Go for Broke! and the Refugee Relief Act, July 29, 1955

Vol. 41, No. 5, July 29, 1955. 8 pages. View this issue

Go for Broke!, the film about the 442nd Combat Team, opened the issue. Larry Tajiri wrote about meeting MGM production chief Dore Schary, who made the picture, and about the War Department pressures that reshaped its story. The front page also followed the Refugee Relief Act, with Mike Masaoka of the JACL Washington office urging changes to visa allocations and warning that Japan’s treatment of non-Japanese applicants could end its refugee program. Masaoka also worked to protect remaining evacuation claimants, and his column described a Washington summer and the Geneva summit.

Other pages looked at Japan. Bill Hosokawa reflected on Hiroshima ten years after the bombing, Haruo Ishimaru wrote about what impressed him most on his visit, and Tamotsu Murayama described pachinko parlors. Smoky Sakurada reported from Chicago, and Henry Mori covered Miss Japan at the Miss Universe contest. Sports included Yoshi Oyakawa’s world backstroke mark.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Go for Broke! Producer Dore Schary Recalled for Making Nisei Film, by Larry Tajiri, page 1. Larry Tajiri recounts meeting MGM production chief Dore Schary, who produced the 1951 film Go for Broke! about the 442nd Combat Team. The piece traces how Schary’s commitment led to the film and the War Department pressures that reshaped its story.

National

• Amendment to Redistribute Visa Allocations Urged for Refugee Relief Act Applicants of Far East Zone, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka of the JACL Washington office proposed amending the Refugee Relief Act to shift unused non-indigenous Far East visas to indigenous refugees. He argued the change would avoid wasting visas that few qualified applicants would use.
• Protection of Larger Claimants Being Proposed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka met with House Judiciary members to protect remaining evacuation claimants from pressure to adjudicate claims before the proposed Hillings bill passes. He also recommended notifying the Attorney General and developing procedures to safeguard remaining claimants.
• Eisenhower Signs Trade-Tariff Pact, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Eisenhower signed a proclamation putting tariff concessions into effect to support Japan’s accession to the Geneva trade agreement. The concessions cover imports valued at $179,000,000 in 1953 and take effect Sept. 10 if approved by two-thirds of contracting nations.
• Refugee Relief Program Threatened by Japanese Government Discriminatory Treatment of Non-Japanese Applicants, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Washington office urged Japan to issue certificates of readmission to qualifying non-Japanese refugees under the Refugee Relief Act. It warned that discriminatory treatment could prompt Congress to cancel the Japan refugee program.
• Refugee Relief Act Procedure Expedited by U.S. Government, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The State Department adopted a package process letting refugee applicants complete all required clearances in a single consulate visit. The JACL, which was instrumental in the 1953 amendments, commended the faster procedure.
• Hawaiian Economics Surveyed, by Larry Nakatsuka, page 3. A Stanford Research Institute study for Hawaiian Electric recommends diversified industry for Hawaii’s young, largely unskilled workforce. Nakatsuka argues Nisei must be counseled to see blue-collar and industrial jobs as viable paths beyond white-collar employment.

Commentary

• Hiroshima, Aug. 5, 1955, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Bill Hosokawa reflects on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima ten years earlier and on his own visit to the rebuilt city. He quotes a Japanese girl’s letter and recommends Dr. Michihiko Hachiya’s book Hiroshima Diary.
• Scene from the Golden Gate: What Was Most Impressive in Japan, by Haruo Ishimaru, page 5. Ishimaru summarizes his impressions of Japan, citing its love of beauty, ancient history, rapid industrialization, and courteous people. He concludes that Nisei should become a living bridge of understanding across the Pacific.
• Travel Restrictions for Nisei, by Tooru J. Kanazawa, page 8. Kanazawa reviews Pan American’s Blue Book and shows several countries, including Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Hong Kong, restrict entry of U.S. citizens of Oriental or Negro origin. He argues these restrictions conflict with the UN charter.
• Heat, Humidity Plus Hubbub from Transit Strike Vies with Geneva Talks, Congressional Adjournment for Topic of Day, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Masaoka describes Washington’s summer heat and a prolonged transit strike, then assesses the Geneva summit as lowering international tensions. He also reports the Congress may run past its July 31 adjournment target.

Community

• Pachinko Parlors Still Most Popular Pastime for Average Japanese Worker, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. Murayama describes how pachinko halls remain the cheapest recreation for young Japanese workers, while golf, tennis, and movies are beyond reach or overcrowded. He notes that juvenile delinquency and gambling are growing concerns.
• Loyalty Oath Bill Signed, by Smoky Sakurada, page 4. Illinois Gov. Stratton signed the Broyles anti-subversive bill requiring about 100,000 state and public school employees to sign a loyalty oath. Sakurada notes the bill was previously vetoed twice and criticizes it as an infringement on liberty.
• Private Hospital Claim Denied, by Smoky Sakurada, page 4. The Chicago Commission on Human Relations rejected the Chicago Hospital Council’s claim that hospitals do not discriminate by race. Commission figures showed most Negro births occurred in a few governmental hospitals, and advocates sought an ordinance to deny tax exemptions to discriminating hospitals.
• Chicago Urban League Shake-Up, by Smoky Sakurada, page 4. The Chicago Urban League removed executive secretary Sidney Williams and fourteen staff members, reportedly over its involvement in civil rights controversies. League president Dr. N. O. Calloway said the organization would focus on job placement rather than pressure tactics.
• Salinas NC-WNDC Banquet Groups as California Legislative Victory, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Northern California-Western Nevada-Idaho district council banquet will celebrate the JACL’s most successful California legislative year. Judge S. C. Masterson’s Issei Old Age Assistance bill and the removal of alien land laws were highlighted.
• Miss Japan in Final Five, by Henry Mori, page 7. Keiko Takahashi of Tokyo placed fourth in the Miss Universe contest at Long Beach and was among the final five. Mori notes her halting English and sincere remarks on universal friendship drew strong audience applause.
• Shonien Progress Report, by Henry Mori, page 7. Nisei licensed landscape contractors pledged volunteer landscaping for the new Japanese American Child Welfare Center being built in Boyle Heights. The project design was drafted by architect Junichi Asakura.

Sports

• Oyakawa Sets Long Pool World Mark in 200-M. Backstroke at L.A. Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hawaiian Nisei Yoshi Oyakawa set a world long-course record of 2:26.1 in the 200-meter backstroke at the AAU championships in Los Angeles. George Onekea and Ford Konno also had strong showings at the meet.
• Taniguchi Saves Longden from Spill, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei jockey George Taniguchi and Rogelio Trejos helped veteran Johnny Longden regain his seat after a near-fall at Hollywood Park. Longden went on to win the race, crediting Taniguchi with preventing a serious accident.

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