Civil rights and racial strife in JACL’s fall 1967 news

Vol. 65, No. 18, November 3, 1967. 6 pages. View this issue

Civil rights ran through the front page of this six-page issue. National President Jerry Enomoto answered a chapter president’s letter about racial strife at San Jose State College, saying JACL opposes violence and civil disobedience. The paper also reported that the Administration’s civil rights bill cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee by one vote, with a second story on page 6 about the debate ahead. UCLA professor Harry Kitano gave startling views on the evacuation, and Ross Harano called for fresh young voices at the 1000 Club Whing Ding.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa reviewed a book on the planning of the Hiroshima bombing, and Mike Masaoka remembered Japan’s postwar Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida. Yosh Hotta wrote two columns on housing, and youth delegates and the JACL tour of Japan received coverage.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• A Letter, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. National President Jerry Enomoto responds to a chapter president’s letter critiquing his earlier column on racial strife at San Jose State College. He defends the administration’s handling and argues JACL opposes violence and civil disobedience while remaining committed to the rule of law.
• Sacred cow should be butchered for sake of young, fresh blood, by Ross Harano, page 1. MDC Youth Commissioner Ross Harano endorses a Chicago JACLer editorial calling for change at the 1000 Club Whing Ding. He argues JACL must bring in young adults and listen to their ideas.
• From the frying pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa reviews Joseph Marx’s book Seven Hours to Zero on the planning of the Hiroshima bombing. He notes the bomb was intended first for Germany and recounts target selection, including Kyoto’s removal.
• Dr. John Lechner, by Jeffrey Matsui, page 4. Jeffrey Matsui recounts the wartime activities of Dr. John R. Lechner, who campaigned against Japanese Americans and spread false espionage claims. He contrasts Lechner’s record with later civic honors bestowed on him by Los Angeles bodies.
• Chatter, by Yosh Hotta, page 4. Yosh Hotta argues that JACL spends much effort on talk about civil rights, open housing and school desegregation with limited results. He calls for practical follow-through rather than slogans.
• Is it ‘better’ housing? Urban crisis compared, by Yosh Hotta, page 4. Yosh Hotta examines the urban housing crisis and compares it with the experience of evacuees resettling in Chicago. He reviews strategies including the do-nothing, dispersal, income and services approaches.
• Ye Editor’s Desk: Mata Kaerimasu (I shall return), by P.C. Staff, page 6. The editor reflects on the JACL tour’s three weeks in Japan, noting improvements in food safety and water and remaining gaps in roads and public welfare. He examines Japan’s rapid economic growth compared with the United States.

Community

• Cookbook being prepared, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Northern California-Western Nevada District Youth Council is compiling a fund-raising cookbook of favorite recipes. Recipes may be submitted to Carolyn Shiozaki in San Francisco.
• Two JACL youth delegates inspired by challenges forged by democracy, by Kennon Nakamura, page 2. Kennon Nakamura and Richard Okabe represented JACL at the 22nd National Conference on Citizenship in Washington, D.C. They describe seminars and keynote addresses on youth’s responsibilities in democracy.
• Tijuana orphanage four-day program of repairing, cleaning Hacienda, helping youngsters brings warm sense of satisfaction to 60 Jrs., by David Takashima and Becky Urata, page 2. Sixty Pacific Southwest District Youth Council members spent four days repairing and cleaning the Christian Hacienda Orphanage in Tijuana. The project met its service goal, though it ran a small net loss covered by a separate fund drive.
• 3500 enjoy 1st Earth Science show by WLA, by P.C. Staff, page 3. An overflow crowd of over 3,500 attended the first Earth Science show sponsored by the West Los Angeles JACL Earth Science Section at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Exhibits included lapidary art, minerals, fossils and bonsai.
• Madera County refuses George Mochizuki move, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Madera County Action Committee rejected George Mochizuki’s resignation as chairman, with only two members voting to accept it. The committee also amended a report on executive committee criticisms of Mochizuki’s labor housing.
• San Francisco JACL in candidates’ program, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The San Francisco JACL and Nisei Voters League held an annual Candidates’ Night for mayoral, supervisorial and other candidates. Sixteen November propositions were also discussed.
• Father Clement and Philly JACL, by Kuniko Okamoto, page 6. Kuniko Okamoto reports that Father Clement attended a Philadelphia Chapter meeting and energized members. She notes his earlier testimonial dinner in Downtown Los Angeles.

JACL

• Plan JACL Japan tour in 1968, current tour smashing success, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tad Hirota has proposed a reunion of the JACL Japan tour after the 1968 San Jose National Convention. The current tour is described as a success, with members visiting Nagoya, Hakone and other sites.

In-Depth

• Kitano has startling views on Japanese evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. UCLA professor Harry Kitano told a Los Angeles business group that genocide could have followed the evacuation had Japan invaded the mainland. He outlined stages from prejudice to extinction and critiqued the villain theory of mass injustice.

National

• JACL hails Administration Civil Rights bill; forced from Judiciary Committee by one vote, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Judiciary Committee narrowly advanced the Administration’s civil rights bill by one vote, with Senator Hugh Scott flown in to cast a decisive ballot. JACL, a charter member of the National Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, applauded the action.
• Civil Rights bill nears floor action, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The civil rights bill reported from the Senate Judiciary Committee would make it a federal crime to interfere with specified rights. The article outlines expected floor debate, possible filibuster tactics, and Senator Dirksen’s uncertain position.
• Japan ex-Ambassador joins JAL as advisor, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Ryuji Takeuchi, Japan’s Ambassador to the United States until recently, was named special advisor to the president of Japan Air Lines. The article summarizes his diplomatic career.

Obituaries

• Shigeru Yoshida, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Mike Masaoka remembers Shigeru Yoshida, Japan’s postwar Prime Minister who died at 89, as the leader who guided Japan’s reconstruction and Western alignment. Masaoka recounts his own meetings with Yoshida at the San Francisco Peace Conference.

Military & Veterans

• Tour stopover, by Richard Gima, page 5. Richard Gima recounts meeting the JACL tour group at Honolulu International Airport during their stopover en route to Japan. He describes encounters with tour members and Joanne Ukura, the Cherry Blossom Queen.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.