Patsy Mink’s Oregon primary run and the fight over Asian stereotypes on TV

Vol. 74, No. 18, May 12, 1972. 6 pages. View this issue

Rep. Patsy Mink’s name on the Oregon Presidential Primary ballot for May 23 led this six-page issue. The front page also told of her April 22 meeting in Paris with North Vietnam’s chief negotiator Xuan Thuy and Viet Cong foreign minister Nguyen Thi Binh, alongside Bella Abzug. JACL’s talks over ‘Fu Manchu’ films and ‘Madame Sin’ ran on the same page, with CBS and ABC giving ground and KTLA-TV refusing. Jim Ono answered a document attacking San Jose Mayor Norman Mineta, and his rebuttal continued inside, where he wrote about Executive Order 9066.

Inside are Joe Hamanaka’s recollection of May 1, 1942, when Seattle Japanese Americans reported to Camp Harmony at the Puyallup Fairgrounds, and Henry T. Tanaka’s report on the Federated Plan. Readers will also find letters from members, Allan Beekman’s review of Akutagawa’s Hell Screen and Other Stories, a profile of architect Alan Taniguchi, and chapter news for June.

What’s in this issue

National

• Patsy Mink on the Ballot in Oregon Presidential Primary, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Patsy Mink is running in the Oregon Presidential Primary on May 23, the only state where she has actively campaigned. She hopes to win enough delegates to keep the Democratic convention focused on issues rather than a deadlocked nomination.
• Patsy Mink Meets Paris Peace Negotiators, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congresswomen Bella Abzug and Patsy Mink met with North Vietnam’s chief negotiator Xuan Thuy and Viet Cong foreign minister Nguyen Thi Binh in Paris on April 22. They discussed Vietnam war developments and the stalemate in the peace talks.
• ABC-TV Cancels Re-run Plans for ‘Madame Sin’ Film, by P.C. Staff, page 1. ABC vice president Alfred Schneider told the JACL Cultural Affairs Committee that the TV movie ‘Madame Sin’ will not be rerun and that a sequel has been cancelled. The decision followed months of JACL discussions about the film’s stereotypical depiction of Asians.
• Hawaii Regents O.K. Ethnic Studies, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The University of Hawaii Board of Regents approved continuation of its two-year experimental ethnic studies program while criticizing external pressures from student protests. Students had proposed their own revisions and control of the program.

Community

• 1,000 Buddhist Women Conclude Seattle Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 1. About 1,000 delegates attended the 15th national Buddhist Women’s (Fujinkai) convention in Seattle April 29-30. The group pledged $10,000 toward the 1974 Buddhist Churches of America 75th anniversary and gave $4,000 to Seattle’s emergency welfare fund.
• San Francisco JACL Auxiliary Gives $250 to Kimochi, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Francisco JACL Women’s Auxiliary presented a $250 check to Kimochi, a community organization. The donation supports its work serving the local Japanese American community.
• Alan Taniguchi to Head Rice University Architecture Department, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Alan Taniguchi, dean of the University of Texas School of Architecture, will become director of Rice University’s architecture department next September. He will help build a new program emphasizing planning, design, and solutions to large-scale urban and environmental problems.
• Canadian Asians Get Gov’t Support, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Canadian government announced its first multiculturalism program grants, including funds for a Japanese immigrant information center in Burnaby, B.C. and a Chinese Canadian project in Vancouver to help newcomers integrate.
• Chapter Pulse: June Events, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Multiple JACL chapters announced June events including scholarship dinners, beach picnics, and a cultural concert. Chapters are honoring graduates and inviting members to participate in community activities.
• Architect Alan Taniguchi Profile, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A profile of Austin architect Alan Taniguchi, dean of the University of Texas School of Architecture, describing his career, his community planning work, and his experience in internment camps. His father also designed a Japanese garden donated to Austin.
• Mass Media Workshop Concludes in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Asian American media workshop participants at a national conference in San Francisco criticized corporate control of media and the exclusion of Asians from American film and TV. They proposed NIMH-funded projects including a national Asian media organization and an oral histories project.
• Architect Taniguchi Joins Rice University Department, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Alan Taniguchi will leave the University of Texas to head Rice University’s architecture department, where he will pursue an interdisciplinary program in urban and environmental design. He has also worked on Austin and San Antonio planning projects.

Incarceration & Redress

• CBS Drops ‘Fu Manchu,’ Local L.A. TV Rejects Plea, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Negotiations between JACL, the Brotherhood of Artists and KTLA-TV over airing ‘The Brides of Fu Manchu’ broke down after the station refused to stop the film. CBS agreed to replace ‘The Vengeance of Fu Manchu,’ while MGM has not responded to JACL objections to re-issuing ‘The Mask of Fu Manchu.’
• Dowlen Document Response (continued), by Jim Ono, page 3. Jim Ono continues his rebuttal to Dorothy Dowlen, addressing claims about Japanese American smiling in photographs, the compensation paid for internment losses, and the appropriateness of her Human Relations Commission role. He argues the Executive Order 9066 exhibit should promote understanding rather than division.
• Camp Harmony Remembered: May 1, 1942, by Joe Hamanaka, page 4. The article recounts Seattle’s Japanese American evacuation to the Puyallup Fairgrounds, describing the orders, required property, and camp administration. It also notes the hysteria and legal challenges that accompanied the removal.

Commentary

• Anti-Mineta Document Circulated, by Jim Ono, page 1. San Jose JACL past president Jim Ono responds to a document by Dorothy Dowlen attacking Mayor Norman Mineta and Japanese Americans over WWII. He rebuts her claims about Japanese American loyalty, the Filipino suffering, and wartime compensation.
• Chicago Hot Air, by Miyo Morikawa, page 2. Readers respond to Miyo Morikawa’s column on a ‘third-force’ view of man and the Issei’s adoption of Western dress and Christianity. Letter writers include Taye Tashiro and Vaughn M. Greene, who debate the column’s arguments.
• Our Readers: Hot Air, American ‘Do-Gooder’, Leadership Training, by Wilfrid S. Akiyama; Haruo Hayashi; Henry T. Tanaka, page 2. Several letters address media stereotypes of Asians, the ‘do-gooder’ syndrome in supporting UFWOC, and the need for paid staff to support chapter leadership. Writers urge JACL members to evaluate issues carefully and serve the membership.
• Our Readers: Letters on Asian Stereotypes and Federated Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Readers respond to JACL affairs and media portrayals of Asians. The letters reflect ongoing debate about representation and the direction of the organization.

Military & Veterans

• May 1, 1942: Our D-Day for Camp Harmony, by Joe Hamanaka, page 2. Seattle Japanese Americans were ordered under Civilian Exclusion Order No. 17 to assemble on May 1, 1942, and move to the Puyallup Fairgrounds, known as Camp Harmony. The article recounts the Seattle JACL’s emergency response and the subsequent evacuation orders affecting the region.

JACL

• Priorities: The Federated Plan, by Henry T. Tanaka, page 2. National JACL president Henry Tanaka reports on responses to the proposed Federated Plan, which would give district councils more autonomy and staff support. Most respondents support district-level staffing but disagree on how to fund it without diluting national programs.

Arts & Entertainment

• Book Review: Hell Screen and Other Stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, by Allan Beekman, page 5. Allan Beekman reviews a reissue of four Akutagawa stories, including ‘Hell Screen,’ ‘The General,’ and ‘Jashumon.’ He praises the translations while noting typographical errors in one story.

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