Vol. 54, No. 13, March 31, 1962. 4 pages. View this issue
Funding for the JACL Japanese History Project led this four-page issue. Chairman Shig Wakamatsu urged Nisei families and chapters to help reach a $100,000 goal by June 1, calling the effort a test of Nisei maturity. Immigration was also on the front page: Senator Hart introduced a bill to end national and racial discrimination, with a Japanese quota of 5,300. Inside, Dr. Frank Sakamoto and Joe Sagami of the Chicago JACL gave testimony to the FCC about television films that defamed Japanese Americans, and the text appears on page 3.
Other items include convention registration for the Seattle biennial, Governor Edmund Brown’s naming of Yori Wada to a state post, and a profile by Vernon Eller of Sim Togasaki. Page 2 continues the minutes of the 1942 emergency council meeting, which discussed forced removal. Lorry Tojiri’s Vagaries and Jim Matsuoka’s column round out the issue.
What’s in this issue
Commentary
- Test of Nisei Maturity, by Shig Wakamatsu, page 1. Shig Wakamatsu, chairman of the JACL Japanese History Project, urges Nisei families and chapters to support the $100,000 fundraising goal by June 1. He argues the project is a test of Nisei maturity and values, and that a comprehensive study of Japanese Americans could ultimately require over $300,000.
- Freewheeling on the Freeways, by Jim Matsuoka, page 3. A regional director reviews JACL chapter activity, membership renewals, and convention registration deadlines. He encourages chapters to push both membership and Issei Story Project fund drives toward the June 1 goal.
- Text of Testimony Offered at FCC Hearing by Chicago JACLers, by Joe Sagami; Dr. Frank F. Sakamoto, page 3. Chicago JACL president Joe Sagami and Dr. Frank Sakamoto submitted written testimony urging local TV stations to inform, educate, and entertain without prejudice. They specifically objected to anti-Japanese films and to the word ‘Jap’ in broadcasts.
- Requiem for a Chicago Landmark: Michener, by P.C. Staff, page 3. James Michener’s column recalls Chicago’s Club Waikiki and Harry Nakamura, a nightclub figure of the era. The piece eulogizes a Chicago institution through its owner and its place in the community.
National
- Bill Proposing Japan Quota of 5,300 Introduced, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senator Hart introduced a bill with bipartisan sponsorship to eliminate national and racial discrimination in immigration, proposing a Japanese quota of 5,300. The bill would authorize 250,000 quota visas per year and automatically eliminate the Asia-Pacific Triangle provisions.
- Governor Names Yori Wada to $18,000 State Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California Governor Edmund Brown named San Francisco Nisei Yori Wada to a state board post with an annual salary of $18,000, subject to Senate confirmation. Wada’s background includes work with young people, military service in the 442nd, and civic leadership.
- Sakamoto, Sagami Testify at FCC Hearings, Deplore Showing of Anti-Nisei Films, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL representatives Dr. Frank Sakamoto and Joe Sagami testified at FCC hearings in Chicago about local TV stations showing World War II films that defamed Japanese Americans. They asked stations to air programming that portrays the best of ethnic cultures and to avoid prejudice and derogatory terms.
Community
- CCDC Spring Quarterly to Be Hosted by Reedley, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The second quarterly meeting of the Central California District Council was to be hosted by Reedley JACL. The agenda included the oratorical contest and a fund drive.
- Bakersfield Honors Issei Pioneer, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Bakersfield JACL chapter held an Issei Recognition Dinner honoring a Hiroshima-born pioneer. Photo captions show congratulations from program chairman Joe Ono.
- Bakersfield JACLer in New Editorship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Bakersfield JACL chapter member was appointed editor of the new community newspaper News Bulletin. The paper will be published by the Fresno-based publisher with a growing circulation.
JACL
- JACL Convention Goers Urged to Secure Housing Reservations, Registration Now, by Mas Satow, page 1. National Director Mas Satow reports that membership remittances picked up in the first half of March. He urges convention attendees to secure hotel housing and register early for the Seattle convention.
- ‘Night on the Town’ Offered to JACLers Pre-registering for 17th Biennial Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL offered a Century 21 World’s Fair night package as an incentive for early convention registration in Seattle. Registration costs $2 plus $14 for housing, and members were reminded to include forms with their payments.
- Chuman to Speak at New York Issei Story Project Event, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL President Frank Chuman will speak at a New York event for the Issei Story Project. A local working committee is being organized to research the history.
Incarceration & Redress
- Task of Culling Readers Off PC List to Start, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Beginning the next day, the Pacific Citizen started removing subscriptions of JACL members who had not renewed by the March 31 cutoff. Members were advised to check with their chapter membership chairmen about any interruption.
- Minutes of the 1942 Emergency Meeting, Chapter XII, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Minutes of an emergency council meeting discuss evacuation planning, including proposed registration centers and the status of Owens Valley and Parker Dam as possible relocation sites. Council members debated the feasibility of temporary exile and farmland settlement.
Arts & Entertainment
- Vagaries, by Lorry Tojiri, page 3. A column covering Japanese American entertainers, including Jack Soo, Miyoshi Umeki, and the Broadway and Hollywood production of Flower Drum Song. It also reports on Harry Nakamura’s restaurant and new television and film projects.
Sports
- Sports Story Nets Quick Apologies, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Rocky Mountain sports story that used a racial epithet in its lead paragraph drew quick apologies. The newspaper reported the apologies and the offending language.
In-Depth
- The Togasaki Story: Nisei Brethren, by Vernon Eller, page 4. Vernon Eller profiles Sim Togasaki, a Nisei who converted to the Church of the Brethren after being incarcerated during World War II. The article traces the family’s wartime experience, relocation, and eventual religious and community life.
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