Hawaii Communist arrests, cemetery bias and the 1952 JACL convention

Vol. 33, No. 8, September 1, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

Several Nisei political leaders in Hawaii fought an alleged Communist effort to infiltrate the Democratic Party, according to the lead story on page 1. It followed the FBI arrests of seven suspected Communist leaders, four of them Nisei, and Jack Kawano’s testimony naming Hawaiian residents. Rep. Mitsuyuki Kido was named among the anti-Communist liberals. Discrimination ran through the opinion pages: editorials on a Sioux City cemetery that halted a soldier’s burial because of his American Indian ancestry, and on Guatemala’s refusal of a travel visa to a Nisei woman. Bill Hosokawa wrote that discrimination against one minority is discrimination against all, and Larry Tajiri reviewed the film East Is East.

Elsewhere in this eight-page issue, the JACL announced “homecoming” as the theme of its 1952 national convention in San Francisco. Page 1 reported a VFW resolution commending MGM’s Go for Broke!, about the 442nd Combat Team. Pages 6 and 7 carry sports, including Ford Konno’s choice of Ohio State.

What’s in this issue

National

• Hawaii Nisei Leaders Oppose Communist Attempt to Infiltrate Democratic Party, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Several Nisei political leaders in Hawaii have fought an alleged Communist effort to infiltrate the Democratic Party, according to reports following FBI arrests of seven suspected Communist leaders, four of them Nisei. The article details Jack Kawano’s testimony naming Hawaiian residents as Communists and the role of Rep. Mitsuyuki Kido in the anti-Communist liberal wing.
• Louisiana Senator Objects to Passage of Statehood Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senator Allen J. Ellender objected to Senate passage of the Hawaii statehood bill on the unanimous consent calendar, the fourth such objection this year. Senator O’Mahoney expressed hope the bill would be scheduled for debate later in the session or the next.
• Red Tape Slows Program to Expedite Claims Payments, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Technical difficulties have delayed the Department of Justice’s plan to mail explanatory letters to all 24,000 evacuation claimants under the JACL ADC-sponsored compromise settlement law. Masaoka asked claimants not to write to the Department, as doing so would further slow the program.
• Nisei Naturalization Proposal Included in Revised Version of McCarran’s Omnibus Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Senator McCarran introduced a revised omnibus immigration and naturalization bill, S. 2055, which keeps JACL ADC-sponsored provisions for naturalizing legally admitted Japanese aliens and extending quotas to Japan. Masaoka said chances for consideration this session are slight, but the bills should be ready for action in January.
• Ishiyamas Await Senate Action on Bill to Admit Daughter, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Nishiyama family of Berkeley is awaiting Senate action on a private bill passed by the House to allow their daughter Rhoda, born in Japan, to join them permanently in the United States. Robert Nishiyama, a former Kamikaze trainee, is studying at Lafayette College.
• Canada Airline May Hire Nisei Air Hostesses, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Canadian Pacific Airlines may hire Canadian girls of Japanese ancestry as air hostesses on Japan routes after the peace treaty, according to the New Canadian. The airline already employs Chinese Canadian stewardesses on Orient flights.
• Senate Stays Deportation of 22 Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved 22 alien Japanese for suspension of deportation under a JACL ADC-sponsored 1948 law. The list must still pass the full Senate and the House to take effect.
• House Approval Wins Stay of Deportation for 11 Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The House approved 11 alien Japanese for suspension of deportation under a Senate Concurrent Resolution before recessing. The Attorney General will cancel deportation proceedings and change their status to permanent residents.
• ADC Official Mourns Death of Congressman from Maine, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Frank Fellows of Maine, a longtime friend of Japanese Americans and ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, died at his Bangor home. Masaoka recalled his sponsorship of suspension of deportation and Soldier Brides legislation.
• Japanese Government Agency Notes 506 Nisei Renouncing Nippon Ties During 1941, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A Japanese government overseas agency in San Francisco released a list of 506 Nisei who applied in 1941 to renounce Japanese family registration. Because war disrupted communications, the renunciations were never fully processed and the agency is now notifying those affected.
• Japanese Canadians Got Only Pittance for Claims, Says Obata, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Roger Obata, former national president of the Japanese Canadian Citizens Association, said Japanese Canadians received about 15 cents on the dollar in evacuation claims settlements. He noted Canada has finished its claims program and many Japanese Canadians have settled in the East rather than returning west.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Veteran Dies in Stockton of Crash Injuries, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Masao Kajita, a 32-year-old Nisei veteran who served with the occupation army in Japan, died of injuries from an auto accident in Stockton. He had lost control of his car, which plunged over an embankment after striking a lamp post and railing.
• VFW to Commend MGM for Film on Nisei Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Veterans of Foreign Wars national encampment was expected to adopt a resolution commending MGM for the film Go for Broke! about the 442nd Combat Team. JACL representatives Tom Hayashi and Wilson Makabe worked with the California delegation to sponsor the resolution.
• Two Nisei Soldiers Hurt in Korean Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Defense Department listed one mainland and one Hawaiian Nisei soldier among American casualties in Korea for the past week. Sergeant James Kimura of Chicago and Private First Class Harold Y. Nishikawa of Honolulu were wounded.
• Two Army Veterans Return from Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sgt. 1st Cl. Harley T. Higurashi and Sgt. 1st Cl. Hiroshi Nishikubo returned from Korea under the Army rotation program aboard the transport Marine Phoenix. The ship docked in Seattle on Aug. 25.
• Remains of Five Nisei Soldiers Returned to Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The remains of five Nisei soldiers from Hawaii killed in action in Korea were returned home along with those of 19 Hawaii soldiers. The five were identified by name and hometown.
• Marine Sergeant Returns from Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Marine Staff Sgt. Frank S. Takeyama, wounded in action in Korea with the First Marine Division, returned from combat duty aboard the transport General William M. Black, which arrived in San Diego.

