Vol. 45, No. 11, September 13, 1957. 8 pages. View this issue
The joint EDC-MDC convention in Chicago ran through this issue. President Dr. Roy Nishikawa wrote about the youth program and the “New Perspectives” discussion, National Director Masao Satow praised the work of the Chicago chapter, and Mike Masaoka reviewed the luncheon, forums and banquet. Kenji Tashiro described the Whing Ding, where the 1000 Club passed its 2,000 member mark. On the front page, President Eisenhower signed a $1,376,287.25 appropriation for 403 Japanese American evacuation claims, and JACL welcomed his signing of a civil rights bill.
Other pages cover a Senate committee’s call for Hawaii statehood, the return of 442nd veteran Staff Sgt. Zenichi Masuda to Stockton, and a review of Dr. Kazuo Miyamoto’s book A Nisei Discovers Japan. Community news includes the Sequoia chapter’s luau, Detroit’s Teahouse of the August Moon, and a children’s book by Sanae Kawaguchi.
What’s in this issue
Commentary
- President’s Corner: Fantabulous convention memories linger, by Dr. Roy Nishikawa, page 1. The writer reflects on the joint EDC-MDC convention in Chicago, highlighting the JACL Youth Program, the New Perspectives discussion, and the spirit of the delegates. He calls the convention a sign that JACL is very much alive.
- Footnote to history, page 2. The column recounts Gwen Terasaki’s account of her husband Hidenari Terasaki’s efforts to avert war between the U.S. and Japan in 1941. Their peace appeal to Roosevelt arrived too late, which the writer treats as a record worth preserving.
- Washington Newsletter, by Mike Masaoka, page 3. Mike Masaoka recalls the 1943 Costello committee hearings that attacked the WRA and evacuees, where he testified as a soldier. He notes that the Nisei’s problems have changed since then into a mopup of war’s leftovers.
- Baloney or bologna, by Elmer Ogawa, page 6. Elmer Ogawa recalls army days in Panama, where a battery commander withheld baloney rations to spare the men, and a later assignment purifying the water supply. He uses these memories to praise good leadership.
- Washington Newsletter: Convention highlights, by Mike Masaoka, page 6. Mike Masaoka reviews the highlights of the joint EDC-MDC convention in Chicago, including the luncheon, forums, Whing Ding, and banquet. He praises the organizers and the emerging Sansei leadership.
National
- $1.3 million claims measure signed by Ike, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Eisenhower signed a supplemental appropriations bill providing $1,376,287.25 for 403 Japanese American evacuation claims. Combined with earlier appropriations, 2,951 claimants will receive $3,618,407.02 by year’s end.
- JACL hails signing of civil rights bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL welcomed President Eisenhower’s signing of the first civil rights bill enacted in 82 years as a meaningful step forward. The organization urged immediate appointment of a distinguished Assistant Attorney General for the new Civil Rights Division to enforce school integration.
- Senate Interior Committee urges Hawaii statehood without further delaying action, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Interior Committee recommended admitting Hawaii as a state without further congressional delay, citing the loyalty of Japanese Americans in World War II. Sen. George Malone filed a minority report proposing commonwealth status instead.
- Active Philadelphia CLer touring U.S. as natl youth director for E. & R. Church, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Henry Tani, Philadelphia JACLer and national youth director for the Evangelical and Reformed Church, toured the country attending church camps and conferences. He was named a delegate to the World Sunday School conference in Tokyo next summer.
- National Director’s Report: Joint EDC-MDC convention, by Masao Satow, page 4. National Director Masao Satow praises the joint EDC-MDC convention in Chicago as one of the finest conventions he has attended. He credits the Chicago chapter’s leaders and the district council chairmen for their work.
Community
- 69 years among longest wedded pair in Islands, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin identified Mr. and Mrs. Matanoshin Ebesumoto of Kauai as the longest-married couple in the Islands, wed in Japan in 1888. The couple came to Hawaii around 1897 and have four children, 17 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
- Canada: Nisei pests bend to admit Japanese fiances, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The first Japanese fiancee to enter Canada under the new $1,000 bond regulation was admitted, marking a change in policy. The report describes the case of Atsuko Watanabe, 27, of Kumamoto.
- Thousand Club Notes: Whing Ding memories, by Kenji Tashiro, page 4. The 1000 Club column recounts the Whing Ding at the joint convention, where the club passed its 2,000 member mark. Skits, dancing and humor marked the evening, which the writer describes as a night of great fun.
- Islanders prepare luau, provide entertainment, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Sequoia JACL chapter announced a luau on September 22 with a Peninsula Hawaiian group providing food and entertainment. Chapter president Peter Nakahara urged families to attend.
- To work for better America, by June Morimoto, page 5. The Orange County Japanese American Youths held their third annual installation banquet at the Royal Hawaiian in Anaheim. Dr. Sammy Lee spoke on his Olympic experiences and encouraged the youth to work for a better America.
- Philanthropist Maria Wolsters receives visa for Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Maria Wolsters, 91, a longtime friend of the Japanese people, received an unrestricted visa from the Japanese consulate in Los Angeles. She plans to visit Kyoto friends and the grave of Toshisuke Takeo.
- Study group probes Japanese farm workers in California, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A federal study group visited 22 labor camps in California to examine how Japanese temporary farm workers were received. The group sought to determine whether the labor contract program should resume.
- Shimanouchi elevated to counsellor post in Japanese Embassy, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Henry Toshiro Shimanouchi, a former San Francisco and Los Angeles resident, was promoted to counsellor at the Japanese Embassy in Washington. He served as English voice for Premier Yoshida at the 1951 San Francisco peace conference.
In-Depth
- A Nisei discovers Japan, page 2. A review of Dr. Kazuo Miyamoto’s book A Nisei Discovers Japan, based on his 1937 two-year diary of travels in Japan. The reviewer describes its candid essays on Japanese life and recommends it as a lively volume of observations.
Military & Veterans
- Dick Masuda remains to be brought home, page 3. Staff Sgt. Zenichi Masuda, a 442nd veteran killed in North Africa, was to be returned to Stockton after a special law overcame red tape. Friends and a judge who once employed him pushed for his return.
- Mortuary absorbs cost of funeral, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The B.C. Wallace Mortuary in Stockton paid for the funeral of Staff Sgt. Zenichi Masuda, killed in North Africa 13 years earlier. The Nisei Veterans Association thanked the mortuary for the public service.
Arts & Entertainment
- Teahouse of the August Moon opens in Detroit, by Kay Miyaya, page 5. The Will-O-Way Playhouse in Detroit staged Teahouse of the August Moon with local Japanese American talent, including Bebe Horiuchi as Lotus Blossom and Frank Ebisuya as Oshira. The production received favorable notices and moved to the Michigan State Fair grounds.
- L.A. Nisei girl who went east to learn modern dance succeeds in publishing book, page 6. Sanae Kawaguchi, a Los Angeles Nisei dancer and artist, published the children’s book Taro’s Festival Day with Little, Brown and Company. Her path ran from Martha Graham’s school in New York to stage work and a second book accepted for publication.
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