JACL’s 1970 Chicago convention, and Raymond Uno’s afterthoughts

Vol. 71, No. 7, August 14, 1970. 8 pages. View this issue

The aftermath of the 1970 Chicago convention opened this eight-page issue. National President Raymond S. Uno wrote about its lowlights and about the young activists Evelynn Okubo, Ranko Yamada and Patti Iwataki. Mike Masaoka reported that the campaign to repeal Title II of the Internal Security Act, which authorized emergency detention camps, was stalled in Congress. Bill Hosokawa reported on a conversation with S.I. Hayakawa about Sansei activism.

Elsewhere, George Williams wrote about Dr. Kenneth Ozawa’s return to the Topaz relocation center in Utah. News items included two Japanese student hitchhikers beaten in Georgia, Col. Young O. Kim’s new Army post in Hawaii, and a Nisei Week dinner for Sen. Daniel K. Inouye. Harry K. Honda’s editorials covered free speech, V-J Day and Japanese textbooks, and a prize-winning essay argued for understanding as the basis of JACL.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Afterthoughts, by Raymond S. Uno, page 1. JACL National President Raymond Uno reflects on the 1970 Chicago convention and the lowlights of the campaign. He praises the young activists Evelynn Okubo, Ranko Yamada and Patti Iwataki and thanks the supporters who helped him win the presidency.
• Report on a conversation, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Columnist Bill Hosokawa reports on a conversation with S.I. Hayakawa, president of San Francisco State College, about Sansei activism. Hayakawa argues that activists unknowingly adopt Black American cultural patterns and abandon Issei values such as gaman and enryo.
• Problem of free speech, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. The editorial examines how public figures’ speech carries weight of office, using President Nixon’s comments on the Manson trial as an example. It also notes the legal questions raised by the remarks.
• Where were you 25 years ago?, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. The editor recalls V-J Day in 1945 while serving at Fort Warren, Wyoming, and the closing of WRA camps. He reflects that the Nisei war record was gradually reducing discrimination despite lingering anti-Japanese feelings on the West Coast.
• Textbook furor in Japan, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. The editorial discusses a controversy in Japan over government textbooks teaching the divine origins of the nation and the Emperor. It highlights court action in favor of historian Saburo Ienaga against ministry screening of his textbook.
• How we’ve brought racism to ‘Nam, by Register-Pajaronian editorial reprint, page 8. Reprinted from the Watsonville Register-Pajaronian, the piece cites Norman Nakamura’s observations of American soldiers’ racist treatment of Vietnamese civilians. It concludes that the presence of such troops perpetuates the war and spreads racism.
• Understanding: basis for JACL, by John M. Fujimori, page 8. This prize-winning essay argues that understanding among generations and among all Americans is necessary for JACL’s survival and effectiveness. The author calls on JACL to actively engage in important public issues.
• JACL vs. Religion, by Nobusuke Fukuda, page 8. Social worker Nobusuke Fukuda criticizes JACL’s handling of separation of church and state in the proposed morality guidelines for California schools. He faults the JACL committee for accepting the Moomaw draft and questions its position on teaching Genesis.

National

• 2 hitchhikers in Georgia attacked, by Phil Gailey, page 1. Two Japanese student hitchhikers were beaten outside a Homer, Georgia country store by two Vietnam veterans who shouted about communists. The store owner intervened with a gun, and the students were jailed overnight before leaving for North Carolina with no serious injuries.
• Immigration admissions reach 40-year high, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Preliminary figures show about 370,000 immigrants were admitted to the U.S. in the year ending June 30, 1970, about 10,000 more than in 1969 and the largest annual total in 40 years. The article notes the impact of the 1965 revisions to immigration law.
• Title II repeal stalled, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. The congressional campaign to repeal Title II of the Internal Security Act, which authorized emergency detention camps, remains stalled because House Internal Security Committee Chairman Richard Ichord insists on testimony from a senior Justice Department official. The writer urges JACL chapters to lobby their Congressmen for repeal during the recess.

Military & Veterans

• 100th Infantry’s Col. Kim assigned as U.S. Army Hawaii information officer, by Charles Turner, page 1. Col. Young O. Kim, the lone Korean American with the 100th Infantry Battalion in WWII, has been named information officer for U.S. Army Hawaii. He recalls his wartime service, the acceptance he found among the Nisei soldiers, and their courage in combat.
• Japanese officers chronicle Navy falls, by Allan Beekman, page 8. Reviewer Allan Beekman discusses an anthology of Japanese naval officers’ accounts of major Pacific campaigns, including Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guadalcanal and Okinawa. He notes its value in presenting the Japanese perspective on events.

Community

• Eastbay flower growers move to Watsonville, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Kitayama Bros., one of California’s largest flower growers, is moving its growing operations to Watsonville because East Bay smog has damaged crops. Packing and marketing operations will remain in Union City.
• San Francisco Japanese center shortens name, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The developers of the Japanese Cultural and Trade Center in San Francisco are dropping ‘Cultural and Trade’ from the name, now calling it simply Japanese Center. Spokesman George Yamasaki says the project is really a shopping center with a Japanese flavor, and the Kabuki Theater has failed.
• NY Chinatown lad slain in gang war, by P.C. Staff, page 1. William Wong, 14, was stabbed to death near the Bamboo Garden Restaurant in New York’s Chinatown after reported harassment by a teenage gang. The article links the rise in youth crime to rootless refugee youths arriving from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
• Nisei Week dinner to honor Sen. Inouye, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A testimonial dinner honoring U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, grand marshal of the 30th Nisei Week Parade, is set for August 22 at the Los Angeles Hilton. Honolulu Cherry Blossom Festival royalty will also attend.
• Enomoto adviser to ‘Go For Broke’ youth, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Jerry Enomoto, immediate past National JACL President and newly appointed deputy supervisor at Soledad Prison, has joined the advisory board of Go For Broke, a youth organization working on drug abuse and dropouts in East Los Angeles. He met with the youth and encouraged their efforts.
• Asian American Studies Central to be established for L.A. colleges, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Participants at the Southland Intercollegiate Conference of Asian American Studies at Cal State Long Beach backed the creation of a Studies Central to coordinate Asian American studies across Southern California colleges. Campuses with small programs could draw strength from it.
• Whittier Nisei matron arranged class reunion at White House with Nixons, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Satsu Tani of Whittier arranged a reunion at the White House for 37 members of Whittier College’s Class of 1934 with President Richard Nixon. The group toured federal sites and received gifts including a pen and gold pins with the presidential seal.
• Nisei Week greetings and news capsules, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A roundup of news in Politics, Business, Congressional Score, Police Blotter and Names in the News from Hawaii and the mainland. Items include Rep. Spark Matsunaga declining to challenge Sen. Hiram Fong and Japan Air Lines expanding Honolulu flights.
• Topaz WRA center revisited, by George Williams, page 3. Sacramento physician Dr. Kenneth Ozawa returned to the Topaz relocation center in Utah where he spent part of his childhood during WWII. He recalls the family’s forced sale of property, camp conditions, and the wartime fatal shooting of an Issei man by a guard.
• Nihongo teacher revisits students after 30 years, by Joe Hamanaka, page 5. Mrs. Yoriaki Nakagawa, widow of the pre-Evacuation Seattle Kokugo Gakko principal, visited Seattle and was honored at dinner by former students and Gold Star parents. The Nakagawas had sent Memorial Day wreaths for the Seattle-area Nisei war dead for 24 years.
• Summer fund for Eastbay Issei started, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The East Bay Sansei Students Association is raising funds for summer recreation and activities for the Issei. The group has already held a picnic and bay cruise and plans five more projects.

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