Repealing Title II and aiding the Alcatraz Indians: January 1970

Vol. 70, No. 2, January 16, 1970. 6 pages. View this issue

The push to repeal Title II, the emergency detention provision of the Internal Security Act, ran through this six-page issue. Editorials from Honolulu, Seattle, Baltimore, Dayton, Madison and Washington argued for repeal, and the Buddhist Churches of America and the Inglewood City Council endorsed it. Rep. Spark Matsunaga spoke on it in Chicago, and Assemblyman Charles Warren planned a resolution in California. JACL National President Jerry Enomoto praised the Japanese American Crusade to aid the Indians on Alcatraz and reported on the Manzanar pilgrimage.

Also inside: Issei Immigration Centennial events in Sacramento, Caldwell and Seattle, with medallions for Issei over 80. Mike Masaoka reported on immigration bills in Congress, and the JACL Student Aid Program granted $1,700 to eight students. Bill Hosokawa wrote about a family reunion, Patti Dohzen about the holidays, and letters from Karl G. Yoneda and Barry Saiki debated the book Nisei: The Quiet Americans.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Japanese American Crusade Aids Alcatraz Indians, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. JACL National President Jerry Enomoto praises the Japanese American Crusade to aid the Indians occupying Alcatraz Island. He also reports on the Manzanar pilgrimage and urges California chapters to lobby for repeal of Title II.
• IDC Bulletin Bares Nominee for National JACL Presidency, page 1. The Intermountain District Council’s new bulletin reports that the district has a candidate for national president. It also outlines quarterly session schedules and committee chairmen attendance requests.
• Washington, D.C., Organizes 1972 Convention Board, page 1. Initial planning for the 1972 National JACL Convention in Washington, D.C. is underway. Convention Chairman Harry Takagi announced the committee chairmen and their responsibilities.
• JACL Grants $1,700 to Eight Needy AJA Students, page 1. The JACL Student Aid Program awarded $1,700 in grants to eight needy Japanese American students based on need rather than traditional criteria. The program began with $3,100 and is a three-year pilot in the Los Angeles area.
• Year of the Dog—1970, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Pacific Citizen editorial explores the Japanese folklore and history of the dog in the Oriental zodiac. It references Shogun Tsunayoshi’s animal protection laws and draws on a Japanese history dictionary.
• By the Board: National Planning Commission Update, by Dr. John Kanda, page 6. National Vice President Dr. John Kanda urges district and chapter planning committees to complete questionnaires on JACL’s future before the Chicago convention. He suggests small group discussion sessions to gather grassroots input.

Community

• Calling All Chapters to Aid Indians, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Francisco JACL unanimously passed a resolution supporting the Indians occupying Alcatraz and urging contributions from sister chapters. Over $700 in cash and a ton of food and clothing have been raised and shipped.
• Sacramento Fetes Issei at Centennial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sacramento JACL held an Issei Immigration Centennial event with civic dignitaries presenting medallions to Issei aged 80 and over. National JACL President Jerry Enomoto participated in the ceremony.
• Boise Valley Fetes Issei on Centennial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Twenty Issei over age 80 received JACL Wakamatsu Colony Centennial medallions at a banquet in Caldwell. Approximately 50 local Issei were honored in the program.
• Two Proclamations Issued for Seattle Issei Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Washington Governor Daniel Evans and Seattle Mayor Floyd Miller issued proclamations designating 1969 as the Japanese Immigration Centennial Year. The Seattle JACL commemoration included medallion presentations to some 250 Issei over age 80.
• Morality Guide for Cal. School Use Adopted, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The California State Board of Education adopted moral guidelines for public schools after JACL testified in support of the moderate Moomaw version. The adopted version was drafted by a citizens’ committee and is not mandatory for local districts.

