Issei citizenship and the 442nd reunion plans, August 1952

Vol. 35, No. 8, August 23, 1952. 8 pages. View this issue

The new Walter-McCarran Act and its effects on Issei and their families ran through this eight-page issue. JACL honored Rep. Walter H. Judd and former ADC director Mike Masaoka at a Minneapolis dinner, and representatives Edward J. Ennis and Richard Akagi planned to propose a National Naturalization Day at the White House. A four-man team of Hawaii veterans prepared a Mainland tour to invite 442nd Regimental Combat Team veterans to a 10th anniversary reunion in Hawaii in 1953. Another story outlined how Japanese spouses of citizens could enter under the new law.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about the end of summer, Elmer R. Smith told the story of Livingston, California, and the editors answered a Los Angeles newspaper’s attacks on JACL. Six pages of sports cover boxing, track, bowling and baseball, and Ann Nisei closes the issue with sunomono recipes.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Hawaii Nisei Veterans Plan Tour to Urge Mainland Ex-GIs to Attend 442nd’s Reunion, by By LAWRENCE NAKATSUKA, page 1. A team of four Hawaii Nisei veterans will tour Mainland cities in October to encourage 442nd veterans to attend a 10th anniversary reunion in Hawaii next summer. The reunion is expected to draw at least 300 Mainland veterans and 1,300 Hawaii men.
• Salt Lake Soldier Wins Bronze Star, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sgt. Tom Inouye of Salt Lake City received the Bronze Star for twice racing into a shell-pounded area in Korea to maintain his unit’s wire communications. The action occurred May 9 near Kong-dong with the 90th Field Artillery Battalion.
• Sei Casualties in Korean War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense listed several Nisei soldiers as casualties in the Korean area, including Sgt. Shinji Tengan as missing in action and others wounded. Hometowns and family details were provided for each listed soldier.
• Ten Years After Hawaii 442nd Reunion Planning Continues, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Leaders of the 442nd Veterans Club in Hawaii described plans for a summer 1953 reunion featuring a welcome reception, tours, and events on three outer islands. Housing for several hundred Mainland veterans remains the club’s biggest challenge.

National

• CRDU to Sponsor Victory Dinner Over Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Civil Rights Defense Union plans a victory banquet celebrating the invalidation of the California Alien Land Law, co-sponsored with the JACL and Kikaken Kisei Domei. The group also approved honorariums totaling $3,500 for attorneys on the Masaoka test case.
• Station Regrets Showing of Anti-Nisei Wartime Film, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A San Francisco television station expressed regret for broadcasting an anti-Nisei wartime film, after protests from JACL leaders. JACL regional director Haruo Ishimaru asked that instances of prejudice in entertainment, employment, and housing be reported to the JACL office.
• Outline Steps for U.S. Entry of Japanese Spouses Under New Immigration Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Washington JACL ADC office outlined how Japanese spouses of American citizens can enter as non-quota immigrants under the new Immigration and Nationality Act. Citizens were advised to have their spouses register on the quota waiting list before the Act takes effect December 24, 1952.

Incarceration & Redress

• JACL Will Seek White House Support of Proposal for National Naturalization Day, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL ADC representatives Edward J. Ennis and Richard Akagi will meet White House aides to propose a National Naturalization Day honoring Issei contributions. The program would also promote understanding of Asian Americans and show the Far East that Americans oppose racial prejudice.
• Victory Comes Too Late for Issei in Long Fight to Remain in United States, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Matsuzi Kisanuki, an Issei who fought deportation for years over Hoshi-dan membership at Tule Lake, was granted a rehearing too late, as he was already in Japan dying of cancer. The Walter-McCarran Act, passed meanwhile, might otherwise have allowed his family to join him.