Community

• Masaoka May Request JACL to Lead National Campaign Against Cemetery Race Bans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka said the JACL may lead a national campaign to outlaw racially restrictive covenants in cemeteries after a Winnebago Indian soldier was denied burial in Sioux City. He noted cemeteries including one in Washington, D.C. discriminate against persons of Japanese ancestry.
• Eight Nisei Win Scholarships at Coast School, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Eight Nisei were among 198 UCLA students awarded scholarships for 1951-52, with grants ranging from $100 to $500. The recipients are named from Gardena, Long Beach, Palm Springs and Los Angeles.
• Issei Who Saved Boy from Drowning Dies in Oakland, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Kakuichi Sadamune, 63, an Oakland grocer who saved a six-year-old boy from a Lake Merritt culvert last year, died at his home. He had also been a plantation foreman in Hawaii for 16 years before settling in Oakland.
• Nisei Will Present Program at Hollywood USO-YWCA Center, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Nisei program directed by the JACL Club Service Bureau will be featured at the weekly Patio Parties at the Hollywood USO-YWCA on September 23. Volunteers will serve sushi, sembei and tea to servicemen.
• Shell Explosion Kills Nisei at Seattle Yard, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Earl Harvey Kano, 28, was among three workmen killed on August 24 when a supposedly deactivated World War II shell exploded during salvage work on Harbor Island. Kano died at King County Hospital during surgery.
• Report Guatemala Refuses Travel Visa to Nisei on Racial Grounds, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Guatemala refused a travel visa to Kazuko Nakamura, a Los Angeles laboratory technician of Japanese ancestry, citing a law barring persons of Negroid or Mongoloid race. Attorney Frank Chuman argued the policy violates the United Nations Charter and has protested to officials.
• Japan Sumo Men Plan Exhibition at Chicago Picnic, by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 2,000 people are expected at a Chicago Resettlers Committee community picnic on September 3 featuring a sumo exhibition and softball games. Square dancing and activities are also planned.
• Guest Singer Joins Cast of East Bay Show, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Singer Tom Sin has been added as a guest artist for the East Bay JACL Show of Shows on October 6 at Berkeley High School’s Little Theater. The show is a community fundraiser.
• Program Planned by Center, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Ellis Community Center in Chicago announced its fall adult education program, including Americanization classes, ceramics, Japanese conversation, sketching and painting, and bridge. Classes are open to the public.
• Harry Osaki’s Silver Wins First Prize at California Fair, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Pasadena metalworker Harry A. Osaki won first prize for metal work at the California State Fair in Sacramento for his flat silver set. He received a $95 cash award.
• Senate Approval Given Budget of $725,000 for Evacuation Claims Payment Program, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Senate approved $725,000 for the Department of Justice’s evacuation claims program for fiscal 1952, a reduction from the prior year’s $1.3 million. Masaoka said the cut in administrative funds is hard to accept given the expanded compromise settlement law.

JACL

• JACL to Cooperate in Fete Honoring Treaty Delegates, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL will cooperate in a September 5 dinner in San Francisco honoring Japanese delegates to the peace treaty conference. Co-chairmen K. Koda and M. Nakashima lead the reception committee.
• Homecoming Will Be Theme of 1952 JACL Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The 1952 biennial JACL national convention in San Francisco will mark the council’s return to the Pacific Coast for the first time since World War II. Dr. Tokuji Hedani, convention chairman, said many delegates will be visiting the coast for the first time since evacuation.
• Steering Committee for ’52 Convention Is Dissolved, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The San Francisco JACL steering committee for the 1952 national convention was dissolved and replaced by a new convention board chaired by Dr. Tokuji Hedani. The new board includes associate chairmen and committee heads for banquet, publicity, and other events.

Incarceration & Redress

• Change in Illinois Pension Act May Aid Issei Applicants, by P.C. Staff, page 2. An amendment to the Illinois old age pension law replaces the 25-year residence requirement with a one-year state residency requirement, easing access for Issei applicants. Governor Stevenson signed the bill on August 6, 1951.

Arts & Entertainment

• Michiko Sunahara Leaves New York Soon for Paris, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese soprano Michiko Sunahara, who gave benefit concerts for the JACL ADC financial drive in Chicago and Los Angeles, will continue her studies in Paris. Her trip was sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Robinson of New York.

