Over 1,000 Issei become citizens at the Hollywood Bowl

Vol. 39, No. 21, November 19, 1954. 8 pages. View this issue

A mass naturalization ceremony at the Hollywood Bowl led the news. On Veterans Day, 1,024 Issei were among 7,568 people sworn in before Federal Judge Peirson M. Hall, in the biggest naturalization class at any one time in American history. Harry Honda reported from Los Angeles. Henry Mori wrote about the new citizens, including the parents of National JACL President George Inagaki. Haruo Ishimaru described the San Francisco ceremony, and Denver, Berkeley and Gilroy had their own ceremonies and banquets. An editorial looked at Judge Hall’s address on liberty and conscience.

Elsewhere in these 8 pages, Larry Tajiri wrote two columns on how Hollywood portrayed Japanese Americans, from early spy films to Go for Broke! Mike Masaoka looked ahead to the 84th Congress, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about a jet demonstration and a talk with his children about dinosaurs. News included Supreme Court action on segregation and the Los Angeles JACL’s free help with N-400 naturalization forms.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Over 1,000 Issei Sworn in as Citizens at Hollywood Bowl, by By HARRY HONDA, page 1. Over 1,000 Issei were among 7,568 naturalized at the Hollywood Bowl on Veterans Day in the largest naturalization class in U.S. history. Judge Peirson M. Hall and speakers stressed the meaning of freedom and citizenship despite a light drizzle.

Community

• Harry N. Miyake Named to Guadalupe City Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Harry N. Miyake, president of the Santa Maria Valley JACL chapter, was appointed to the Guadalupe city council seat vacated by Charles Lester. He had narrowly lost a recent election for the office.
• An Interesting Week, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Hawaii news included a large naturalization ceremony where Japanese made up 42 percent of new citizens and the arrival of a new Japanese consul general. A Nisei was promoted to Honolulu postal district manager and another Nisei won a Pruzzle contest prize.
• Mountain District Council Meets Nov. 28, by P.C. Staff, page 4. National JACL director Mas Satow will meet with Intermountain District Council chapter delegates in Ogden to discuss mandates of the 1954 National Convention. Constitutional amendments and officer elections are also on the agenda.
• Angeleno CLers to Service N-400s for Would-Be Citizens Nov. 22, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Los Angeles JACL Coordinating Council will offer free help with N-400 naturalization forms, including typing, fingerprinting, and photos. The service is set for St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on November 22.
• Nylons for Japan Gaining Popularity in Los Angeles PTAs, by P.C. Staff, page 4. PTAs in Los Angeles schools are collecting discarded nylon hosiery to send to Japan, where war widows convert it into dolls. Foshay Jr. High PTA collected 7,700 pieces.
• Police Break Up Near Riot at Seattle Cafe, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Seattle police arrested nine persons at a King Street restaurant to prevent a possible riot between American-born Japanese and Hawaii-born Japanese. Tensions between the groups had existed for several years.
• Issei Recognition Banquets, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Berkeley and Gilroy JACL chapters held banquets honoring new Issei citizens, with Dr. Monroe E. Deutsch speaking at Berkeley. Nearly 100 Issei attended the Berkeley dinner and about 40 attended the Gilroy event.
• Scene from the Golden Gate: 250 Issei Among New Citizens, by Haruo Ishimaru, page 5. About 3,500 petitioners were naturalized at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium on Nov. 11, including about 250 Issei. The JACL assisted the Immigration Service with ushering and interpreting.
• Intermountain Bowling Tournament Set for Ogden Nov. 26-28, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The seventh annual IDC men’s and women’s bowling tournament will be held at Paramount Bowl with over $2,000 in prizes. A dinner-dance is scheduled for Saturday evening.
• Los Angeles Newsletter: 1,000 Issei Citizens, by Henry Mori, page 7. Among 1,024 Issei naturalized at Hollywood Bowl were Mr. and Mrs. Kuniji Inagaki, parents of National JACL President George Inagaki, and an invalid woman who studied from her bedside. A new Japanese American Democratic Club was also organized.

National

• Supreme Court Deadlocked on Cemetery Discrimination Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A 4-4 Supreme Court tie blocked a $180,000 suit against an Iowa cemetery that refused burial to an American Indian soldier. The case bears on cemetery restrictions that affect persons of Japanese ancestry.
• Veterans Day Mass Naturalization Ceremonies Nationwide, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Some 50,000 foreign-born residents were naturalized on the first Veterans Day celebration across the nation and territories. Hundreds of Japanese were sworn in at ceremonies in New York, St. Louis, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, and Phoenix.
• Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments on Segregation Dec. 6, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Briefs were filed on how the Supreme Court should implement its May 17 ruling against school segregation, with oral arguments set for Dec. 6. Southern states proposed varying approaches while Negro parents sought prompt desegregation.
• Kuchel Congratulates Issei Kenjiro Tanaka, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Senator Thomas Kuchel welcomed Kenjiro Tanaka of Santa Monica, who was the only person of Japanese ancestry invited to a White House pre-naturalization reception. The Senator praised the good conduct of Issei citizens.

Commentary

• Conservative Control, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Conservative Southern Democrats and Midwestern Republicans will continue to dominate the 84th Congress through committee chairmanships. Little change in legislative direction is anticipated despite Democratic nominal control.
• Power of Single Vote, by Portland Oregonian, page 2. Razor-thin margins in the Nov. 2 elections, such as Richard Neuberger’s roughly 2,000-vote victory, showed the power of the individual voter. The editorial argues that single votes can determine major national outcomes.
• Once a Hick—Always a Hick, by Kashiwabara, page 2. The columnist challenges the habit of Japanese Americans in big cities calling others from smaller towns provincial. He notes that great Americans and attractive people have come from small towns.
• Hollywood and the Japanese American Image, by Larry Tajiri, page 7. The column traces how Hollywood moved from portraying Japanese Americans as spies and villains to producing films like Go for Broke! that honored Nisei soldiers. Dore Schary urged the Nisei to resist hatemongers who seek to divide Americans.
• Fundamental Concepts, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial reflects on Judge Peirson M. Hall’s address at naturalization court outlining fundamental American concepts of liberty, conscience, and balanced government. It urges Nisei to attend such ceremonies to strengthen their allegiance.
• Jets & Dinosaurs, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. After watching a Colorado Air National Guard jet demonstration, the columnist reflects on its destructive power and the view of ground troops below. A conversation with his children about dinosaurs prompts reflections on family life.
• From the Frying Pan, by Larry Tajiri, page 8. This column examines how Hollywood films, from the 1915 serial Patria onward, portrayed Japanese as spies and saboteurs. It notes that President Wilson intervened to modify the film’s most racist scenes.

Arts & Entertainment

• Fertile Grounds for Literature, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Atlantic Monthly editor Edward Weeks told a Los Angeles audience that the Pacific Coast has the ingredients to become the nation’s literary center. He urged California writers to interpret the Orient.

Military & Veterans

• Five Brothers Join Legion Post Together, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Five Kodama brothers of Imperial Valley, all World War II veterans, joined American Legion Post 107. Their service included units such as the 442nd, 390th MP, and 6th Graves Registration.
• West Los Angeles Community Pays Tribute to Southland Nisei War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 5. West Los Angeles JACL held a Nisei Soldiers Memorial Day observance honoring 64 Nisei killed in World War II and 20 killed in Korea. A plaque bearing their names was presented to the community.

JACL

• Denver Issei Naturalized in Federal Court, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Forty-one Issei from the Denver area were naturalized in U.S. Federal Court on Nov. 5 before two judges. R. S. Tani served as official interpreter for the oath of allegiance.

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