Congress passes the Walter-McCarran omnibus immigration bill

Vol. 34, No. 22, May 31, 1952. 8 pages. View this issue

The Senate’s passage of the Walter-McCarran omnibus immigration and naturalization bill on May 22 led the news. Richard Akagi reported that the measure removed racial limits on naturalization and extended immigration quotas to Japan, and that the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee had pressed for it throughout. Follow-up stories covered the two steps still ahead: reconciling the Senate and House versions, and a signature from President Truman. Opponents were reported urging a veto, and Senator Hubert Humphrey spoke to the JACL during the debate. Mike Masaoka welcomed the Senate action.

Elsewhere, Nisei stranded in Japan faced a switch from dollars to yen, Nellie Kiefer was feted by 442nd and 100th Battalion veterans in Hawaii, and Carl Sato became president of the Arizona Junior Chamber of Commerce. Editorials took up a derogatory term and the Nisei role in the Occupation, and sports pages covered bowling, boxing and powerboat racing.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Governor Congratulates Sato, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Arizona Governor Pyle congratulated Carl Sato of Mesa, who was elected president of the Arizona State Junior Chamber of Commerce. The election followed a well-organized campaign by fellow Mesa Jaycees.
• Denver Nisei Named to Jury in Fraud Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. John Koji Kajiwara, a Denver bookkeeper and World War II veteran, was tentatively accepted onto the jury for the Fred A. Ward fraud trial. He is one of the few Nisei to serve on a trial jury.
• Some Americans Still Unaware of Mass Evacuation Story, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Northern California JACL regional director Haruo Ishimaru told a Palo Alto-Menlo Park Rotary Club that many Californians were unaware all Japanese were evacuated in 1942. He also outlined JACL objectives including citizenship education.
• Six Hawaii Nisei Political Leaders Will Help Select Candidates for U.S. Presidency, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Six Hawaii Nisei political leaders were named delegates to the Republican and Democratic national conventions in Chicago. Delegates are expected to push for statehood for Hawaii in party platforms.
• Portland Nisei Voters Get Platforms and Candidates at Rally, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Democratic and Republican candidates addressed Nisei voters at a May 13 rally at the Portland YWCA. Speakers covered candidates on both party ballots and the nonpartisan ballot.
• Milwaukee Midwest JACL Leaders Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Delegates from eight Midwest JACL chapters met in Milwaukee to address funding for the Chicago national office and related organizational issues. Mike Masaoka and Masao Satow were slated to address the group.
• New York JACL Names Chairmen for ADC Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tokichi Matsuoka and Stanley T. Okada were named honorary chairmen of the New York JACL’s 1952 ADC fund drive. The chapter aims to raise $4,000 by June 30.
• Verbal Fireworks Feature Livingston-Merced JACL Open Forum, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Congressman Hunter and District Attorney Mayes exchanged sharp words at a Livingston-Merced JACL political forum on May 19. Speakers praised the citizenship record of local Japanese Americans.
• Wyoming Girl Gives Valedictory Talk at Graduation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Grace Ujifusa was named valedictorian of the 1952 class at Washakie County High School in Worland, Wyoming. She also received a scholarship from the University of Denver.
• Membership Drive Initiated by Long Beach JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Long Beach-Harbor District JACL launched a house-to-house membership campaign covering several South Bay communities. Chapter officials also selected convention delegates.
• Philadelphia YBA Honors Mothers, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Philadelphia YBA marked Mother’s Day with a service honoring members’ mothers and a program of Japanese films and vocal selections. Mothers were presented with red carnations.
• Nisei Teacher Wins Hearts of Students, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Fumiko Oshita, a Nisei fifth-grade teacher in the Vineland School District near Bakersfield, has won praise from pupils and staff. She is one of few Japanese Americans in the rural district.
• Plan Dedication of Memorial to Pioneer Issei in Colorado, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A granite memorial honoring Tadatsu Matsudaira, the first Japanese to enter Colorado, will be dedicated on Memorial Day by the Oriental Culture Society of Colorado. Funds were raised from more than 1,000 individual donations.
• Ellis Center Plans Service to Enter Community Group, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Ellis Community Center in Chicago purchased new property and will merge its activities with the Kenwood Community Church. The joint program aims to serve the whole community on a larger scale.
• Popularity Will Be Basis for Selection of Nisei Week Queen, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Los Angeles Nisei Week queen contest will be decided on popularity rather than merchandise purchases this year. Eiji Tanabe, executive secretary for the 1952 celebration, made the announcement.
• Watsonville JACL Slates Annual Steak Fry at Sunset Beach, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Watsonville JACL will hold its annual steak barbecue June 12 at Sunset Beach, honoring local graduates. Tickets are priced at $2 for members and $2.50 for non-members.
• Pacific Southwest Chapters Hold Pre-Convention Rally, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Delegates from Southland JACL chapters met in Guadalupe to prepare for the June national convention. Sixteen resolutions were adopted, including one urging enactment of the Walter-McCarran bill.
• Livingston Heroes Honored by JACL at Memorial Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Livingston-Merced JACL made a memorial trip to San Bruno cemetery to honor three former Livingston Nisei buried there, including Toshiaki Shoji and Mamoru Kinoshita. Franklin Okuda arranged transportation.
• Washington JACL Sponsors Japanese Variety Program, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Washington, D.C. JACL chapter staged a Japanese variety show for Issei at National City Christian Church on May 18. Two Nisei-cast plays, music, and dance were featured.

