Setting the stage for the 1956 JACL national convention in San Francisco

Vol. 43, No. 8, August 24, 1956. 8 pages. View this issue

The 14th biennial JACL national convention in San Francisco shaped this eight-page issue. Saburo Kido’s editorial told official delegates to expect a working convention, and Harry K. Honda and Jerry Enomoto previewed the sessions, the Changing Perspectives theme and the volunteers behind it. The paper printed the opening ceremony program, the Nisei of the Biennium nominees and the banquet guests, including Senator William Knowland and Maxwell Rabb. It also ran Senator Thomas Kuchel’s praise of a decade of JACL accomplishments in Congress, with the full text on page 5.

Elsewhere, Larry S. Tajiri wrote about Japanese farm workers coming to California on three-year contracts, and Tats Kushida praised the Southwest Los Angeles JACL for its campaign to repeal the California alien land law. Henry Mori and Mike Masaoka reported on the Republican National Convention, also held in San Francisco. Sports pages covered national judo matches and Nisei Week golf, and the Youth Forum and convention bridge tournament were announced.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Official delegates in for busy convention, by Saburo Kido, page 1. The editorial notes that the upcoming JACL national convention in San Francisco will involve serious business sessions for official delegates, though it hopes they will also have time to socialize. It recalls past conventions that were joy-killers and argues that since preparations are complete, important matters should not require long sessions.
• Rainy day thoughts, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The columnist reflects on a rainy Sunday in Denver, comparing the stimulating effect of rain to irrigation and musing on lawn mowing and youth chores. He ends by wondering what kind of world the Sansei will inherit and whether they will have the drive of earlier generations.
• Very truly yours, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Honda previews the JACL 14th biennial convention in San Francisco, describing the council sessions and advising official delegates on how to participate meaningfully. He reflects on the spirit of JACL conventions and the value of Nisei gathering to chart a course together.
• Tokyo Topics: Goro Murata, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. Murayama pays tribute to Goro Murata, a former Los Angeles JACLer and prominent Nisei businessman in Tokyo who died of cancer in August. The column recounts Murata’s journalism career, his success at the Japan Times and Nippon Times, and his community leadership.
• Vagaries, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Tajiri examines the news that Japanese farm workers will be brought to California as contract laborers, comparing the plan to the Mexican bracero program. He traces the history of foreign farm labor in California and urges close watching of the experiment.
• Southwester: Orchid time, by Tats Kushida, page 4. Kushida praises the Southwest Los Angeles JACL for its leadership and support in the campaign to repeal the California alien land law through Proposition 13. He lists committee members and their work on leaflets, phone calls, and the Nisei Week booklet.
• Kon-Ben-Shon, by Tats Kushida, page 4. Kushida plays with Japanese word meanings tied to the word taikai (convention), offering humorous readings. He also reflects on family life and acknowledges several JACL members for their contributions.
• The Northwest Picture: New generation rises, by Elmer Ogawa, page 6. Ogawa reports on the Seattle Nisei Vets picnic, noting the growing number of children attending compared with previous years. He observes that the new generation is becoming a major presence in the community.
• Los Angeles Newsletter: GOP convention, by Henry Mori, page 7. Mori reports from the Republican National Convention in San Francisco, where he attended with Saburo Kido and met Rollins MacFadyen and Shaw Pang. He describes conversations with Colorado’s former governor and Governor Joe Foss, and notes Republican views on race and Hawaii statehood.

