Vol. 81, No. 5, August 1, 1975. 4 pages. View this issue
Redress and the wartime incarceration (often called internment) ran through the news in this four-page issue. A front-page column argued that reparations should reach all Japanese Americans who suffered in World War II, not only those formally interned, and explained why the Evacuation Claims Act of 1948 fell short. The Utah JACL Topaz Committee received $2,000 toward a historical marker at the former Topaz camp site near Delta. The paper also reported on the JACL headquarters dedication, and Edison T. Uno visited the Tule Lake set of the NBC film of Farewell to Manzanar.
Other pages carry a profile of Rep. Norman Mineta as a quiet activist in the House, Bill Hosokawa on Nisei influence in Hawaii, and Don Hayashi on calls for help from Vietnamese refugee families. Gail Nishioka described meeting John W. Dean III, and Sen. Daniel Inouye weighed in on the malpractice insurance debate.
What’s in this issue
Community
- HQ Dedication Becomes History, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL headquarters building was dedicated in honor of Mike and Mas, recognizing their work with the former JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee. The column also recalls the 1974 National Convention testimonial dinner honoring Hito Okada, where Congressman Norm Mineta spoke in place of Congressman Spark Matsunaga.
- Utah JACL Topaz Committee Receives $2,000 from Utah Bicentennial Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Utah JACL Topaz Committee received a $2,000 check from the Utah State Bicentennial Committee toward a historical marker at the former Topaz WRA camp site near Delta. The marker project, estimated at $10,000, has begun with an acre cleared and landscaped.
- Seattle Filipino Seeks School Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Peter M. Jamero, an assistant secretary in Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services, has filed to run for Seattle school board District No. 7. He would be the first Asian American to seek a Seattle school board seat.
- Meeting John W. Dean III, by Gail Nishioka, page 2. A preconvention meeting with former Watergate figure John Dean III in Orange County revealed his interest in writing a book about the relocation, and he donated his honorarium to PSW’s reparations movement. He is scheduled to speak at the California Tri-District Convention in Anaheim in September.
- Four Years Pass, ‘Untold Story’ Still Untold, by Junji & Katherine Kumamoto and Ed Mitoma, page 3. The authors trace how JACL opposition helped derail the Japanese American Curriculum Project’s supplementary textbook ‘Japanese Americans: The Untold Story’ from California adoption. They argue JACL should now help rescue the book or find a suitable replacement.
- Minority One, by Edison T. Uno, page 4. Uno visits the Tule Lake filming location of the NBC television adaptation of Farewell to Manzanar. He describes the enthusiasm of cast and crew and the importance of bringing the internment story to television audiences.
- Aloha, by Richard Gima, page 4. This Hawaii column reports on Vietnamese refugees in the Islands, the University of Hawaii’s new racial and ethnic data collection, and assorted news about Hawaii community figures. It also covers sports and education developments.
- Milestones and Business Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Community notes cover appointments at Bank of Tokyo and Sun Life, the death of a longtime USDA specialist, and the passing of a father and son who ran a Nihonmachi transfer business. Other notes cover broadcast news hires and Japanese American leadership in local government.
Incarceration & Redress
- Reparations Communication, page 1. The column argues that reparations legislation should cover all Japanese Americans who suffered from wartime internment, not only those formally interned. It explains that the Evacuation Claims Act of 1948 failed to fully compensate losses, making broader compensation efforts necessary.
- Calls for Help, by Don Hayashi, page 3. Two calls to JACL headquarters illustrate needs for assistance: Vietnamese refugee families seeking help with child care and licensing, and a Nikkei family facing a racially tinged building permit dispute. The column asks how JACL chapters can respond to such community needs.
- Hiroshima-Nagasaki 30th Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Thirty years after the atomic bombings, nearly 1,000 hibakusha survivors live in the United States as American citizens. A bill in Congress would provide them medical aid similar to that available free in Japan.
National
- Not a Screamer: A Quiet Activist in House, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Norman Mineta, as chairman of the House Democratic freshman class, has issued suggestions to improve freshman effectiveness and taken controversial stands on energy, the economy, and intelligence agencies. Observers note his visibility may make him politically vulnerable in future elections.
- HEW Policy Investigating Bias on Pattern Basis Strongly Hit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, including JACL, strongly opposed a HEW proposal to stop investigating individual discrimination complaints. A separate U.S. Civil Rights Commission report criticized the Civil Service Commission for weak minority and women employment enforcement.
- Senate Passes Bilingual Courts Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate approved Sen. John Tunney’s bill providing simultaneous translation in federal civil and criminal cases involving non-English speakers. The bill was sent to the House after a similar Senate passage in the previous Congress stalled there.
- Sen. Inouye Says Three Groups Share Blame in Malpractice Ado, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Daniel Inouye told the Hawaii Medical Association that lawyers, insurers, and physicians all share blame in the malpractice insurance debate. He criticized contingency fees, insurer secrecy, and weak physician discipline, and noted Congress may act if states do not.
- Canada Archives Seek Japanese Material, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National Ethnic Archives of the Public Archives in Ottawa is collecting materials documenting the history of Japanese Canadians. Joy Kogawa, author of A Choice of Dreams, will visit likely sources during August to gather them.
Commentary
- Diversification: How Family Farmers Survive in Modern Age of Agribusiness, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Council of California Growers statement, inserted into the Congressional Record, profiles Sutter County farmer Mas Oji and his family’s diversified 7,200-acre operation. It highlights their civic service and their concerns about inflation and rising production costs.
- Behind Prison Walls, by Y. Kubo, page 2. A former federal prisoner describes life at McNeil Island and other federal institutions, including low prison wages and the activities of inmate clubs. He calls for continued reform of federal prison conditions.
- JACL Leadership, by Ken Hayashi, page 2. A letter to the editor argues that the June special National JACL Board meeting was a whitewash that rationalized away charges against the national director and president. The writer says board members who opposed the leadership later submitted to the power structure.
- Golden Age in Hawaii, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa describes the influence Nisei hold in Hawaii’s government and institutions, including the governor and lieutenant governor. He questions whether the Sansei will have the drive to succeed them, noting that newer immigrants may take up that role.
Military & Veterans
- Generals Weigh Equal Opportunity in Army, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A committee of generals recommended an equal opportunity policy in the Army even though it may reduce effectiveness, following questions about ethnic assignment practices. The report also said Japanese American intelligence officers should continue not being assigned to areas occupied by Japan in World War II.
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