JACL staffing, the yen deposit bill and Delta flood relief

Vol. 75, No. 7, August 18, 1972. 6 pages. View this issue

Staffing at JACL headquarters led the front page. President Shig Sugiyama and National Director Mas Satow met in San Francisco to plan recruitment of a Washington representative, regional directors and a youth program director. Mike Masaoka, Joseph Rauh and Rep. Spark Matsunaga testified before a House subcommittee for a bill that would let Japanese internees recover yen deposits at prewar exchange rates, and the bill was reported favorably after a Justice Department amendment. Other stories covered a Justice Department suit over hiring at the Los Angeles Fire Department and a Chinatown youth group’s charge of police harassment.

The commentary pages carried Gladyce Sumida’s letter of resignation over the convention souvenir booklet, a reply from Harry Kubo, and a column by Jerry Enomoto on a cross-country drive. Also inside: flooding in Isleton and the Delta, a clinic for atomic bomb survivors in Los Angeles, and Allan Beekman’s review of W.G. Aston’s history of Japanese literature.

What’s in this issue

Community

• JACL Staff Recruitment Underway, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL President Shig Sugiyama and National Director Mas Satow met in San Francisco to plan recruitment of new staff, including a Washington representative, regional directors, and a youth program director. Job descriptions and candidate applications are being developed through district governors and National Headquarters.
• L.A. Chinatown Youth Council Charges Police Harassment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Los Angeles Chinatown Youth Council wrote to the police chief charging harassment of young people in Chinatown, including the use of epithets like ‘Chink’ and ‘Chinaman.’ The letter also expressed concern over a recent shooting while condemning indiscriminate harassment of the community.
• Clinic Held for Hibakusha in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 1. A two-day clinic at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center provided evaluation and counseling for atomic bomb survivors living in Southern California. Dr. Hiroshi Maki of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission participated, and an estimated 500 to 700 survivors live in the United States.
• New Office on Post St., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese Community Services resumed operations at a new second-floor office on Post Street in San Francisco after a July fire destroyed its Sutter Street office. The agency offers information, referrals, employment, legal aid, health, and public assistance services.
• Flood Victims in Isleton Miss Own Ethnic Foods, by P.C. Staff, page 3. About 200 Asian families, mostly farmers of Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese background, were displaced by the June 21 Isleton levee break and cannot obtain their ethnic foods through Red Cross relief. The Bay Area Asian Coalition has been sending supplies and Sacramento JACL has appealed for donations.
• Delta Pear Growers Face Flood Losses, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Delta farmers including Ray Matsubara and Poly Ag partners report severe losses as flooding has submerged orchards and fields, leaving pears unharvested. Growers face debt payments with no crop to bring in revenue.
• L.A. Minority High School Students Found Clinging to Racial Stereotypes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A survey of 821 Los Angeles area teenagers conducted by minority high school students found that youths of all races hold racial stereotypes about each other. Asian respondents often described whites with negative traits despite stating they did not believe in stereotypes.
• Case to Reopen on Bishop Estate Trustee Takabuki, by Allan Beekman, page 4. The Hawaii State Supreme Court will hear arguments on the appointment of Matsuo Takabuki as trustee of the Bishop Estate, which operates the Kamehameha Schools for Hawaiian children. Native Hawaiians challenge the appointment, arguing that the estate and schools are quasi-public institutions subject to public hearing requirements.

National

• U.S. Charges L.A. Fire Dept. with Job Bias, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Justice Department sued the City of Los Angeles for discriminating against blacks, Mexican Americans, and Orientals in hiring firemen under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Of 3,150 firemen, none were of Oriental extraction, and the city plans to contest the complaint.
• Japanese-American Friendship Act Proposed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Hiram Fong endorsed a bill that would use 10 percent of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands payments to create a trust fund promoting educational and cultural exchange between the U.S. and Japan. The fund would be administered by a presidentially appointed commission.
• Matsunaga Seeks Return of Funds of Prewar Depositors, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Testimony before a House subcommittee supported Rep. Spark Matsunaga’s bill allowing Japanese internees to recover yen certificate deposits held in the Yokohama Specie Bank at prewar exchange rates. The bill was later reported favorably with a Justice Department amendment.

Commentary

• Nisei Fear U.S.-Tokyo Business Odds, by Norman Pearlstine, page 1. A Wall Street Journal report examines growing hostility toward Japanese Americans as U.S.-Japan economic tensions rise, citing the Manzanar camp and recent racial incidents. The article notes that assimilation policies have not fully protected Japanese Americans from discrimination.
• JACL Convention, by Gladyce Sumida, page 2. Gladyce Sumida, a Washington, D.C. JACLer, resigned from JACL over the handling of the 1972 convention souvenir booklet and criticized the convention’s budget debates and personnel decisions. She argued that delegates should be allowed to question leadership rather than simply follow recommendations.
• Letter to the Editor: Convention Booklet Dispute, by Harry Kubo, page 2. A response to Gladyce Sumida’s letter disputes her claims about changes made to the convention booklet, saying the title change was made by Dave Ushio on his own article and layout updates were necessary due to schedule changes. The writer says no text was altered and Sumida never saw the final layout.
• Cross-Country Tourist, by Jerry Enomoto, page 3. Jerry Enomoto recounts a cross-country automobile trip with his nieces, describing New York as impersonal and visits with JACL members in Omaha and Pennsylvania. He reflects on the JACL convention controversy and urges continued commitment to youth and community.

Military & Veterans

• N. Viets Capture Hilo F-4 Jet Pilot, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Air Force Capt. Melvin K. Matsui of Hilo was captured by North Vietnamese forces on July 29 after his F-4 Phantom was shot down on a bombing mission. His parents described him as a reserved son who had written home regularly during his tour in Vietnam.
• Yen Claims Hearing Testimony, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka, Joseph Rauh, and Rep. Matsunaga testified before a House subcommittee in support of allowing internees to recover yen deposits at prewar exchange rates. The subcommittee favorably reported the bill after the Justice Department proposed an amendment.

Arts & Entertainment

• Honolulu Hawaiian Village Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A collection of Hawaii news items covering congressional actions, a sumo champion, political candidates, business promotions, and local crime cases. Notable items include Jesse Kuhaulua becoming the first foreigner to win a sumo championship in Japan.
• A History of Japanese Literature, by Allan Beekman, page 5. Allan Beekman reviews the reissued 1899 history of Japanese literature by W.G. Aston, which covers early Japanese writing, the Heian period prose, and Edo-era popular novels. The review notes Aston’s scholarly contributions while critiquing his ethnocentric judgments.

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