Repealing Title II and the Emergency Detention Act, January 1970

Vol. 70, No. 4, January 30, 1970. 6 pages. View this issue

The push to repeal Title II of the Internal Security Act ran through this six-page issue. Portland JACLers and Portland State students gave Rep. Wendell Wyatt a 600-signature petition, and Orange County supervisors unanimously backed repeal. Chicago JACL began its own petition drive, and a Feb. 14 Burbank banquet with Rep. Spark Matsunaga was planned to fund the campaign. An editorial called on Congress to erase the Emergency Detention Act of 1950. National JACL President Jerry Enomoto wrote on a hostile State Board of Education hearing, and on JACL’s role in the 1970s.

Mike Masaoka looked at President Nixon’s State of the Union message, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about the Orange County installation dinner. Mas Manbo proposed Joseph Yoshisuke Kurihara, who led a riot at Manzanar, as a hero for future historians. Teruo Yoshino, M.D., reviewed Hosokawa’s book Nisei: the Quiet Americans. Don Hayashi praised JACL’s drive to aid Native Americans on Alcatraz, and Patti Dohzen remembered a longtime youth adviser. Sports columns and bowling results close the issue.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Responsible Education, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. Enomoto reports on Rev. Roy Sano’s testimony at a State Board of Education hearing on morality guidelines, describing hostile reactions from the audience. He argues JACL must stay informed and active in responsible education efforts.
• Response, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. Enomoto responds to a Seattle JACL Reporter piece on delegates’ conscience, arguing that delegates must vote their chapter’s positions and be accountable. He contends a delegate who cannot vote his conscience should not serve as a delegate.
• State of Union Message, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka critiques President Nixon’s January 1970 State of the Union address as full of generalities that offered little concrete help to minorities. He notes promises on civil rights and equal opportunity lacked specifics.
• Erase Detention Camp Law, by P.C. Staff, page 3. An editorial welcomes Justice Department moves to repeal the Emergency Detention Act of 1950, which fueled fears among minority groups. It urges Congress to erase the law to dispel rumors and racial unrest.
• Detention Camp Law Outrageous, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Chicago Sun-Times editorial, reprinted here, urges Congress to repeal the Emergency Detention Act now that the administration has sought repeal. It argues repeal costs nothing and would remove a totalitarian symbol.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa recounts a visit to the Orange County JACL installation dinner in Newport Beach, reuniting with old friends. He profiles Jim Okazaki, Seiji Horiuchi, and Kimbo Yoshitomi, and reflects on the Nisei generation.
• Morality Guidelines for public schools, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A report on the State Board of Education hearing on morality guidelines, where a JACLer, Rev. Roy Sano, faced hostile reactions. The article describes the contentious testimony.
• Patti Dohzen: The Great Pumpkin, by Patti Dohzen, page 4. Dohzen recalls a longtime JACL youth adviser who was a fixture at chapter meetings and reflects on his skill in resolving group conflicts. She notes the work of the youth staff continues with Victor Shibata and Ron Wakabayashi.
• East Wind: Foreign imports more alluring to Japan populace, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani observes that Japanese consumers prize foreign-made goods such as Hamilton watches and Parker pens over domestic products. He finds the preference puzzling given the quality of Japanese manufacturing.
• Nisei—Quiet Americans, by Teruo Yoshino, M.D., page 5. Dr. Yoshino praises Bill Hosokawa’s book Nisei: the Quiet Americans for documenting the first 100 years of Japanese in America with humility. He says the book creates empathy rather than antagonism.
• Title II Repeal, by Bob H. Suzuki, page 5. Suzuki criticizes the Pasadena Board of City Directors for declining to take a position supporting repeal of Title II. He argues local officials should address concerns of minority communities despite claimed policy against national issues.
• Age of Aquarius, by Murray M. Hoki, page 5. Hoki criticizes a Sounding Board column that linked the musical Hair with the Sermon on the Mount, calling the analogies confused. The editor notes that incongruity may be stimulating to some readers.
• A New Hero for Future Historians, by Mas Manbo, page 6. Manbo proposes Joseph Yoshisuke Kurihara as a hero for the 1970s, recounting his service, imprisonment, and leadership of a riot at Manzanar. He argues Kurihara’s life offers lessons on conscience and on accepting protest.
• Fresh Down and 10 Yards to Go, by Strictly Marginal, page 6. The column covers Japanese college football, including the Rice Bowl and Koshien Bowl, and notes the continued confusion over the term first down. It observes that the sport lags behind rugby and soccer in Japan due to smaller players.
• Spartan Beat, by Sam Sakamoto, page 6. A column on Japanese sports and prospects of Japanese athletes in U.S. baseball and football. It remarks on Masanori Murakami’s return to the Giants and Japanese pro standards.