JACL

• Opening Ceremonies program announced; chorals, addresses to be featured, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The program for the official opening ceremony of the 14th biennial JACL national convention at the Sheraton-Palace Hotel on Aug. 31 was announced, including choral numbers, soloists, and welcoming addresses. Keynote speaker Edward J. Ennis and the presentation of an American flag by Congressman Walter Judd will also be featured.
• Sen. Kuchel praises decade of JACL accomplishments in Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senator Thomas Kuchel praised the JACL in the Congressional Record for its accomplishments over the past decade and urged it to make equal contributions in the coming years. He listed legislative victories including naturalization rights, repeal of the Japanese Exclusion Act, and the Evacuation Claims Act.
• 15 candidates for Nisei of Biennium awards nominated, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fifteen candidates for the Nisei of the Biennium awards were nominated by various JACL chapters, as announced by Dr. T. T. Yatabe. Five finalists will be selected by a panel of judges and one will be named at the San Francisco convention.
• 3 congressmen accept invitation to Confab banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senator William Knowland and Congressmen John Shelley and William Mailliard accepted invitations to the JACL convention banquet on Sept. 3 at the Sheraton-Palace Hotel. Maxwell Rabb, presidential advisor on minority problems, will deliver the main address.
• Convention to honor Rosenberg Foundation, Assemblyman Maloney, Annie C. Watson, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The national JACL convention will present scrolls of appreciation at a September 1 luncheon to the Rosenberg Foundation, Assemblyman Thomas Maloney, and Annie C. Watson. The honors recognize service in civil rights and alien land law repeal.
• Convention pre-registrations reach 400, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Nearly 400 people have pre-registered for the 14th Biennial JACL convention in San Francisco, and a list of official delegates by chapter is provided. Registration details and chapter lists are included.
• Club Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. National JACL headquarters reported 45 new memberships and renewals in the 1000 Club between Aug. 1 and 15. Members are listed by year of membership.
• Perspectively yours, by Jerry Enomoto, page 5. Enomoto highlights the upcoming convention keynote by Edward Ennis and thanks volunteers who made the convention possible. He recognizes staff and chapter members for their contributions to the Changing Perspectives theme.
• Two keynote speakers billed for Junior JACL project at Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Lester Bailey of the NAACP and Stan Lyman of UC will deliver keynote speeches at the JACL Youth Forum on Sept. 1 in San Francisco. The forum will feature four seminars on segregation and a Junior JACL dance.
• Hotel to provide baby-sit service, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Sheraton-Palace Hotel will provide baby-sitting services for JACL convention attendees from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3. Trained nurses and experienced sitters will care for children in guest rooms or on excursions.
• Convention bridge enthusiasts urged to enter now to facilitate tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Ernest W. Rovere will assist in conducting the JACL convention bridge tournament on Sept. 3 at the Sheraton-Palace. Entries should be sent to Dr. Wilfred Hiura as soon as possible, with a $2 entry fee.

Community

• Denver scoutmaster honored for 10 years’ service, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Scoutmaster Robert Uyeda and troop committeeman Ben Furuta of Troop 338 in Denver were recognized at the East Denver District dinner. Uyeda was commended for ten years of service bringing scouting to a less-privileged area of town.
• Chicago Corner, by Smoky H. Sukurada, page 3. The column reports on Chicago delegates and boosters attending the 14th Biennial National Convention in San Francisco. It also notes that Claude Finnell was awarded the Silver Eagle by the Boy Scouts of Japan.
• Long Beach community carnival features ondo, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Harbor Japanese Community Center in Long Beach hosts a carnival with ondo dancing and booths from local organizations including the JACL chapter. Local JACL president Easy Fujimoto serves as general carnival chairman.
• Nearly 20,000 Issei naturalized American citizens; 14,000 in 1955, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Figures released by Washington show nearly 20,000 Issei became naturalized citizens since the Walter-McCarran Act of 1952. Local attorney Victor Abe provided the breakdown of naturalization dates.
• Venice-Culver JACLers join city-wide fiesta, by Edna Chadwick, page 3. The Venice-Culver City JACL chapter participated for the first time in Culver City’s La Ballona Valley Days fiesta, operating a booth selling novelties and Pepsi-Cola. Members dressed in Spanish attire and made many new friends.

National

• Issei citizen may win special award, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Theodore Roosevelt Association established the American-by-Choice award for a naturalized citizen whose career best exemplifies the American ideal, and a living Issei may qualify. President Eisenhower’s letter about the award’s meaning is quoted.
• Over 3,000 assurances for Japanese refugees provided by U.S. citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The State Department announced it will discontinue accepting late-filed Refugee Relief Act assurances as registration dates for Japanese immigration. Statistics show about 2,200 non-immigrant visas were issued to Japanese refugees and orphans under the Act.
• Farm laborers due in California on 3-year contract, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The U.S. Immigration Service approved a petition allowing 500 Japanese farm workers to enter California on three-year contracts. The workers will be paid prevailing wages and cannot apply for citizenship.
• Sen. Kuchel, feeling JACL peculiarly well qualified to demonstrate promotion of U.S.-Japan friendship, tells congressmen, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The full text of Senator Kuchel’s extension of remarks in the Congressional Record praises the JACL’s decade of accomplishments since the Denver convention. He credits Mike Masaoka’s leadership and suggests JACL can enrich U.S.-Japan friendship.
• Washington Newsletter: Republican convention, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Masaoka compares the smooth Republican National Convention in San Francisco with the contentious Democratic convention in Chicago. He notes Nisei delegates including Wallace Fujiyama and Dr. Sadaichi Kasamoto and mentions Congressman Judd and Senator Kuchel’s support for JACL.

Sports

• Nat’l judo matches, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Results of the national judo championship matches at Seattle University are reported, with John Osako of Chicago taking the grand championship. Several Southern Californians placed in their divisions.
• Nisei Week golfers championship flight playoff set, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei Week golfers at the Rio Hondo course ended ties in the championship flight, with playoffs scheduled for the following Sunday. Low gross and net scores are listed for top players.

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