Community

• Hawaii Nisei Pilot Flies Jet Plane on Japan Duty, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lt. Kenichi Nomura of Eleele, Kauai, is one of the first Nisei to fly a U.S. Air Force jet on active duty in the Far East. He pilots an F-94 Starfire with an all-weather squadron stationed in Japan.
• Report Progress of Fund Drive in NC-WN Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Northern California-Western Nevada area has raised $11,906.30 toward its $18,830 goal for the 1952 ADC fund drive. Several chapters have completed their quotas while others, including Reno and San Francisco, remain outstanding.
• Submit Plans for Proposed Shonien Child Care Center, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Preliminary plans were submitted for a $35,000 child care center in Los Angeles designed by Nisei architects and to be built on a community-service basis. A fund drive for the Shonien home began in August with support from welfare agencies.
• 442nd Veterans Plan Reunion in Hawaii in 1953, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Leaders of the 442nd Veterans Club outlined plans for a 10th anniversary reunion next summer in Honolulu, with flights from three West Coast cities. Earl M. Finch serves as honorary chairman of the reunion.
• Traveling Nisei Students See Hope for Asia’s Future, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three U.S. students traveling in Japan on Committee for Free Asia grants reported that their exchanges with Japanese youth gave them hope for improved East-West understanding. Ernest Bokura, Robert Acoba, and Yoshiro Katsura wrote letters to the committee president.
• Issei Naturalization Group Plans Program, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A San Francisco advisory committee met at the JACL office to help Issei prepare for citizenship, with Haruo Ishimaru reporting on talks with the Immigration Department. Bilingual instructors and class locations were requested.
• Eight Communities Send Contributions for Masaoka-Ennis Appreciation Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eight Northern California communities have contributed to a fund honoring Mike Masaoka and Edward Ennis for winning passage of the Walter-McCarran Act. Keisaburo Koda urged all Northern California areas to send donations promptly.
• Nisei Week Queen Em Kato Helps Pick Winner in Baby Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nisei Week Festival Queen Emiko Kato helped judge a baby contest that named a prince and princess of the festival along with several age-group winners. The contest drew 90 entrants.
• Four-Year Award Given to Toshimitsu Takada, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Toshimitsu Takada of Pasadena received a four-year scholarship valued at $2,000 from the Art Center School. The award recognized his achievement at the school.
• Swift Current Sweeps Three California Nisei Brothers to Death in San Joaquin Tragedy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Three Yamauchi brothers from Tracy, California, drowned on August 16 in the San Joaquin River after being swept under by a swift current while wading. A friend tried to help but could not save them, and funeral services were held in Stockton.
• JACL Attacked, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Continuing the discussion of Sei Fujii’s campaign against the JACL, the article warns that the attacks are straining Issei-Nisei relations in Los Angeles. It notes that no Japanese vernacular paper has responded to defend the JACL.
• Shonien Group Seeks Aid From Local Clubs, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A Shonien building fund committee in Los Angeles asked local clubs to recruit volunteers for the children’s home drive. Benefit programs and a float in the Nisei Week parade are also planned.
• Fresno Plans Fashion Show, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Fresno’s American Loyalty League women’s auxiliary will hold a fashions and flowers exhibit on September 13 at the Hotel Californian to benefit the Valley Children’s Hospital. Models, a flower demonstration by Mrs. Chiura Obata, and music are featured.
• Ellis Center Nursery to Open in New Quarters, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Ellis Community Center Nursery in Chicago will open September 2 at new quarters on South Greenwood with separate sessions for younger and older children. The staff includes a director, teacher, and music instructor.
• UCLA Scholarships to Three Nisei Students, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Three Nisei students received $500 in alumni scholarship grants at UCLA, with Kenneth Kimura receiving $300. The awards were given to students from Livingston, Hanford, and Los Angeles.
• Sunomono Recipes for Summer Days, by Ann Nisei, page 8. Ann Nisei offers recipes for sunomono, vinegared Japanese dishes suited to summer, including Cucumber-Radish Sunomono, Crab-Cucumber Roll, Oyster Sunomono, and Cucumber-Radish Rolls. Each recipe uses a light, spicy-sweet vinegar sauce.

JACL

• NC-WNDC to Start Insurance Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Northern California-Western Nevada District Council endorsed a group accident and health insurance plan for JACL members offered by Washington National Insurance Company. Applications are being accepted for agents to solicit members.
• Honor Rep. Judd for Role in Issei Citizenship Fight, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL honored Rep. Walter H. Judd and former ADC director Mike Masaoka at a Minneapolis dinner celebrating passage of the Walter-McCarran Immigration and Naturalization Act. Judd said the Act recognized that Japanese Americans are not second-class citizens.
• Newspaper in Los Angeles Attacks JACL’s Program, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Publisher Sei Fujii of the Kashu Mainichi has run a continuous series of Japanese-language attacks on the JACL since July, including unfounded charges about pre-evacuation activities. The JACL’s record of legislative accomplishment, the editors argue, will withstand such attacks.

