Vol. 71, No. 19, November 6, 1970. 6 pages. View this issue
A New York dinner honoring Yoneo Arai, the oldest living mainland Nisei, led the news as the Japanese Immigration Centennial came to a close. National JACL President Raymond Uno spoke there, and Jor Oyama reported on the evening. Elsewhere, state officials, local groups and JACL members met at Lone Pine to discuss a California state memorial at Manzanar. Harry Honda looked into whether the Santa Cruz murders of Japanese Americans were racially motivated, and the paper also reported the killing of Hawaii State Sen. Larry Kuriyama during Aloha Week.
The six pages also follow a dispute over the book ‘The Japanese Americans: The Untold Story’ and Buddhist criticism of it. Commentary includes Mike Masaoka’s Washington Newsletter, an editorial and letters on one man, one vote in JACL, and a 1943 letter from a Nisei soldier at Camp Shelby to his father. Page 4 describes Asian Legal Services and the San Francisco Drop-in Center.
What’s in this issue
National
- Uno Tells Tale of Speechwriter at Yoneo Arai Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL President Raymond Uno addressed the Yoneo Arai dinner with a humorous story about a speechwriter. He also recounted the 1922 voyage of Osako Teraoka aboard the Korea Maru.
- Kuriyama Assassination Mars Aloha Week, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaii State Sen. Larry Kuriyama was gunned down outside his home, sparking death threats against Gov. John Burns and his running mate. The killing came amid a wave of violent crime during Aloha Week.
- Racist Angle in Murders Eyed, by Harry Honda, page 1. Japanese-language press speculated whether the Santa Cruz murders of Dr. Victor Ohta and others, along with other killings of Japanese Americans, were racially motivated. Authorities and reporters found no firm evidence of racism in the cases.
Community
- State, Local, JACL Interests Grow in Manzanar Memorial Site, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Lone Pine meeting of state officials, local groups and JACL members discussed a California state memorial at Manzanar. The Pacific Southwest District Council is expected to lead the project.
- Superintendent DePue Defends San Mateo Book, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Mateo Superintendent Harold DePue defended ‘The Japanese Americans: The Untold Story’ against Buddhist Churches of America opposition. He stressed that no single book can satisfy every group’s needs.
- Untold Story Continued: JACP Reactions, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Members of the Japanese American Curriculum Project respond to Buddhist criticism of their textbook. They argue the book introduces young readers to major points of Japanese American history.
- Grand Juror Uno Reprimanded for Surprise Jail Visit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Francisco grand juror Edison Uno was reprimanded after an unannounced inspection of the county jail. Uno said he feared conditions could spark a riot like the one in New York.
- Drop-in Center, by Kaz Maniwa, page 4. Maniwa describes the San Francisco Drop-in Center created to bridge gaps between Issei, Nisei and Sansei. Its programs aim to foster cooperation and trust across generations.
- NC-WNDC 4th Quarterly Session, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Northern California-Western Nevada District Council prepared for a Berkeley meeting featuring Raymond Uno and a Nisei politicians panel. Business included governor election rules and Elks Club discrimination resolutions.
- Rare Nisei-Sansei Dialogue at Eastern District Council, by P.C. Staff, page 6. An EDC panel with Raymond Uno, Mike Masaoka and Sansei activists discussed identity, racism and generational communication. Participants addressed the gap between Nisei parents and young people.
Military & Veterans
- Wakamatsu Colony Centennial Ends With Honor for Yoneo Arai, by Jor Oyama, page 1. JACL honored Yoneo Arai, the oldest living mainland Nisei, at a New York dinner concluding the Japanese Immigration Centennial. Mike Masaoka and others spoke on the Japanese American history of democracy and civil rights.
- Letter From a Nisei Soldier to His Father, by Sawada, page 6. A young Nisei soldier writes to his father from Camp Shelby in 1943 recalling family memories and his mother’s death. He expresses gratitude for his father’s sacrifice in raising the children alone.
Commentary
- Washington Newsletter: Nov. 3 Elections, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka reviews independent and third-party candidacies in the 1970 elections and the rise of Black political officeholders. He also notes the Hawaii and California candidates of Japanese ancestry.
- Legal Services, by Shoshana Arai, page 4. Arai describes the founding of Asian Legal Services in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The organization provides lawyers, bilingual counseling and preventive legal education.
- Editorial: Tea Party Politics and JACL Proportional Representation, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. The editorial responds to San Jose chapter arguments for one man, one vote in JACL. It argues proportional representation is better practiced at the district level and calls for JACL renewal.
- Letters: One Man, One Vote in JACL, by Richard K. Tanaka, page 6. San Jose JACL president Richard Tanaka defends proportional voting in JACL, arguing individual members should have equal votes. He rebuts the earlier claim that chapter-based voting is fairer.
- Letter: In Search of Writers, by Mary Oyama Mittwer, page 6. Mittwer forwards a request from Dillard University instructor David Lambert seeking contact information for early Nisei writers and poets for a minority literature course.
- Letter: A First Step, by Yoji Ozaki, page 6. Ozaki welcomes the appointment of Warren Furutani as national JACL community involvement coordinator. He urges chapters to form social action committees to address pollution, crime and war.
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