Military & Veterans

• Ma Kiefer Welcomed by Maui Veterans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nellie Kiefer, a La Crosse, Wisconsin widow who hosted Nisei GIs during World War II, is visiting Hawaii and being feted by 442nd and 100th Battalion veterans. Maui veterans held a luau and Memorial Day ceremonies in her honor.
• ADC and the Omnibus Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate defeated a motion to recommit and a Lehman substitute bill before passing the McCarran omnibus measure. Opposition amendments were defeated, clearing the bill for conference with the House.
• Modest Nisei War Hero Says Little About Korean Action, by P.C. Staff, page 4. First Lt. Mineo Inuzuka, a 442nd veteran and one of the most decorated Nisei in the Army, left Portland for reassignment after leave. He earned the Distinguished Service Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross in Korea but was reluctant to discuss his actions.

National

• Nisei Expatriates in Japan Face Economic Readjustment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The return of Japanese sovereignty means Nisei wartime stranded in Japan who were paid in dollars by the U.S. Occupation will switch to yen and face high Japanese income taxes after June 1. Many remain unable to obtain U.S. passports, while others plan to return to the United States if they can raise funds.
• Passage of Omnibus Measure Marks Highwater Mark in ADC’s Legislative Activity, by Richard Akagi, page 1. The Senate passed the Walter-McCarran Omnibus Immigration and Naturalization bill on May 22, following House action April 25, eliminating racial restrictions in naturalization and extending immigration quotas to Japan. The JACL ADC pressed for passage throughout, defeating opposition maneuvers in the Senate debate.
• Two Steps Remain Before Equality in Naturalization Becomes Reality for Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Senate and House conferees must reconcile the McCarran and Walter bills, and President Truman must then sign the final measure. National JACL ADC legislative director Mike Masaoka hailed the Senate action as a historic step.
• Opponents of Omnibus Bill Reported Asking President to Veto Controversial Measure, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Opponents urged President Truman to veto the McCarran-Walter omnibus immigration bill, though Truman declined to say what he would do. The New York Times and Washington Post editorialized against the measure as it stood.

Obituaries

• Nisei Veteran Succumbs to War Injuries, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Elden Mitoshi Okada, 38, a Pacific theater World War II veteran, died May 26 of war-incurred injuries after years of treatment for shell-shock. He was survived by his wife, two children, and several siblings, one brother having been killed with the 442nd.

Commentary

• Sen. Humphrey Asks JACL Support of Substitute Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Senator Hubert Humphrey addressed the JACL directly during Senate debate, citing its support for the McCarran bill while urging backing for the substitute measure. The substitute would also remove racial barriers and repeal the Oriental Exclusion Act.
• A Racially Derogatory Term, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the Newspaper Guild and New York JACL campaign to eliminate the word ‘Jap’ from New York newspapers. It argues the term is racially offensive and that responsible papers should avoid it.
• The Nisei in the Occupation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial highlights the underappreciated role of Nisei soldiers and civilians in the successful U.S. occupation of Japan. It notes their bilingual service also countered militarist propaganda.

Arts & Entertainment

• Tomi Kanazawa Wins Acclaim as Metropolitan’s Butterfly, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Tomi Kanazawa, the first Nisei soprano with the Metropolitan Opera, won audience acclaim as Cio-Cio-San in Madame Butterfly in Minneapolis on May 18. Critics praised her characterization and vocal performance.
• Nisei Actress Helps Combat Race Stereotyping on TV, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Michi Okamoto reported that producers of CBS-TV’s Man Against Crime deleted derogatory lines about Chinese Americans during rehearsals. She noted it as progress for Oriental performers.
• A Note on the Drama, by Roku Sugihara, page 6. The columnist reflects on the scarcity of good Nisei plays and offers his own tentative dramatic ideas for Nisei and Issei audiences. He describes the rules of playwriting he has learned and the themes he considers suitable.

In-Depth

• Japanese in the Americas: New Immigrants in Peru, by Elmer R. Smith, page 4. This installment traces the arrival of Japanese laborers in Peru from 1897 onward and the early reception they faced. It also describes Peruvian debates over restricting Asian immigration.

Sports

• Hutch Aoki Wins Regional Championship, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hutch Aoki returned to competitive powerboat racing and won the feature event at the Intermountain regional races in Salt Lake City. He piloted Miss Salt Lake City to victory over Jim Foreman and Burr Coleman.
• Midwest Bowlers Prepare for Regional Pin Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Chicago Nisei bowling leagues and the Chicago JACL will host the Midwest Nisei Bowling Tournament June 7-8 at Marigold Garden Bowling Lanes. Bowlers from Minneapolis, Cleveland, and Detroit have been invited.
• Placer JACL Loses, Rally Falls Short, by Homer Takahashi, page 7. Placer JACL mounted a five-run ninth-inning rally, capped by Bob Kozaiku’s triple, but fell 8-7 to Auburn. Frank Dutra held off the threat in relief.
• Tommy Umeda Gets Rematch with Teran in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 7. Tommy Umeda, a 442nd veteran boxer, will face Teran in a ten-round rematch at the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium on June 17. Umeda lost a previous decision to Teran after returning from Australia.
• Kushihashi Defends Air Race Crown in Coast to Coast Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Defending champion Kushihashi, along with Thomas Takemura and Herbert Fushimi, will compete in the Henry Ohye Trophy air race from Los Angeles to San Francisco beginning June 22. Each pilot has prior experience in the contest.

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