Vol. 39, No. 26, December 24, 1954. 8 pages. View this issue
Congressional hearings on west coast evacuation claims were printed in book form for the first time, according to the front page. The volume holds testimony from 124 witnesses and JACL documentation on the Hillings Amendment. The same page reported that Dr. Harvey A. Itano of the National Cancer Institute received the JACL Special Award for his work on hemoglobin abnormalities and sickle cell anemia. Mike Masaoka, on his way to Japan to review the Asian provisions of the Walter-McCarran Act, organized three committees in Honolulu.
Columns fill the inside pages. Harry Honda wrote about low wages in Japan, Mike Masaoka asked what attitude Nisei should take toward Japan, and Larry Tajiri warned that old anti-Japanese American films were being sold to television. Bill Hosokawa profiled the Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor in Denver. Chapter news covers new officers in New York, Gilroy and Sonoma County, and Haruo Ishimaru’s tour of the Pacific Northwest.
What’s in this issue
National
- House Subcommittee Hearings on Evacuation Claims Recorded in Book Form for the First Time, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congressional hearings on west coast evacuation claims, held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee in August and September, have been printed in book form. The volume includes testimony from 124 witnesses and supporting JACL documentation on the Hillings Amendment.
- Masaoka Spends Two Busy Days in Hawaii, Three Committees Organized, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka, en route to Japan to review the Asian provisions of the Walter-McCarran Act, held meetings in Honolulu. Three committees were organized on vested property, yen deposits, and family reunification.
- Decentralization of Immigration and Nationality Service Not to Affect Citizenship Petitions from Alien Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Justice Department officials assured the Washington JACL office that Issei naturalization petitions will not be delayed by reorganization of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Los Angeles and Hawaii services will remain unchanged despite the shift of administration to San Francisco.
JACL
- Dr. Harvey A. Itano Receives National JACL Special Award for Distinguished Achievement, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Harvey A. Itano, of the National Cancer Institute, received the JACL Special Award for his discoveries in hemoglobin abnormalities linked to sickle cell anemia. He was honored at the Washington, D.C., Chapter installation banquet.
Arts & Entertainment
- New Yorkers See Show of Filigree Sculpture, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco artist Ruth Asawa opened her first one-woman show of wire filigree sculpture at Peridot Gallery in New York. Her work, which began as children’s wire designs in a Mexico City camp, has moved from flat designs to three dimensions.
Obituaries
- Buddy Uno Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Funeral services were held in Los Angeles for Buddy K. Uno, 41, a former west coast newspaperman who edited the prewar New World-Sun. He died in Kobe, Japan, where he had gone after the war.
Commentary
- Very Truly Yours: Wages and Conditions in Japan, by Harry Honda, page 2. Harry Honda examines low wages and hardship among Japanese workers, citing individual salary examples. He explains the historical, economic, and structural causes of low pay in Japan.
- Nisei and New Japan, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Mike Masaoka considers what attitude Nisei should take toward Japan, weighing extreme views on assimilation and identification. He compares the Japanese American experience to other immigrant groups and the history of exclusion and redress.
- Tokyo Topics: War Bride School Teaches Japanese Girls for American Life, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. Mary Minamoto, a Portland JACLer, teaches a class of war brides in Yokohama on American housekeeping, English, and customs. The column argues that marriages between Japanese brides and American GIs are generally more successful than critics suggest.
- Anti-Nisei Movies, by Larry Tajiri, page 7. Tajiri warns that old Hollywood films from the World War II era with anti-Japanese American propaganda, such as Samurai, are being sold to television. He argues the JACL should monitor these broadcasts without crossing into censorship.
- From the Frying Pan: Angels of Mercy, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Hosokawa profiles the Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor in Denver, nuns who provide nursing care to the sick and poor. He reflects on their selfless devotion as a counterpoint to the materialism of the Christmas season.
- Editorials: Russia-Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial warns that Soviet overtures to the new Japanese government, including trade and peace treaty proposals, aim to draw Japan away from the West. It cautions that Japan’s leaders must remain firm in their Western alliance.
Community
- Statehood Picture, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Hawaii and Alaska statehood bills face renewed partisan tensions over whether to join the two territories. Southern Democrats in key congressional posts remain opposed, and the issue may reach President Eisenhower.
- Hiro Mayeda Chairman of CCDC, Joint Installation in Highlight, by Thomas Toyama, page 4. Hiro Mayeda was elected chairman of the Central California JACL District Council at its December 5 conference in Fresno. Chapter presidents were installed at a joint ceremony conducted by National JACL President George Inagaki.
- Sam Kai Re-elected New York President, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Sam Kai was re-elected president of the New York JACL chapter at its annual December meeting. Installation is scheduled for January 7 at Suyehiro Restaurant.
- Joe Obata Elected President of Gilroy JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Joe Obata was elected president of the Gilroy JACL chapter. Chapter members voted to retain the $2 membership fee and combine installation with an Issei citizenship dinner.
- Touring the Pacific Northwest, by Haruo Ishimaru, page 5. JACL staff member Haruo Ishimaru reports on his visit to Pacific Northwest chapters, including the PNWDC meeting in Fife and stops in Moses Lake and Spokane. He notes the district’s geographic challenges and the lack of a coordinating office.
- Chapter Clinic, by Tats Kushida, page 5. Kushida discusses the value of chapter leadership development and announces the second annual Pacific Southwest District Council Chapter Clinic, hosted by East Los Angeles JACL on February 13. The clinic will cover JACL background and chapter-level organizational problems.
- Kanemi Ono Elected President of Sonoma County JACL by Board Executives, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Kanemi Ono was elected president of the Sonoma County JACL for 1955 by the executive board. A constitutional change created an executive board to expedite chapter business.
- Rey Maeno Elected Eagle Rock Student Body President, by Henry Mori, page 7. Rey Maeno became the first Nisei to be elected president of the Associated Student Body at Eagle Rock High School. He plans to attend Pomona or Occidental College and pursue law.
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