Vol. 83, No. 19, November 5, 1976. 4 pages. View this issue
A pardon for Iva Toguri was the subject at the top of this four-page issue. The Committee for Iva Toguri planned to file a presidential application after the November elections, and chapters were asked to send petitions to the White House. Fundraising had reached $4,000. Lee Ruttle reported on the opening of Wendy Masako Yoshimura’s trial, where jury selection moved slowly and Nisei jurors were challenged. The November Report from JACL National Headquarters covered the Retirement Conference, 1977 membership materials and PCYA deadlines.
Other pages looked at former Governor John A. Burns’s oral history on Pearl Harbor and his espionage unit, and at nearly 700 people gathering for an Amache reunion in San Francisco, with Rep. Norman Mineta as speaker. Serena Oka wrote about her week at the Presidential Classroom for Young Americans. An editorial urged dropping the term mongolism for Down’s syndrome, and ABC-TV canceled Mr. T and Tina.
What’s in this issue
JACL
- The November Report, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL National Headquarters reported on the Retirement Conference planning committee, the 1977 membership materials, and PCYA enrollment deadlines. The report also covered delays in completing the JACL National Convention minutes.
Incarceration & Redress
- Petition for Toguri to be Filed After Election, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Committee for Iva Toguri prepared to file a presidential pardon application after the November elections, with chapters asked to forward petitions to the White House. Fundraising had reached $4,000, and several local governments passed resolutions supporting Toguri.
Community
- Central California JACL District Council Convention Set for Nov. 13-14, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 26th annual Central California JACL District Council convention will be held in Fresno over the Nov. 13-14 weekend. Installation banquet and related events were scheduled as part of the program.
- Nearly 700 Frolic at Amache Reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nearly 700 former Amache internees and guests attended the camp’s first reunion since 1945 at the Miyako Hotel in San Francisco. Rep. Norman Mineta was the guest speaker at the event.
- Frank Chuman Installation Banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. West Los Angeles JACL announced its installation dinner featuring former national JACL president Frank Chuman as speaker. Event details and reservation information were provided for chapter members.
- Candy Man Called Peanuts, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Nebuo Fukuda, a Pasco, Washington Issei known as Peanuts, is honored by his community for his years of street cleaning and gifts of candy to children. The city and local organizations recognized his civic contributions.
National
- Questions Over Pearl Harbor Opened, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Oral history interviews with former Governor John A. Burns raised renewed questions about what U.S. authorities knew before the Pearl Harbor attack. Burns described his espionage unit’s internment of Japanese community leaders and his doubts about the military alert changes.
- Wendy Trial Opens, Nisei Challenged for Jury, by Lee Ruttle, page 1. The trial of Wendy Masako Yoshimura began with jury selection, and pretrial motions addressed the prosecution’s plans regarding Patricia Hearst. Several prospective jurors were examined and challenged as the selection process proceeded slowly.
- West Coast Chapters Propose 14 JACL Flights to Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. West Coast chapters and districts requested fourteen 1977 group charter flights to Japan through the National JACL Travel Program. Participants were advised on membership requirements and the expected savings compared with commercial fares.
Commentary
- Mongolism—A Poor Name, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial supports the Union of Pan Asian Communities of San Diego in asking that the racist term mongolism be dropped in favor of Down’s syndrome. It notes the term originated with a physician whose classification reflected outdated racial thinking.
- Youth at PCYA, by Serena Oka, page 2. A Portland high school student describes her week at the Presidential Classroom for Young Americans in Washington, D.C., including tours and meetings with government branch representatives. She encourages other students to apply before the November 15 deadline.
- Artemik Case, by Nobuyuki Nakajima, page 2. A letter writer criticizes a custody ruling in the Artemik case, arguing that the judgment wrongly downplayed a Japanese American mother’s parenting and cultural background. The writer contends the decision reflects a belief in European cultural superiority.
Arts & Entertainment
- ABC-TV Chops Mr. T and Tina, by P.C. Staff, page 3. ABC-TV canceled the sitcom Mr. T and Tina starring Pat Morita after its November 6 episode following poor ratings and criticism from Asian American groups over stereotypes. The JACL had also met with producers to discuss improving the show.
Military & Veterans
- Pearl Harbor Oral History Continued: Burns Recalls Espionage Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Former Governor John A. Burns recalled his espionage unit’s investigations of Japanese community members in Hawaii before the attack and the internment decisions that followed. He expressed puzzlement over the military alert changes and the lack of sabotage by local Japanese Americans.
Obituaries
- Koji Ariyoshi, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Koji Ariyoshi, a Honolulu journalist and businessman who served with the MIS in the CBI theater, died of cancer at age 62. He was remembered for his wartime service and his contacts with Chinese Communist leaders.
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