Reparations, the Tule Lake plaque and a Topaz monument

Vol. 82, No. 20, May 21, 1976. 4 pages. View this issue

Redress and remembrance ran through this four-page issue. Editorials and columns pressed the case for reparations for the wartime incarceration (often called internment). Edison Uno reported on the first meeting of JACL’s National Reparations Campaign Committee in Portland, and the editorial page argued that confession alone was not enough. Dexter Waugh covered the California Historical Resources Commission’s 4-1 vote against putting the words ‘concentration camp’ on a Tule Lake plaque, and an editorial urged the same wording used at Manzanar. Alice Kasai reported that the JACL-Topaz committee had raised $5,500 for a second monument at the camp site.

Also in this issue: eight finalists for the JAL-JACL fellowship, Houston’s installation as the 99th JACL chapter, and a bronze plaque for 442nd RCT member S/Sgt. Peter S. Masuoka. Bill Hosokawa’s column looked at seaweed and eel, and a reader’s letter recalled the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Combat Team.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• JAL fellowship finalists selected, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eight finalists were selected for the JAL-JACL fellowship, including university undergraduates, a law student, a doctoral candidate, a high school teacher and a social worker. Their fields of interest include literature, journalism, music, political science and Asian studies.
• Sgt. Masuoka plaque, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A bronze plaque honoring 442nd RCT member S/Sgt. Peter S. Masuoka, killed in action in WW2, will be dedicated at the Presidio San Francisco chapel on May 23. The ceremony will take place during Protestant services.

Community

• Topaz committee raises $5,500 for 2nd monument at camp, by Alice Kasai, page 1. The JACL-Topaz Fund Raising Committee has met its financial needs for a 22-ton monument at the WW2 camp site in Central Utah, with $5,500 deposited as of April 27. The dedication pilgrimage has been rescheduled from June to August to avoid conflict with the National JACL Convention.
• PSW education panel in action, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Selanoco JACL will feature the PSWDC Education Committee at its May 21 general meeting at Rio Hondo Community College. Speakers will address current social and educational issues involving the multi-cultural scene and the Sansei.
• Wendy’s trial sketched, by Lee Ruttle, page 1. Wendy Yoshimura faces charges related to a conspiracy involving explosives, and the defense has struggled to fund an adequate legal effort. The Fair Trial Committee has raised about $17,000 for defense and $25,000 for bail, while attorney James Larson has devoted extensive time to the case.
• Credit union mgr. sentenced 6 mos. jail term; allowed to continue work, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Joe Mitsuhiro, former manager of the defunct Pasadena Japanese Credit Union, received a six-month county jail sentence and was ordered to repay $23,000 after pleading no contest to embezzlement and forgery charges. He was permitted to work during the day and serve his jail term in the evenings, and will be placed on five-year probation.

JACL

• Houston JACL becomes 99th chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Houston JACL was installed as the 99th chapter of the National JACL, with officers installed by national president-elect Jim Murakami on February 20. The chapter was originated a year earlier through the efforts of two couples and over two dozen individuals.
• Uyehara elected Eastern District governor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hiroshi Uyehara, a longtime Philadelphia JACLer, was elected Eastern District Council governor to complete the term of Sue Uyeda, who resigned in February. The EDC also reviewed National JACL Convention items including the budget, constitution and organizational structure.

Incarceration & Redress

• Tule Lake plaque, by Dexter Waugh, page 1. The California Historical Resources Commission debated whether to label the Tule Lake WW2 camp a ‘concentration camp’ on a bronze plaque, voting 4-1 against the proposed wording. The decision now rests with state parks director Dr. Herbert Rhodes, who must choose between conflicting views of the camps.

Commentary

• Editorial: An American Promise, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial discusses JACL’s campaign for reparations and the need for redress of wartime Japanese American incarceration beyond mere confession. It argues that monetary liability is the only way to fulfill the promise of justice in America’s founding principles.
• Tule Lake plaque, by P.C. P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial argues that the Manzanar plaque’s ‘concentration camp’ wording sets a precedent that the Tule Lake plaque should follow. It notes that standard dictionaries define concentration camps as places where people were detained en masse, and urges intellectual honesty from the new state parks director.
• Reparations, by Nobuyuki Nakajima, page 2. A letter writer argues that Japanese Americans should seek equitable reparations for victims of the concentration camps as a defense of the nation’s founding beliefs. The writer contends that constitutional rights must be upheld to be meaningful.
• PC Letter Box: Farewell to Manzanar and Nisei in Wartime, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Hawaiian Nisei reader recalls wartime restrictions on Hawaiian Nisei civilians and soldiers, including badges, armed guards and suspicion of loyalty. The letter describes the formation of the 100th Battalion and the later role of the 442nd Combat Team.
• From the Frying Pan: Of Seaweed & Eels, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Columnist Bill Hosokawa discusses the popularity of seaweed in Japanese diets and reports on Japan’s three-month ban on export of eel fry to Taiwan. He also recounts his wife Kyoko’s successful grilled eel dish.
• Minority of One: Reparations, by Edison Uno, page 2. Edison Uno reports on the first meeting of JACL’s National Reparations Campaign Committee in Portland and praises its preparation. He responds to critics who argue against reparations, and criticizes S.I. Hayakawa’s characterization of the campaign.

National

• Nat’l JACL Japan flights and tour information, by P.C. Staff, page 3. National JACL announced 1976 summer and fall charter flights to Japan departing from several US cities at round-trip fares of $465. Flight details, administrators and contact information for each departure were provided.

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