Memorial Day wreaths, the Noguchi hearing and repeal of Title II

Vol. 68, No. 21, May 23, 1969. 8 pages. View this issue

Memorial Day was the lead subject of this eight-page issue. The Washington, D.C. JACL chapter and National JACL planned to lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on May 30, honoring Japanese American war dead, including Nisei soldiers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Other front-page stories covered services at Arlington National Cemetery, Bishop Kenryu Takashi Tsuji’s keynote in San Bruno, and the Civil Service Commission hearing on the dismissal of coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi, which Jeffrey Matsui called racist.

Inside, Mike Masaoka wrote to Senator Inouye in support of repealing Title II of the Internal Security Act, and Guy Wright reported on Chief Justice Earl Warren’s refusal to comment on his wartime role. Jerry Enomoto addressed young adults, Patti Dohzen asked whether an Asian American identity exists, and Bill Marutani, Kats Kunitsugu and Alan Kumamoto wrote columns. The Japanese immigration centennial fundraising also appeared.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• JACLers to Participate in Memorial Day Ceremonies, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. The Washington, D.C. JACL chapter and National JACL will take part in the Memorial Day wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30. The ceremony honors Japanese American war dead of three wars, including Nisei soldiers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
• Nisei War Dead of Three Wars in May 25 Service, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Memorial services at Arlington National Cemetery on May 25 will honor Japanese American war dead from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, with Lt. Comdr. Makoto Araki delivering the address. Floral tributes will be placed at the graves of all 24 Japanese American war dead interred there.

Community

• Bishop Tsuji to Keynote S.F. Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Bishop Kenryu Takashi Tsuji of the Buddhist Churches of America will deliver the keynote at the Memorial Day services at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno on May 30. The services are sponsored by the Golden Gate Nisei Memorial VFW Post and JACL.
• JACL Firms Commemoration of Centennial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Northern California-Western Nevada JACL District Council reached its $13,000 fundraising goal for the 1969 Japanese immigration centennial, with Sacramento JACL leading chapters. Mrs. Ivy Baker Priest, California State Treasurer, will represent the state at the centennial banquet on June 7.
• Sac’to State Ethnic Study Center Endorsed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Sacramento JACL endorsed the Ethnic Studies Center planned at Sacramento State College, which will include Asian American studies alongside African American and Mexican American programs. The local chapter had previously supported similar ethnic studies programs at UC Davis and Sacramento City College.
• Opening Statements in Noguchi Hearing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Opening statements in the Civil Service Commission hearing on the suspended coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi detailed county charges, including allegations about his conduct toward staff and the death of an aide. Attorney Godfrey Isaac called the charges a smokescreen and said Noguchi revered Robert Kennedy.
• Human Relations Director to Keynote JACL Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Virginia Coffey, executive director of the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, will keynote the 8th biennial EDC-MDC Convention in Cincinnati August 29 to September 1. She has been credited with rejuvenating the city’s human relations organization.
• Bailey Gatzert Principal Honored on 25th Year, by Ute Hirano, page 4. Parents of Nisei students presented Bailey Gatzert School principal Tony Allasina with a trip to Japan to mark his 25th anniversary at the Seattle school. The school, once largely Japanese American, now serves a diverse student body, and Allasina is credited with integrating it through music, art and school plays.
• Seattle Library Aids Alaska Nisei, by Emmet Watson, page 8. Fred Matsuno, a long-time borrower of the Seattle Public Library who lives in Ugashik, Alaska, has used the library’s mail service for 13 years. His annual letter requests a pause in book shipments during spring breakup when the mail plane cannot land.

