The 1973 JACL Building Fund kickoff and a call on Watergate

Vol. 77, No. 19, November 9, 1973. 6 pages. View this issue

The JACL Building Fund kickoff dinner in San Francisco on October 28 led the issue. National JACL President Henry T. Tanaka wrote on the future of the organization, noting only three national fund drives in its 40-year history. Senator Daniel Inouye thanked donors and urged generous giving, and he also called for President Nixon’s resignation before about 650 guests. Barry Matsumoto, the JACL Washington representative, wrote on Watergate and an independent prosecutor.

Other pages looked at redress and Little Tokyo. The Seattle JACL gathered community input on reparations, and the Los Angeles City Council approved rezoning for a large hotel in Little Tokyo. Harry K. Honda reviewed a memoir of the Manzanar riot, and Edison Uno wrote about Japanese Peruvians interned in Texas and about an offensive license plate. K. W. Lee reported on drug use in Asian American neighborhoods.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Senator Inouye Calls for Nixon’s Resignation at JACL Building Fund Kickoff, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senator Daniel Inouye called for President Nixon’s resignation before about 650 attendees at the JACL Building Fund dinner in San Francisco on October 28. He urged appointment of a respected Republican special prosecutor to restore public trust in the Watergate investigation.
• Evacuee Reparation Input Sought, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Seattle JACL evacuee redress committee is gathering community input on reparations and a possible monument. Members discussed the proposed reparations bill as a possible last chance for economic relief for Issei and elderly Nisei.
• Rezoning for Big Hotel Approved, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Los Angeles City Council approved rezoning for a large hotel development in Little Tokyo. Two councilmen dissented, and the Little Tokyo Anti-Eviction Task Force criticized the CRA’s property transactions with Kajima.
• Nisei Week Reports $1,600 Net Reserve, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The 1973 Nisei Week Festival in Los Angeles reported $20,435 in income and $18,810 in expenses. The surplus will carry over to next year’s festival.
• Philadelphia JACL Seeks Papers for Its Local History, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Philadelphia JACL appointed historian Edith Honda to collect letters, photographs, and clippings documenting local Japanese American history. The chapter hopes to preserve these materials.
• Intermountain District Convention Set for Boise, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The 17th Biennial Intermountain District Council convention will be hosted by the Boise Valley JACL on November 23-24. The program includes workshops, a banquet with National President Henry Tanaka, and an IDC board meeting.
• Little Tokyo Cultural Center Plans Advance, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Plans for a community cultural center in Little Tokyo advanced with support from the Nikkeijin Kai and Japanese businessmen. JACL’s role as a registered non-profit sponsor was identified as a federal requirement.
• Yorty Staff Rejected Coastal Oil Drilling Ban Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nisei city planner Kei Uyeda testified that Mayor Yorty’s office rejected his recommended coastal drilling ban as too restrictive. The city council later adopted a one-mile ban instead.
• Offensive License Plates, by Edison Uno, page 3. Edison Uno criticizes a California motorist who refused to surrender a ‘JAP JAG’ vanity license plate. He argues the slur reflects negatively on the entire Japanese American community.
• Communication Lines, by Craig Shimabukuro, page 4. Pacific Southwest District representative Craig Shimabukuro describes plans to improve communication between chapters and the regional office. He invites members to provide feedback and suggestions.
• Seattle Fund Drive Scores Ahead, by P.C. Staff, page 6. This Seattle roundup reports on election-related contributions and predicted outcomes for local and state races. It highlights campaign finance trends among Asian American candidates.

Commentary

• Future of JACL, by Henry T. Tanaka, page 1. National JACL President Henry Tanaka marked the kickoff of the JACL Building Fund, noting only three national fund drives in the organization’s 40-year history. He framed the new headquarters as a milestone for a small but effective ethnic organization.
• Time to Show How Successful We Are, by Sen. Daniel Inouye, page 1. Senator Inouye thanked donors and urged them to give generously, noting that $250,000 is needed for a worthy headquarters building. He pledged to do more than lend his name to the campaign.
• Washington Watch on Watergate, by Barry Matsumoto, page 1. JACL Washington representative Barry Matsumoto argues that the Justice Department cannot be trusted to conduct a full Watergate inquiry. He calls on Congress to establish an independent prosecutorial office.
• Point of No Return, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Harry Honda reviews Tad Uyeno’s serialized memoir of the Manzanar riot and the 65 pro-WRA residents exiled to Death Valley. The account examines the tensions between dissidents and JACL leaders during the camp years.
• Use of ‘Jap’, by Taro Kawakami, page 2. Reader Taro Kawakami discusses the origins of the words Japan and Jap and questions whether the term’s correctness matters. He argues the meaning depends on who uses it and how.
• Peruvian Japanese Americans Deserve a Story, by Edison Uno, page 2. Edison Uno writes that the experience of Japanese Peruvians interned in Texas is an incomplete part of the WWII story. He urges researchers to document their postwar lives.
• Capital Punishment, by Gail Nishioka and Hikari, page 2. The writers argue that capital punishment is a symptom of a violent society and oppose it after the Supreme Court ruling. They call for prison reform and better ways to rehabilitate offenders.
• Japanese Textbook for Gaijin, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Osaka University professor Yasuo Yoshida and his staff have prepared a textbook for foreign students of Japanese. The text is designed for the growing number of non-Japanese learners.

Military & Veterans

• Justice William O. Douglas Passes a Milestone, by P.C. Washington Bureau, page 1. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas reached the longest tenure in the Court’s history, 34 years and 196 days. He is the only remaining justice who participated in the historic JACL-related wartime cases.
• Hawaii Political Scene and Honolulu News Roundup, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This roundup covers Hawaii political developments, Samoan community comments, and Honolulu crime statistics. It also reports on a sushi-related story and other local items.

In-Depth

• Drug Attitude Worsens, by K. W. Lee, page 2. Sacramento State students Marty and William Wong found drug use spreading through Asian American neighborhoods while parents remain in denial. They argue that cultural silence and self-deception hinder solutions.

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