National

• Immigration Laws May Get ’70 Dress, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. Bills introduced in Congress would establish a worldwide immigration ceiling of 300,000 and extend preference systems to the Western Hemisphere. JACL has requested to testify at expected public hearings on the Kennedy-Feighan bill.
• Title II Repeal Memo Sought in Calif. Legislature, page 2. Assemblyman Charles Warren commended President Nixon for urging Congress to repeal the Emergency Detention Act and announced he would reintroduce a resolution in the state legislature. The Administration’s position was announced by the Justice Department.

Military & Veterans

• Gabaldon Sends Back Navy Cross, page 2. Guy Gabaldon, who captured 2,000 Japanese prisoners single-handed during World War II, returned his Navy Cross to President Nixon. He cited growing bigotry under the Administration.

Incarceration & Redress

• Chicago JACL Installation Remarks on Title II Repeal, page 2. Rep. Spark Matsunaga told the Chicago JACL installation dinner that Congress will repeal Title II when convinced people want it. He noted that the detention provision authorized the use of camps against persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
• Buddhist Churches of America Endorse Title II Repeal, page 2. The Buddhist Churches of America board of directors endorsed repeal of Title II of the Internal Security Act. The resolution also supports Senate Bill 1872 and related House bills.
• Inglewood City Council Urges Title II Repeal, page 2. The Inglewood City Council passed a resolution urging Congress to repeal Title II of the Internal Security Act of 1950. The resolution was reported by a local member of the PSWDC Ad Hoc Committee.

Commentary

• Disarming the Mob, page 2. A Dayton Journal Herald editorial praises the Administration’s request to repeal the emergency detention section of the McCarran Act. The editorial argues the provision was a meaningless relic that fueled unwarranted fears among minorities.
• Detention Camps, page 2. A Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial addresses rumors of detention camps for dissidents, acknowledging that the 1950 McCarran Act did authorize camps that were never used. It calls on Congress to repeal the provision.
• Repeal It, page 2. A Baltimore Sun editorial calls the detention camp provision an ugly relic that should be repealed. It expresses confidence that Congress will act on the Administration’s request.
• Gus Hawkins Writes on Detention Camp Law, page 2. Rep. Augustus Hawkins wrote in the Sentinel that the Emergency Detention Law could place persons in detention centers based on presidential belief. He warned that the fate of Black Americans could rest with unfriendly officials.
• Hosokawa: Family Reunion, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa describes a family Christmas gathering with grandchildren, adult children, and in-laws in Denver. He reflects on how the years have passed since the family’s wartime relocation.
• Slant: Patches of Yellow, by Patti Dohzen, page 4. Columnist Patti Dohzen describes her holiday season making origami decorations and attending the statewide Asian American Conference. She reflects on tensions between northern and southern Asian American activists and the Manzanar pilgrimage.
• Nisei—Quiet Americans, by Barry Saiki, page 6. Letter writer Barry Saiki defends the author’s right to choose his book title and comments on the controversy over the title Nisei: The Quiet Americans. He argues that critics who protest the title will likely buy the book.
• Editor letter on Nisei: The Quiet Americans, by Karl G. Yoneda, page 6. Karl Yoneda criticizes Bill Hosokawa’s book Nisei for omitting historical facts about Japanese radical movements and pro-Japan organizations in America. He cites the Heimusha-kai and Black Dragon-linked Butoku Kai as examples omitted from the history.
• Happy Memories, page 6. A letter thanks Harry Honda for coverage of the 8th Biennial EDC-MDC Convention in Cincinnati and praises the convention’s success. The writer notes continued positive feedback from participants.
• Erasing a Shame, page 6. A Honolulu Advertiser editorial praises the Senate for repealing the detention camp provision of the Internal Security Act. It recounts the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans as a shameful constitutional violation.
• No Concentration Camps Here, page 6. A Wisconsin State Journal editorial calls concentration camps abhorrent to most Americans and supports repeal of the emergency detention provision. It urges the House to follow the Senate in passing the repeal.
• Back to America, page 6. A Washington Post editorial credits the Deputy Attorney General for acknowledging the institutional error of the wartime detention of Japanese Americans. It calls for the detention provision to be repealed.

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