Commentary

• Discrimination in Sioux City, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns the Memorial Park cemetery in Sioux City for halting the burial of Sgt. John Rice because of his American Indian ancestry. It argues cemetery discrimination is a longstanding problem that will not be erased by Arlington burial or an apology.
• The Right of Travel, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns Guatemala’s refusal of a travel permit to a Nisei woman because of her Japanese ancestry as a shocking display of racism. It urges the State Department to protect her right to travel.
• The Treaty Conference: Formal Peace With Japan Brings Obligation to Nisei, by Washington correspondent, page 4. A Washington correspondent argues that a formal peace treaty with Japan will affect Issei and Nisei, who remain associated with Japan in the public mind. The author contends Nisei, now integral to America, are well placed to promote democracy and understanding between the two countries.
• And the Twain Shall Meet, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri reviews Hollywood’s changing treatment of interracial romance, contrasting older tragic endings with the film East Is East. He describes how the Joseph Bernhard production handles the Nisei wartime experience with dramatic validity.
• The Seattle Convention: The JACL’s 21st Anniversary, by John Kitasako, page 4. Kitasako previews the Pacific Northwest District JACL convention in Seattle, held where the JACL movement began 21 years earlier. He praises the program and local leadership for organizing a successful conference.
• Race Relations: Economic Factor Important in Migrations of Peoples, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Smith continues his series on race relations by examining economic, religious, social and political factors driving human migrations. He describes how labor recruiters and immigrant letters stimulated migration to America.
• Discrimination Is Indivisible, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa argues that discrimination against one minority is discrimination against all minorities, citing the Sioux City burial incident. He notes that the Nisei’s wartime sacrifices have helped remove undemocratic bias from American life.
• From the Frying Pan, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A column observes that the Korean war is a fight against Communist aggression rather than a racial conflict, noting several Nisei were among Communists arraigned in Honolulu. It concludes Nisei hold a full range of political views and that American democracy is preferable to communism.
• Smog-Lites: Dress Rehearsal, by Mary Oyama, page 6. Oyama recounts a chaotic dress rehearsal for the Nisei Experimental Group, which was delayed by missing cast members and set pieces. The cast ultimately performed a Kyogen play after an evening of frustration.

In-Depth

• The Figure on the Beach, by Matsuye Geisk, page 5. A short fiction piece follows Tosh, a man who has returned to San Francisco after wartime incarceration, as he walks a beach reflecting on his failure to renew old friendships. He feels pitied by former friends and seeks comfort in Nisei companionship.

Sports

• Ford Konno Slated for Ohio State Campus, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Swimming star Ford Konno has decided to attend Ohio State University, ending recruitment by more than a dozen colleges. He skipped a San Francisco AAU meet, though the organizers had assumed he would compete.
• Don’t Fear Water, Says Coach Sakamoto, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Coach Soichi Sakamoto’s Hawaii Swim Club has won national AAU titles, but he and Charlie Sava were reportedly passed over for the 1952 Olympic coaching post for political reasons. Sakamoto offers advice for overcoming fear of the water through simple exercises.
• Fresno Beats Drums for Fibber Hirayama, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Fresno State promotes Satoshi Hirayama, a five-foot-five athlete who starred in baseball and will play halfback in football this fall. He stole 36 bases and was named Campus King last spring.
• Nisei Keglers Vie for Pocatello Honor, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Three Nisei bowlers are among the top eight in the Barney Goldberg Match Game championships in Pocatello, Idaho. Don Trigg leads with 3795 pins, followed closely by George Sato.
• Fumio Kasai Plays in Utah Golf Open, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Fumio Kasai became the first Nisei to play in the Utah Open golf tournament, shooting 77 and 79 before dropping out. Honolulu’s Sukeyoshi Kushi also won a territorial AJA golf tournament.
• Sam Minami Wins Nisei Week Festival’s Golf Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sam Minami won the third annual Nisei Week golf tournament with a 68 net score at Fox Hills. Minami and Min Yoshizaki tied for low gross, with a playoff scheduled.
• Julia Murakami Wins Medley Event at Coast Swimming Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Coach Soichi Sakamoto’s Hawaii Swim Club placed third in the team division at the senior women’s Far West championships in San Francisco. Julia Murakami won the 300-meter individual medley.
• Abo’s 5 Hits Aid Zebra Win Over Fresnans, by P.C. Staff, page 7. George Abo went five for six with two triples as the San Jose Zebras beat the Fresno Nisei All-Stars 13 to 7. Fresno played without Fibber Hirayama, who was competing in the National Semi-pro tournament.
• Nishita Wins as Hawaiian Baseball Team Tours Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Pitcher Nishita, a University of California player, accounted for three of the Hawaiian team’s wins during its Japan tour. The team won several games against leading Japanese university and non-professional sides.
• Nisei Boxers Lose Matches to Japan Amateur All-Stars, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The visiting Japan amateur boxing all-stars defeated Hawaii 7 to 5 in the first of four matches in Honolulu. Only one Nisei boxer, Sawamura, won his bout in the lightweight division.

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