Commentary

• Textbooks and Race Stereotypes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial responds to textbook expert Dr. Edward N. Saveth, who warned minority groups against pressuring schools to ban objectionable textbooks. While agreeing that censorship is dangerous, the editors argue that derogatory racial stereotypes in school textbooks cause real harm and are inexcusable.
• Minority Week, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A roundup of civil rights news includes Oakland’s end of racial segregation in firefighting, a Negro-vote observation on the 1952 campaign, and Chicago hospitals easing nurse hiring restrictions. It also reports on Chinese Americans in Canada and a San Francisco community center opened to all races.
• Some Symptoms of Being Forty, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A columnist reflects on turning forty, recalling advice from an older Issei neighbor about making good use of time. He catalogs changes in habits, priorities, and physical condition that signal middle age, from less interest in sports to greater community responsibility.
• Where Has the Summer Gone?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa reflects on the end of summer, noting the family’s guests, the ripening tomatoes, and the threat of hail to his garden. The column also recounts a visit by Mike Masaoka to Denver, where he gave an impassioned speech.

In-Depth

• Japanese in the Americas: The Story of Livingston, by Elmer R. Smith, page 6. This history traces how a Japanese colony in Livingston, California, transformed a barren desert into a thriving agricultural community despite wind, grasshoppers, and financial collapse. It also compares the parallel pioneering work of Japanese Canadians in fishing, lumbering, and mining.

Sports

• Higa Challenges Shirai to Title Bout, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Honolulu bantamweight Roy Higa issued a formal challenge to flyweight champion Yoshio Shirai for the 112-pound title. Higa, who has won two bouts in Japan, is confident he can make the weight limit.
• Tomita Comes Home from Helsinki, by P.C. Staff, page 6. U.S. weightlifting champion Richard Tomita returned to Honolulu convinced he was unfairly dropped from the Olympic team by coach Bob Hoffman. He believes both he and Richard Tom would have scored points for the U.S.
• Hirayama Shows Value in Leadoff Role, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Fibber Hirayama demonstrated his value as a leadoff hitter for the Stockton Ports, reaching base five times in a game against Bakersfield. The article also covers Harvey Zenimura’s performance on the Pacific Coast College All-Stars tour of Japan.
• Few Nisei Sign Up for Coast Football, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Few Nisei will play college football this season, with San Jose State’s Jim Kajioka and Tom Yagi among the few on varsity rosters. Several graduated or switched sports, while Akio Iwanaga is expected to join Cal Aggies.
• Denver Nisei Win League Championship, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Denver Nisei won the Metropolitan baseball league championship over the Lowry Medics, with Beans Yamamoto pitching seven hits. The article also covers Philip Kim’s boxing run and Wat Misaka’s election as president of a Salt Lake JACL bowling league.
• Nisei Golfer Has Trouble with Trees, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hawaiian Nisei golfer Kengo Kaneshina struggled at the National Jaytee junior golf tournament in Eugene, finishing far down the prize list after a 248 score. He qualified only after sinking a long putt on the final hole.
• Nisei Tennis Club Beats Toronto in Intercity Matches, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Cleveland Nisei Tennis Club defeated Toronto 23 to 16 in the first international intercity Nisei tennis matches on August 3. The event may become an annual or semi-annual competition.
• Oscar Torres Wins Title Bout Over Umeda, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Oscar Torres defeated Honolulu Nisei Umeda in a Los Angeles bout, taking the California State 118-pound championship before a large Nisei crowd. Umeda had been the pre-match favorite after a prior TKO victory.
• Watanabe Sets Sprint Records in Nisei Festival Track Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Bob Watanabe won two sprints and anchored two winning relays at the first post-war Nisei Relays in Los Angeles, setting a new Nisei record in the 100-yard dash. Kikuo Moriya set a new mile record and the Doks won the team trophy.
• Chinese American Team Wins Coast Nisei Bowling Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A Chinese American squad won the second annual coast Nisei bowling tournament at Vogue Bowl in Los Angeles with a team score of 2878. Individual honors went to Tom Sakamoto, June Jue, and Art Nishisaka.

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