Evacuation claims and a new Hillings Bill: July 1955

Vol. 41, No. 2, July 8, 1955. 8 pages. View this issue

The fight over evacuation claims ran through this eight-page issue. The JACL Washington office answered the Justice Department’s objections to the Hillings Evacuation Claims Bill, and Rep. Patrick Hillings introduced a substitute bill that would pay a small lump sum to every evacuee. Mike Masaoka’s 15-page reply for JACL and COJAEC is summarized on page 4. Larry Tajiri wrote two pieces on The Mikado and how stereotypes of Japan later shaped views of Japanese Americans. Bill Hosokawa wrote about American holidays and profiled Seattle hotelier Henry Kubota.

Also in this issue: California Governor Knight signed AB 842, removing the 1913 alien land law, and fourteen candidates were nominated for the Pvt. Ben Frank Masaoka Memorial Scholarship. Readers will also find a Chicago report on a cross burned near an interracial community center, a Supreme Court term wrap-up, a Congress boxscore, and Los Angeles Nisei baseball results.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• New Evacuation Claims Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Washington office worked intensively to respond to the Justice Department’s objections to the Hillings Evacuation Claims Bill. A new substitute bill now offers small lump-sum indemnity payments to every evacuee in place of individual claim determinations.
• Straight Version of ‘Mikado’, by Larry Tajiri, page 1. Tajiri reviews a straight production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado performed by the D’Oyly Carte company in Central City, Colorado. He reflects on how the operetta’s stereotypes of Japan later shaped American attitudes toward Japanese Americans.
• From the Frying Pan: Significance of Holidays, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa reflects on how American national holidays have lost their serious meaning amid commercialism and pleasure-seeking. He resolves to help his own children understand the heritage behind the holidays.
• Many Strandees in Japan Giving Up Attempts to Restore American Citizenship, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. Nisei stranded in Japan face a dilemma as they struggle to regain U.S. citizenship while Japanese nationals can enter the U.S. as immigrants. Many have become resigned after lengthy and costly legal efforts with little result.
• Gardening in Gardena, by Tats Kushida, page 6. Kushida describes his backyard farming efforts in Gardena, including tomatoes, corn, and fruit trees. He also reflects on the departure of Consul General Shinsaku Hogen, praising his cordial relations with the Japanese American community.
• Vagaries: Stereotypes and The Mikado, by Larry Tajiri, page 6. Tajiri continues his review of The Mikado, arguing that Gilbert and Sullivan and Puccini helped create stereotypes of Japan that later affected Japanese Americans. He notes that these stereotypes were transformed into wartime suspicion and hatred.

Incarceration & Redress

• Hillings Introduces New Claims Bill to Best Criticism, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Patrick Hillings introduced a substitute evacuation claims bill responding to Justice Department objections and JACL recommendations. The bill would compromise claims without amount limits and provide lump-sum indemnity to every evacuee.
• Justice Dept. Opposed Original Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Justice Department objected to most provisions of the original Hillings Evacuation Claims Bill except the compromise settlement provision. Mike Masaoka, JACL Washington representative, responded to the department’s letter and memorandum.
• JACL, COJAEC in Strong Reply to Objections, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Mike Masaoka submitted a detailed 15-page reply on behalf of JACL and COJAEC defending the Hillings Bill against Justice Department objections. The reply charged the department with treating evacuation claims as routine despite their unique background.

National

• Gov. Knight Signs AB 842, Nulling 1913 Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California Governor Knight signed Assembly Bill 842 removing the 1913 alien land law from state statutes. He had earlier signed AB 841, placing the 1920 alien land law initiative on the November 1956 ballot.
• Senate Committee Urges Proscribed List Be Clarified, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Senate Internal Security subcommittee recommended that the Attorney General publish handbooks explaining the proscribed organization list. It also urged hearings for persons denied government employment based on unevaluated derogatory information.
• Pass Money Bill for Evacuation Claims Program Personnel, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Congress approved $200,000 for Justice Department salaries and administrative expenses for the evacuation claims program for the new fiscal year. The JACL office reported that current staff can be retained because the appropriation matches the prior year.
• Capitol Boxscore: July 1 Report of Congressional Action, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A tally of congressional activity from January through July 1 shows the Senate and House sessions, bills enacted, and measures introduced. The President vetoed two bills, one a postal pay raise and one a private immigration bill.
• Unusually Agreeable Supreme Court Term Ends, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Supreme Court ended a term with 79 written opinions and a new chief dissenter in Justice Stanley Reed. Two decisions affecting Japanese Americans included a tie vote leaving cemetery discrimination intact and a ruling allowing courts to review deportation orders.

