice-president of the 442nd Veterans Club of Honolulu. Taba was touring mainland veterans groups to promote attendance.
• Hawaii Brothers Buried Side by Side in Punchbowl, page 1. Sergeant Albert Ishimoto and Private First Class Robert Ishimoto, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Sukeichi Ishimoto of Honolulu, were buried side by side at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific on Aug. 9. Both were killed in action in Korea, Albert a 442nd combat veteran.
• Three Nisei Return from Korea, page 1. Three California Nisei soldiers, Corp. Joe K. Abe, Second Lieut. Yukio Yokoe, and Pfc. Kazuo H. Kotake, were among 1,448 Korean conflict veterans arriving in San Francisco aboard the transport Lieut. Raymond Beaudoin on Aug. 14.
• Nisei Participate in Security Test, page 3. A Nisei member of the G-2 intelligence section of the 40th Infantry Division posed as a Japanese civilian thief during maneuvers at Furushima to test division security. Corp. Konogai of Los Angeles questioned the suspect and discovered his identity.
• Former 442nd Hero Wins Promotion to Captain’s Rank, page 3. Lt. Jimmie Kanaya, an original member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, was nominated for captain in the Medical Service Corps. He had earned a Silver Star and Bronze Star and was a German POW who defiantly told a Japanese ambassador that Nisei would fight Japan as fiercely as Germany.
• Seek Speedy Action on Bill to Restore Citizenship of Strandees Who Voted in Japan, page 8. The Senate passed a bill restoring citizenship to Italian Americans who voted in post-war Italian elections, and the JACL ADC urged similar action for Nisei who voted in Japanese elections. Congressman Walter promised to consider the Holifield bill once the State Department reports.

Community

• Seattle Issei Hurt as Bomber Hits Apartment House, page 1. Kenzo Kabyama, 56, an Issei apartment manager, was hospitalized with burns after an Army B-50 bomber crashed into the building in Seattle on Aug. 11. At least eleven persons were killed in the crash and resulting fire.
• Issei Fisherman’s Body Abandoned at Sea in Monterey, page 2. The body of Gantt Fukushima, 65, of Dinuba, Calif., was never recovered after he apparently fell from his fishing skiff into Monterey Bay on Aug. 7. Witnesses and Coast Guard and fishing boats searched for him before the search was called off.
• Credit Union Board Holds Meeting, page 2. Directors of the Cal-Neva JACL credit union met in Petaluma on Aug. 11 to discuss benefits and cooperative features of the non-profit organization. Chapter representatives were named to serve on the supervisory committee.
• Nisei Ex-Soldier Hired at Vacuum? Also Notes, page 2. Several local JACL chapters and Nisei community members were covered in brief notices this week. Details appear in the regional briefs on this page.
• Letter to Newspaper Charges Job Bias in Canadian City, page 3. A letter to the Vancouver Sun by F. B. Gillespie reported that a young Canadian of Japanese parentage, a Technical High School graduate, was repeatedly refused employment in Vancouver. The writer questioned whether any engineering firm would hire him.
• North California Chapters Plan Quarterly Meet, page 3. The Northern California-Western Nevada JACL district council will hold its quarterly meeting Sept. 2 at the Marine Club in Stockton. Agenda items include the November district convention and a report on the 1952 national convention in San Francisco.
• Young Hawaiian Nisei May Learn West Coast Farming Methods Under New Proposal, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 8. A Hawaii labor department proposal would send 200 to 300 senior high school graduates each year to west coast farms for a year of agricultural work under contract. The Fifth Year Vocational Agricultural Plan could benefit Hawaii Nisei and is pending federal approval.
• Girl Scouts Join Camping Unit, page 8. Four San Francisco Girl Scouts from Troop 87 joined other Scouts at Camp Sugar Pine in the Sierra Nevadas. Scout leader Mrs. May Miyama and former leader Alyce Yamaguchi planned to visit them.
• Story of Cherry Tree Project Told in Japanese Pamphlet, page 8. A pamphlet received by Salt Lake City Mayor Earl J. Glade tells how Tokyo Boy Scouts raised funds to send cherry trees to Salt Lake City, how the trees were destroyed in Seattle, and how Salt Lake residents covered the freight bill. Medals were sent to local leaders who aided the drive.
• Expect Konno to Enter SF Swim Carnival, page 8. Ford Konno of Honolulu is expected to compete in the Far Western aquatic carnival in San Francisco, where he hopes to break records in the 800 and 1500-meter events. He was forced to ease his pace in the 1500 at the national AAU meet.
• Three Utah JACL Chapters to Hold Melon Bust, page 8. The Salt Lake, Ogden, and Mt. Olympus JACL chapters will hold a melon bust at the Lagoon resort on Aug. 27, with Ogden providing the program and Mt. Olympus supplying watermelons.
• Denver Mothers Send CARE Kits to Japan Needy, page 8. The Denver Nisei Mothers Club ordered CARE packages worth $1,000 for Japanese orphanages, including the Tokyo Home for the Deaf and Mute. Packages of cotton and knitting wool goods were sent, and the orphanage director thanked the club.

