Newsweek’s regret and the push on evacuation claims

Vol. 42, No. 9, March 2, 1956. 8 pages. View this issue

The week’s news centered on Newsweek. The magazine ran eleven letters affirming Nisei loyalty and expressed regret over printing the Lincoln Yamamoto letter. A front-page editorial answered it, and Masao Satow’s column and the Central California District Council’s resolution of protest returned to it. The Lane-Hillings evacuation claims bill (HR 7763) was also in the news, placed on the House consent calendar for March 5, with Helen Mineta reporting on the amendments the Judiciary Committee made to it.

Elsewhere in these 8 pages, Bill Hosokawa wrote about his wife’s urge to remodel, and George Inagaki praised the Marysville JACL chapter’s flood relief work. Larry S. Tajiri’s page told of Henry Kotani, a Hollywood cameraman, and Mike Masaoka examined proposals on unused immigration quotas. Capt. Mineo Inuzuka, who served with the 442nd RCT, was named a National Guard adviser.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Newsweek Backs Nisei Loyalty, Regrets Letter, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Newsweek published eleven letters opposing the Lincoln Yamamoto letter and editorially affirmed that Americans of Japanese descent yield to no one in loyalty. The editorial notes the magazine’s regret over the earlier publication of Yamamoto’s letter.
• Time for a Change, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa humorously reflects on his wife’s constant desire to remodel and move, contrasting it with the male instinct to value a stable home. He observes that housing disagreements strain many Nisei marriages.
• What Can Newsweek Say?, by Masao Satow, page 4. National Director Masao Satow comments on Newsweek’s publication of the Yamamoto letter and urges members to act. He also reports on his chapter visits in Montana and Wyoming and asks chapters to send meeting minutes promptly to headquarters.
• Bruyeres & Pines, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. Honda reflects on the history of tobacco and pipe smoking, noting its origins and cultural spread. He ties in the Nisei connection through Bruyeres, the French town honoring the 442nd RCT.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei War Hero Named Nat’l Guard Adviser, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Capt. Mineo Inuzuka, a decorated veteran of World War II and Korea, was assigned as Regular Army adviser to the first battalion of the California National Guard’s 184th Infantry Regiment. He previously served with the 442nd RCT and the 17th Infantry Regiment.

National

• Lane-Hillings Evacuation Claims Bill Placed on Consent Calendar, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Lane-Hillings bill (HR 7763) to expedite evacuation claims was placed on the House consent calendar for consideration Monday, March 5. The JACL Washington office reported it would proceed if no objection arose.
• House Judiciary Committee Reports on Amended Evacuation Claims Bill, by Helen Mineta, page 1. The House Judiciary Committee amended the Lane-Hillings bill to provide compromise settlement procedures with Court of Claims appeal options and to open claims to new categories of claimants. JACL and COJAEC supported the bill as more liberal than existing law despite the removal of several compensable items.
• Sen. Kilgore of West Virginia Dies, Aided Nisei Cause, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Harley M. Kilgore, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, died of a cerebral hemorrhage. He had supported corrective and remedial legislation for persons of Japanese ancestry, and Sen. James O. Eastland will succeed him as chairman.
• Unused Quota Program, by Mike Masaoka, page 7. Masaoka analyzes Watkins-Keating proposals to redistribute unused immigration quotas into regional pools. He argues the plan could reunite long-separated families of Asian descent in America.

Community

• Self-Sacrifice of Marysville JACLers During Flood Emergency Lauded, by George Inagaki, page 2. George Inagaki reports on his visit to the Yuba City flood area, describing devastated ranches and the resilience of local families. He praises the Marysville JACL chapter for its emergency relief work, calling it one of the finest pages in JACL history.
• San Francisco Chapter Hits 886 Membership Mark; 1000 Goal Likely, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The San Francisco JACL chapter signed up its 886th member, surpassing its 1955 postwar high and aiming for 1,000. Team captains and the membership drive were credited for the progress.
• CCDC Maps JACL Membership Plan From Madera to Bakersfield for ’56, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Central California District Council set membership quotas and 1000 Club goals at its Fowler meeting. The council also passed a resolution of sympathy for Tom Yego and protested the Newsweek publication of the Lincoln Yamamoto letter.
• Salt Lake Auxiliary Calendar Disclosed, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Salt Lake JACL Auxiliary outlined its plans for the coming year, including a fashion tea, summer outings, a family night, and a Christmas party. Members were also reminded that hospital plan enrollment closes March 15.
• Changes in Buddhist Church Administration Voted at S.F. Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The annual meeting of the Buddhist Churches of America approved creating separate religious and secular affairs departments. The BCA reported 66 ministers serving 48 churches with 8,430 active members.

Arts & Entertainment

• Japanese Cameraman in Hollywood, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Bob Okazaki recounts the career of Henry Kotani, the first Japanese cameraman in Hollywood, who began as a roustabout and rose to head cameraman before going to Japan in 1920. The story illustrates early Nisei and Issei contributions to the film industry.
• USIA Exhibit to Go on World Tour, Engineered by Nisei Artist, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Jack Hirose, a Nisei commercial artist, engineered the People’s Capitalism in the U.S.A. exhibit that will tour the world to counter Soviet propaganda. President Eisenhower attended the preview and the exhibit will travel to Tokyo, India, and Europe.

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