JACL

• Fourteen Candidates Vie for 1955 Pvt. Ben Frank Masaoka Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fourteen high school graduates were nominated by JACL chapters for the 1955 Pvt. Ben Frank Masaoka Memorial Scholarship. A panel of judges will make the final selection by July 30.
• Inagaki Starting COJAEC Trip into Pacific Northwest, by P.C. Staff, page 1. George Inagaki begins a Pacific Northwest itinerary to consult with evacuation claimants in Portland, Hood River, Seattle, and Tacoma. The schedule lists meeting dates and local contacts for each stop.
• JACL Project to Fight Home Bias, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL announced a project to provide legal assistance to Nisei facing discrimination in purchasing homes. Local chapters will report discriminatory situations to help compile suggestions for future reference.
• National JACL Endowment Fund Deposits Another $5,000 for Trust, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Voluntary contributions to the National JACL Endowment Fund reached $5,097.27 in the first half of the year, bringing the trust to $85,000. Earnings from the trust are used for current JACL operations.
• Sakada Memorial Award Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The JACLer of the Biennium Award has been named the Dr. Randolph M. Sakada Memorial Award in tribute to his service. The plaque will be presented by the National Board at each national convention.
• JACL Participated in High Bench Nomination, by P.C. Staff, page 8. JACL recommended Chief Judge William Denman and Phil S. Gibson to the President for the Supreme Court after Justice Robert Jackson’s death. The President acknowledged the nominations but could not give them serious consideration due to geographic balance concerns.

Community

• Seattle Hotel Tycoon Henry T. Kubota, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa profiles Seattle hotel operator Henry Kubota, who rose from dishwasher to major real estate owner. Seattle Issei and Nisei have regained a strong position in the hotel industry since the war.
• Honolulu Newsletter: ABC’s of Hawaiian Economy, by Larry Nakatsuka, page 3. Nakatsuka reviews the Bank of Hawaii’s tenth economic report, Hawaii Growing Islands, which urges management, labor and government to cooperate. He notes that the report underplays problems such as sugar industry layoffs and racial tensions.
• Chicago Corner: Burn Cross in Interracial Center, by Smoky Sakurada, page 4. A seven-foot cross was burned near the home of a resident of the interracial York Community Center west of Chicago, along with shots fired at the house. Darrow Smith, the center’s first Negro resident and a WW2 veteran, vowed he would not be intimidated.
• Chicago Clers Nominate Lane Tech Lad for Pvt. Masaoka Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Chicago JACL nominated Seiji Itahara of Lane Technical High School for the 1955 Pvt. Ben Frank Masaoka Memorial Scholarship. He ranked first in his class of 670 students and was active in baseball, the Hi-Y, and several clubs.
• San Francisco Auxiliary Prepares 2nd Fashion Show, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The San Francisco JACL Women’s Auxiliary plans its second annual fashion show for August 21 at the Booker T. Washington Community Center. Sumi Utsumi serves as president and fashion show chairman.
• Scene from the Golden Gate: Get Well Quick, George, by Haruo Ishimaru, page 5. Ishimaru reports that George Nishita of San Benito County JACL suffered a heart attack while gathering bait in Carmel and was hospitalized for a week. He describes Nishita as a leading District Council figure who is now recovering at home.
• Ex-Kamikaze Pilot Recalls Hiroshima Destruction, Now Working in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 5. George Takahashi, a Chicago advertising employee, recalls his grandfather’s death at Hiroshima and his own training as a Kamikaze pilot in Tokyo. He returned to Japan after the surrender and later moved to Chicago.
• Albuquerque JACL Honors Newly Naturalized Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Albuquerque JACL held a potluck supper honoring its newly naturalized citizens at Rancho School. The program included Japanese dances, songs, and a tango, and the oldest Issei resident was also honored.
• Furuta-Nishimura Enterprise, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Toshimi Nishimura and George Furuta operate the Hershey Arms Hotel in Los Angeles and the Imperial Gardens sukiyaki house. Both are 1000 Club members with long experience in the hotel and restaurant business.

Sports

• Li’l Tokio Giants Edge Nisei Trading 8-7 to Win L.A. Nisei Baseball Series, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Li’l Tokio Giants defeated Nisei Trading 8-7 in the ninth inning to win the Los Angeles Nisei Baseball Tournament over the Fourth of July holiday. The victory gave the Giants a clean sweep of Southland Nisei competition.
• Disc Slips, Hits Nisei West Pointer on Head, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Robert Matsumoto, a West Point cadet on leave, was struck on the head by a discus that slipped from a friend’s hands during filming in Bakersfield. He was hospitalized with a possible brain concussion.

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