Community

• Salinas Valley, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. Enomoto recounts his visit to the Salinas Valley Chapter installation dinner, where Mrs. Mitsuko Osugi received a National JACL certificate. He also mentions meeting new residents and a golf outing.
• Sonoma County JACL to co-sponsor Japanese culture and trade show, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Sonoma County JACL and Cardinal Newman High School will host a Japanese cultural display and trade show April 24-26 at the county fairgrounds. Proceeds will support both sponsoring groups.
• Nat’l JACL aids ethnic curriculum, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pasadena City College will add a Sociology of the Asian American course this spring with help from the Greater Pasadena Area JACL. The course is also a seed for a National JACL project to develop Asian American studies materials.
• Orange County supervisors favor repeal of Title II, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Orange County board of supervisors unanimously passed a resolution supporting repeal of Title II after JACL representatives Jim Okazaki and Henry Kanegae presented the case. Copies were sent to the President and area congressmen.
• Tani-Young engineer Steve Tani cited by Transportation Dept., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Stanford graduate Steve Tani received a Transportation Department award for his operations research work, including a computer program to ease airport congestion. He is the son of the late Henry N. Tani.
• Japan Week scholarships: $50,000 set aside, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A $50,000 scholarship fund was established from the proceeds of the 1969 Japan Week celebration in San Francisco. A committee will be selected to administer the fund.

JACL

• Emerging role for JACL in ’70s tagged, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Enomoto outlines a more action-oriented JACL role in the 1970s, including opposition to the Defense Facilities and Industrial Security Act and support for Indian occupiers of Alcatraz. He also describes field director positions and ethnic-concern projects.

Incarceration & Redress

• Portland pushes petitions to repeal Title II, by Mel Junghans, page 1. Portland JACLers and Portland State students presented a 600-signature petition to Rep. Wendell Wyatt seeking repeal of Title II of the Internal Security Act. Rep. Wyatt recalled his FBI role in the 1942 raids and supported repeal.
• Chicago JACL petition campaign to repeal Title II, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Chicago JACL is circulating petitions urging the House to repeal Title II in the same form the Senate passed. Signers are asked to contribute to fund a full-page newspaper ad.
• Portland pushes petitions, by Mel Junghans, page 1. Portland-area JACL and Portland State students sought repeal of Title II, presenting 600 signatures to Rep. Wendell Wyatt. Wyatt recalled his FBI raids in Seattle and supported repeal.
• Sparky to keynote Title II repeal fund-raiser at PSWDC quarterly, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL will hold a Feb. 14 fund-raising banquet in Burbank featuring Rep. Spark Matsunaga to finance the Title II repeal campaign. The event is held with the PSWDC quarterly and Progressive Westside chapter installation.
• Title II Repeal Boxcore, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A list of governmental bodies, organizations, newspapers, and churches that have passed resolutions or commented favorably on repealing Title II. The list documents broad support for repeal across the country.

Military & Veterans

• New security bill due House vote, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL urged members to oppose HR 14864, the Defense Facilities and Industrial Security Act of 1970, which Hiroshi Kanno said could repress dissent. Kanno outlined concerns over loose definitions and guilt-by-association provisions.
• Potshots: An Alive Concern, by Don Hayashi, page 4. Hayashi praises JACL’s recent drive to aid Native Americans occupying Alcatraz, arguing it shows concern for other minority groups. He urges Nisei and Sansei to support Native American cultural goals.

Arts & Entertainment

• Documentary film on Samurai Arts slated, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mako International Productions is producing a two-part documentary on Japanese samurai martial arts, with part one for television and part two filmed in Japan. Mako Iwamatsu is the company’s executive president.

Sports

• Oakland Nisei classics, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Bowling results from Seattle league play, including top scores by Sallie Yamada and Ruth Okamoto. Uwajimaya and other teams are noted with their high series.

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