Commentary

• Racist Strategy Charged in Noguchi Hearing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL national associate director Jeffrey Matsui urged chapter presidents to attend the Civil Service Commission hearings on the dismissal of coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi, alleging the county was relying on racist Oriental stereotypes. He argued that press coverage has been slanted and that testimony has been contradicted under cross-examination.
• Enomoto: To Young Adults, by Jerry Enomoto, page 2. National JACL President Jerry Enomoto argues that rather than asking youth to fit JACL, young adults should work to change the organization to reflect their concerns. He notes that youth bring energy and honesty that can help JACL move faster on civil rights issues.
• Eli’s Day, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The editorial compares the rise of Black Studies programs at colleges with the emergence of Asian American studies in California. It suggests Black Studies may fade as quickly as it arose, while expressing hope that Asian American courses will endure.
• Very Truly Yours, by Harry K. Honda, page 3. A light personal column with anecdotes about a former Ice Capades performer, a flower arrangement in the PC office, and a family generation gap over television. It ends with a note about household humor.
• Warren Still Mum on His Role as Evacuation Pusher, by Guy Wright, page 3. Japanese Americans in San Francisco seek an apology from Chief Justice Earl Warren for his role as California Attorney General in the wartime internment, and have pressed him to acknowledge it before he retires. Warren has refused, saying it is merely a matter of history, while activists argue an apology would add momentum to repealing Title II.
• Don’t Rock the Boat Syndrome / Letters from Our Readers, by Mary Tani, page 4. A reader writes about the Noguchi hearings, comparing key witness Ethel Field to a Nisei who spied on her community during the war. Another letter corrects the PC’s account of the San Francisco Min-on group in the Nihonmachi festival.
• Accent on Youth: Monomanic Odyssey, by Alan Kumamoto, page 4. Kumamoto reviews a performance and a lecture encounter with a writer who reflects on Japanese literature and his own life. The column explores his views on Japanese literary tradition and identity.
• How Do Nisei Stand?, by Kats Kunitsugu, page 4. Kunitsugu recounts attending the Pacific Southwest District JACL banquet where S.I. Hayakawa spoke, and describes the protest outside. He critiques Hayakawa’s remarks on Nisei camp experience and on Sansei militancy while also faulting militant tactics.
• Some of My Best Friends Are…, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Marutani reflects on being stared at as an Asian American family and imagines reversed roles to expose the condescension in well-meaning remarks about race. He concludes that such patronizing talk remains common and sickening.
• Sansei Slant, by Patti Dohzen, page 6. Patti Dohzen, chairman of the National Youth Council, questions whether an Asian American identity exists and argues it must be determined rather than covered over by groups that focus only on Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino concerns. She calls for honest examination of the issue.
• Letter to Senator Inouye Supporting Repeal of Title II, by Mike Masaoka, page 7. JACL’s Washington representative writes in support of Senator Inouye’s bill S. 1872 to repeal Title II of the Internal Security Act. The letter argues the emergency detention provisions violate due process and recalls wartime mass incarceration as justification for repeal.
• Book Burning, by Jim Henry, page 8. Henry criticizes radical students who burned research materials at the University of Tokyo, comparing the act to historical book burnings by Shih Huang Ti and other figures. He argues destruction of culture ultimately harms humanity.
• Big Business Dominates Japan, by Allan Beekman, page 8. A book review of Chitoshi Yanaga’s Big Business in Japanese Politics, which examines how organized business, or the Zaikai, wields power in postwar Japan. The review notes the Occupation’s efforts to dissolve the Zaibatsu and the resulting dominance of business in government decisions.

National

• Interior Secretary Hickel’s Reforms for Micronesia Lauded by Rep. Mink, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Rep. Patsy Mink commended Interior Secretary Walter Hickel’s proposals to give Micronesians a greater role in their government, including hiring preference and equal pay. She argued the United States has a responsibility under the UN trust to advance the territory’s development.
• Civil Rights Bill of 1969 Introduced, by Roger Nikaido, page 2. Some 20 senators introduced the Civil Rights Act of 1969, a four-part package sponsored by Senators Hart, Kennedy, Scott and Javits. It would safeguard jury selection, empower the EEOC to enforce its orders, and remove appropriations limits on the Civil Rights Commission.

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