Commentary

• U.S. Entry Sought for Adopted Baby, page 1. Master Sgt. Seigo Shimoyama and his wife Myrtle, of King County, Washington, are seeking entry into the United States for their adopted Japanese infant girl Hideni. Senator Harry P. Cain introduced a Senate bill to permit her entry as a legal resident.
• Creed Given Boys Town Head, page 3. A framed copy of Mike Masaoka’s Japanese American Creed hangs in the office of Monsgr. Nicholas H. Wegner, director of Boys Town in Nebraska. Patrick Okura, JACL national vice-president, presented the copy to Monsgr. Wegner.
• The Psychology of Prejudice, page 4. This editorial warns that a McCarran amendment would let private employers fire workers on the Attorney General’s subversive list, threatening many Issei and Nisei. It also draws on psychologist Gardner Murphy’s research showing prejudice stems from insecurity and generalizes across minority groups.
• Hearst, Man and Legend, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri recounts William Randolph Hearst’s role in fomenting anti-Japanese hatred through his newspapers, including the 1942 support for mass evacuation and the 1943 scare stories about Tule Lake and Poston. He argues Hearst’s racism helped create the climate for wartime evacuation.
• And Now the Harvest, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa writes about the harvest of his family’s backyard garden and about his son Mike’s trip to Seattle that left him more mature. He reflects on family life and small pleasures of the season.

Incarceration & Redress

• Undocumented Hearsay Will Not Be Accepted in Processing Evacuee Claims, page 2. The Department of Justice refused to accept fragmentary hearsay evidence in an evacuee claim from Gardena involving alleged misappropriation of rental funds by an agent. The claimant’s allegation was not substantiated and that portion of the claim was disallowed.
• Justice Department Rules Joint Claims May Be Treated as One If Claimants Assent, page 8. The Justice Department will pay a joint evacuation claim to one claimant when all parties consent, allowing them to divide shares among themselves. The claim involved a mother and son whose property was sold at WRA auction after being stored with a Buddhist church.

JACL

• First Northwest JACL Meet Since War Set for Seattle, page 3. The first postwar Northwest JACL convention will be held in Seattle Sept. 1-3, with Mike Masaoka as keynote speaker at the kick-off banquet. Golf and bowling tournaments and a sport dance are also planned.
• Ishimaru Slated to Head Workshop for Youth Meeting, page 3. JACL regional director Haruo Ishimaru will lead a workshop at the Northern California Young People’s Christian Conference at Asilomar on church and community problems. He will address labor, housing, family life, and international issues.
• Edgar Guest Will Be Speaker at Midwest JACL Convention, page 8. Poet Edgar A. Guest will speak at the JACL Midwest district council convention in Detroit on Sept. 1-2. Masao Satow, national JACL director, will also address the banquet at the Book Cadillac Hotel.
• Detroit to Host Midwest District Council Convention, page 8. Detroit hosts the JACL Midwest district council convention Sept. 1-2 at the Book Cadillac Hotel, with a Friday mixer, Saturday business sessions, and a farewell party Sunday. Registration and event details are provided.

