Vol. 53, No. 2, July 14, 1961. 4 pages. View this issue
Mike Masaoka’s “Command Decision” series reached its seventh installment in this four-page issue. It traced the final decisions behind the forced removal of Japanese Americans, including Executive Order 9066 and the congressional legislation that authorized it, and it discussed the Supreme Court’s 1944 Korematsu decision and a historian’s critique of its reasoning. The editor’s column looked back on the Nisei Veterans reunion in Hawaii, then turned to JACL membership in Los Angeles County, arguing that growth depends on organization, leadership and splitting large chapters.
Other pages cover a JACL committee’s review of proposed federal civil service nondiscrimination rules, and the five Los Angeles-area judges named for the 1961 national JACL scholarships. Bill Hosokawa wrote about Webster, Texas, and its Japanese American rice-farming settlers, and about Denver rock garden designer Stanley Yoshimura. Also inside: Major George Takano’s retirement after 20 years, Ellen Kimura’s selection as Miss Seattle Nisei 1961, and a Reno grave tied to the first permanent Japanese resident in America.
What’s in this issue
Commentary
- Which Is Easier?, page 1. The editor reflects on the Nisei Veterans reunion in Hawaii and the enjoyment of renewing friendships with wartime buddies. He then turns to JACL membership statistics in Los Angeles County, arguing that chapter growth depends on organization, leadership, and splitting large chapters.
- Command Decision Part 7 (Newsletter), by Mike Masaoka, page 1. Masaoka’s newsletter column is part of the ongoing Command Decision series and continues the analysis of wartime evacuation policy. It concludes the historical discussion with commentary on the Court’s reasoning.
- Didn’t Know He Was a Japanese Spy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Retired Japanese naval officer Morimura, who spied in Hawaii before Pearl Harbor, was identified by Star-Bulletin reporting decades later. The story recounts his encounters with Hawaiian residents and his later writing in the Naval Institute Proceedings.
Incarceration & Redress
- ‘Command Decision’: Evacuation, Part 7, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. This installment traces the final decisions leading to mass evacuation, including Executive Order 9066 and the congressional legislation that authorized it. It also discusses the Supreme Court’s 1944 Korematsu decision upholding evacuation and the historian’s critique of that reasoning.
National
- Proposed regulations on nondiscriminatory policy in federal civil service reviewed by special JACL committee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A special JACL committee of Japanese Americans in the Civil Service reviewed proposed federal nondiscrimination regulations and found them an improvement. The committee recommended explicit language barring discrimination in upgrading, promotion, and facility use, and warned about fear of reprisal among employees who complain.
JACL
- Distinguished Angelenos Selected Nat’l JACL Scholarship Judges, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Five Los Angeles-area figures were named judges for the 1961 Pvt. Ben Masaoka Memorial Scholarship and supplemental JACL scholarships. The article profiles judges Aiso, Kido, Nakamura, Parish, and Tinglof and notes Kido’s hospitalization after a slight stroke.
Community
- Oregon atty gen’l to address PNWDC parley at Hood River, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Oregon Attorney General Robert Y. Thornton accepted an invitation to keynote the PNWDC convention in Hood River. Convention planning details including banquet invitations, an ad campaign, and a bowling tournament were also announced.
- Maryknoll girls retain state drum corps trophy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Maryknoll’s all-girl drum and bugle corps won an unprecedented fourth consecutive statewide championship at an American Legion contest in Long Beach. The group permanently retired the junior class trophy.
- Miss Seattle Nisei 1961 Ellen Kimura selected, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ellen Kimura, 18, was chosen Miss Seattle Nisei 1961 from a field of 21 nominees for the Seafair queen contest. Four princesses representing the Japanese community were also named.
- Gardena-Suzuka to be affiliated, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Gardena City Treasurer Bruce Kaji found Suzuka, a city of 90,000 in Mie Prefecture, as a sister city candidate during a trip to Japan. The City Council was expected to establish the relationship and a citizens committee was formed.
Military & Veterans
- Nisei army officer retires after 20 years, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Major George Takano retired after 20 years of military service with a review at Fort Mason in San Francisco. His career included service in Europe, Korea, and Japan.
Obituaries
- Umekichi Takahashi believed first permanent Issei resident in America, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Nichibei Times uncovered a grave in Reno of Umekichi Takahashi, believed to be the first permanent Japanese resident in America, who arrived in 1867. The discovery was prompted by a recollection from former education minister Takechiyo Matsuda.
In-Depth
- Webster, Tex., cradle of rice farms, put on map of success of Issei, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Webster, Texas, a small community founded in 1879 with Japanese American settlers, has grown into a prosperous town with modern homes and paved streets. Residents work in nearby Houston or local plants, and the village incorporated in 1958.
Arts & Entertainment
- Gardens of Stone, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Denver’s interest in Japanese culture is reflected in the demand for rock garden designer Stanley Yoshimura. His gardens are praised for their practical and aesthetic qualities.
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