Issei citizenship and the 1951 push for immigration reform

Vol. 33, No. 22, December 8, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

Immigration and naturalization reform led the news. Senate Majority Leader Ernest W. McFarland told a JACL-ADC delegation, visiting him at his ranch in Florence, Arizona, that he would support equality in immigration and naturalization in the coming session of Congress. Mike Masaoka told a Glendale meeting that Arizona played a key role in the national JACL program. Other pages covered support for the McCarran-Walter omnibus bill from Arizona Democrats and new casualty reports from Korea. President Truman also set up a committee on bias in defense contracts.

Columns on page 5 include Togo W. Tanaka on the firing of a University of Chicago Press director after he published Morton Grodzins’ book on the West Coast evacuation, Bill Hosokawa on two visiting Japanese newsmen, and Mary Oyama. Evacuation claims and a Los Angeles restrictive covenants case also appear, with sports on page 6.

What’s in this issue

National

• Senate Majority Leader Backs Issei Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senate Majority Leader Ernest W. McFarland assured a national and Arizona JACL-ADC delegation that he would support equality in immigration and naturalization in the coming session of Congress. He also pledged to press for early consideration of Hawaii statehood and praised Japanese Americans in Arizona.
• Six Nisei Soldiers Reported Killed in Korean Conflict, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Defense Department reported nine more Nisei casualties from Korea, including five killed in action and one who died of wounds. Names and hometowns of the fallen soldiers were listed.
• President Truman Sets Up New Committee to Help Bar Bias in Defence Work, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Truman created an 11-member committee to strengthen enforcement of nondiscrimination clauses in government contracts. The action followed complaints of racial discrimination at the Savannah River hydrogen bomb project.
• Seek Dismissal of Conspiracy Charge, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Seven people charged in Honolulu with Communist conspiracy filed motions to dismiss, arguing the grand jury was improperly selected. Four of the defendants are of Japanese ancestry and the government was given until mid-December to respond.

Community

• New Chapter Planned for Redwood City, by P.C. Staff, page 2. San Mateo County JACL voted to split into two chapters, with a new chapter to serve Redwood City and areas south to the Santa Clara County line. Membership drives were announced for both groups.
• Name Three Nisei to Board of California Unity Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Three JACL leaders were elected to the board of the California Federation for Civic Unity at its Asilomar convention. Haruo Ishimaru reported on JACL activities and presented resolutions on Issei pensions, evacuation claims, and immigration bills.
• Masaoka Hails Courage Shown By Friends of Nisei During War Period on Pacific Coast, by Roy T. Yoshida, page 3. Mike Masaoka addressed the Placer County JACL’s good will dinner, praising Nisei wartime loyalty and the 442nd Combat Team. He also condemned anti-Japanese elements who opposed returnees and praised those who helped the Sakamoto family rebuild.
• California Official Upholds Right of Nisei to Regain State Liquor Sale Permits, by P.C. Staff, page 8. California Attorney General Edmund Brown ruled that Japanese Americans may reclaim liquor licenses revoked in 1942. The ruling followed a new state law and an application by a former licensee.
• Arizona’s Key Role In Legislative Drive Told by Masaoka, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Mike Masaoka told a Glendale, Arizona meeting that the state chapter plays a key role in the national JACL program. He gave a progress report on the legislative program and urged stronger local chapter organization.
• Arizona Democrats Will Support Bill For Naturalization, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A JACL delegation in Phoenix secured support from Arizona Democratic Party officials for the McCarran-Walter omnibus immigration and naturalization bill. The party leaders pledged backing for JACL-ADC legislative objectives.

JACL

• Ishikawa Outlines JACL Objectives, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Associate national JACL director Sam Ishikawa told the Milwaukee chapter about plans to stabilize the organization’s finances. He discussed foundation support, Pacific Citizen advertising, and reshaping the ADC Fund Drive.

Military & Veterans

• Fourteen Nisei From Chicago Wed in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fourteen Nisei soldiers from the Chicago area are returning home with Japanese war brides from Far East service. The article lists their names and the chapter’s first returning bride-couple.
• Konno Named Top U.S. Swimmer, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Ford Konno was named to the 1951 AAU All-American swimming team as a top distance swimmer. He is expected to be a contender for the 1952 Olympic team.

Incarceration & Redress

• Los Angeles Family Gets Check for Damages in Restrictive Covenants Case, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Sakuyo Saito family received a court-awarded check ending five years of litigation over racially restrictive covenants that had barred them from their Los Angeles home. Attorneys said it is apparently the only such case in which defendants recovered damages.
• Justice Department Accepts Claims Filed Before Deadline With Local U.S. Attorneys, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Attorney General ruled that evacuation claims filed with local U.S. attorneys before the January 3, 1950 deadline are timely. The JACL ADC urged that claims postmarked before the deadline but received later also be accepted.
• Strandee Wife of Claimant Not Entitled to File for Share of Husband’s Losses, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Justice Department ruled that a claimant’s wife, stranded in Japan during the war, could not file under the Evacuation Claims Act. The claimant was limited to one-half of the community property loss.

Commentary

• Americans Betrayed, by Togo W. Tanaka, page 5. Togo Tanaka discusses the firing of University of Chicago Press director William Terry Couch after he published Morton Grodzins’ book on the West Coast evacuation. The column explains the dispute with Chancellor Robert Hutchins and notes Grodzins’ appointment as new press editor.
• Two Japanese Newsmen, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa describes visiting Japanese newspapermen Hisao Ishii and Tomio Maeda, who came to the U.S. to study the press. He reflects on their curiosity about American life and their growing understanding of Nisei and prejudice.
• A Bout With Virus X, by Mary Oyama, page 5. Mary Oyama recounts a week of illness, missed JACL events, and reflections on sleepless nights. She also reports on upcoming activities and notable visitors interested in Japanese theater.

In-Depth

• Race Myths Used in Social Stratification of Minorities, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Elmer Smith examines how social stratification operates through racial myths that justify unequal treatment of minority groups. He lists six myths and argues they support racism in its most potent form.

Sports

• Tommy Umeda Wins First Bout in Australia, by George Yoshinaga, page 6. Tommy Umeda won a 12-round featherweight bout in Melbourne after Australian officials initially denied him entry on racial grounds. The action was reversed when they learned he was a 442nd veteran.
• Sechi Takes All-Events at West L.A. Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hy Sechi won the all-events title in the first West Los Angeles JACL bowling tournament. Eddie Tsuruta took the singles title and John Sakurai and Nag Ushiyama won the doubles.

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