Arts & Entertainment

• Ruby Yoshino to Give Concert in Brooklyn Hall, page 3. Soprano Ruby Yoshino will perform a free concert at the Brooklyn Museum of Art on Sunday, Sept. 9, with part broadcast over WNYC. The program includes Beethoven, contemporary American composers, and Japanese songs.
• Dangerous Amendment, page 4. The editorial examines the McCarran amendment’s threat to Japanese Americans, noting that the Attorney General’s list includes Japanese associations that were social and fraternal in nature. It urges opposition to force the measure’s withdrawal or defeat.
• Hiro Okubo: A Profile, by Mary Oyama, page 6. Mary Oyama profiles Los Angeles Nisei theatre director Hiro Okubo, who attended a premiere of Beatrice Griffith and Howell Forgy’s play The Sun Looks Down and critiqued it with a director’s eye. The profile describes his devotion to drama and the Nisei Experimental Group.

In-Depth

• Ruby Yoshino and Other Feature Items, page 4. A short story by Yuri Kyogoku follows Miye, a sanitarium patient, who observes her roommate Paru and the party life around her before being drawn into it. The story explores identity and self-acceptance.

Sports

• Placer JACL Team Beats Barnstorming Utah Ball Nine, by Homer Y. Takahashi, page 5. The Placer JACL ball club defeated the Utah All-Stars 7-1 at James Field in Auburn on Aug. 11. George Goto pitched the route, allowing seven hits, while Terry Terada drove in the decisive run.
• Yonamine Holds .345 Average in Japan, page 6. Wally Yonamine is batting .345 with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Central League, which leads the league. A report discusses his earlier throwing arm injury and his strong Hawaii Baseball League performance.
• Konno Still Undecided on College, page 6. Honolulu Nisei swimmer Ford Konno, America’s top 800 and 1500-meter swimmer, has not decided between Stanford, Ohio State, and Michigan despite rumors. Coach Yoshito Sagawa reports Konno’s Olympic training is important and Oyakawa has enrolled at Ohio State.
• Kasai, Fujita Give Lift to Links Hopes, page 6. Young golfers Fumio Kasai of Salt Lake City and 16-year-old Art Fujita of Hawaii suggest Nisei may develop a top golf star. Fumio Kasai upset Dick Kramer in the Salt Lake City Parks tournament.
• Evelyn Kawamoto Sets New Japan Mark in 400 Meters, page 7. Honolulu Nisei swimmer Evelyn Kawamoto won the 400-meter freestyle at the Japanese national championships in Osaka with a new Japan record of 6:28.6. Her teammate Thelma Kalama also set Japanese records.
• First Annual Coast Bowling Meet Draws Large Entry List, page 7. More than 30 teams have entered the first annual Pacific Coast Nisei bowling tournament sponsored by the Los Angeles Buddhist Coordinating Council at Vogue Bowl, with over $1,000 in prizes. The event is part of Nisei Week.
• Fresno Nisei All-Stars Split Two-Game Series in L.A., page 7. The Fresno Nisei All-Stars lost 8-2 to Nisei Trading of Los Angeles but beat the Los Angeles YBA 16-4 in the nightcap. Fibber Hirayama pitched the victory in the second game.
• Placer Battery Makes All-Star Team, page 7. The Placer JACL battery of pitcher George Goto and catcher Bob Hayashida was named to the Placer-Nevada League all-star team. Both starred for Placer College in 1950.
• Schedule Bowling, Golf Tournaments at MDC Conference, page 7. Golf and bowling tournaments will be held in conjunction with the JACL Midwest District Council convention in Detroit Sept. 1-2. Entry fees, sites, and registration details are provided.
• Nisei Week Golf Tournament Entry List Filled, page 7. The Nisei Week Festival golf tournament on Aug. 26 at Fox Hills and Baldwin Hills courses had a 110-player entry list filling up with the Aug. 18 deadline. Players tee off at 5:30 a.m.

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