JACL’s 1960-70 Planning Commission and the new immigration amendments

Vol. 49, No. 14, October 2, 1959. 8 pages. View this issue

JACL looked ahead to its next decade in this eight-page issue. The front page reported the organization of a 1960-70 Planning Commission to re-examine JACL’s program and objectives, and National Director Masao Satow explained its purpose in his report. Readers also found President Eisenhower’s signing of amendments to the Walter-McCarran Act, which the paper said could let about 1,000 native Japanese become eligible to join family members here. Shig Wakamatsu wrote about Allen Eaton’s book Beauty Behind Barbed Wire, and Mike Masaoka reviewed the First Session of the 86th Congress.

Other pages followed the community. Plans moved ahead for the 1960 JACL Bowling Tournament in Denver, and in Hawaii a hall was dedicated to the 442nd Infantry Reserve unit’s former commander. Letters from Fred Hirasuna and Dr. John Espada debated JACL’s purpose. Sports pages covered the state Nisei golf championship and the first women’s judo tournament in the United States.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• 1960-70 Planning Commission to re-examine JACL program; theme of Holiday Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL has organized a 1960-70 Planning Commission to re-examine the organization’s program and objectives for the coming decade. The Pacific Citizen plans to feature the topic prominently in its Holiday Issue.

Community

• Plans underway for 1960 JACL Bowling Tournament in Denver, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Committees have been formed for the 1960 JACL Bowling Tournament in Denver, with John Sakayama as general chairman. A large contingent from Hawaii is expected and the Denver Hilton has been named tournament headquarters.
• Mrs. Yo Hironaka to head San Francisco community fund drive, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mrs. Yo Hironaka of the San Francisco JACL Women’s Auxiliary was selected to chair the Japanese Community Solicitation Committee for the United Bay Area Crusade. The campaign aims to raise $11,000,000 across five Bay Area counties.
• Wakamatsu addresses Americanization class in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Thirteen Japanese who completed an Americanization course sponsored by the Japanese American Service Committee in Chicago received certificates. National JACL President Shigeo Wakamatsu delivered the main address.
• Japanese float wins first prize in San Francisco parade, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A San Francisco Japanese community float featuring a drum bridge, torii, and blossoms won first prize in the Ghirardelli Festival parade. Nisei girls in kimono rode the float and Nisei Boy Scout Troop 12 earned third prize.
• Hawaii statehood bonanza for Voice of America, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Hawaii’s statehood and its Japanese American congressmen have benefited the U.S. Information Agency’s Voice of America broadcasts. A half-hour program on Hawaiian statehood was broadcast in over 30 languages.
• Placer County towns may be incorporated, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A proposal to incorporate the towns of Loomis, Penryn, and nearby areas into one city was discussed by the Placer County Chamber of Commerce. The area includes extensive Issei and Nisei farm holdings.
• Seattle Methodists buy new site on Beacon Hill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Blaine Memorial Methodist Church completed purchase of a new site on Beacon Hill in Seattle. About $57,000 has been pledged toward the new building.
• Japanese class to be taught at University of Utah, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Rev. instructs a beginning Japanese class at the University of Utah three mornings a week this quarter. The course is part of the university’s offerings.
• Tri-Villes dance profits to aid basketball team, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Jr. and Sr. Tri-Villes JACL in Redwood City are holding a non-couples dance on October 17 to raise funds for their basketball team. The event will be held at Palo Alto Buddhist Church.
• Micke Grove project, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Japanese American organizations in San Joaquin County plan to install a $50,000 two-acre Japanese garden in Micke Grove with community funds. The county Board of Supervisors endorsed the proposal.
• Nisei candidate for Honolulu mayoralty, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Honolulu City Auditor James K. Murakami announced he would run for mayor if former Delegate John A. Burns does not. Murakami has served three terms as auditor.
• Nisei Week booth nets $145, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Hollywood JACL chapter earned a profit of $145.39 from its Tie Tac Toe booth during Nisei Week. The chapter also had a candidate in the Nisei Week queen contest.
• Nisei in charge of Yugoslavia program, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Satoru Izutsu, a Honolulu-born occupational therapy specialist, is traveling to the Orient and Europe to survey facilities. He will direct Yugoslavia’s occupational therapy training program under American Friends Service Committee sponsorship.
• Hawaii’s first partisan contests, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hawaii’s first partisan state elections saw each party win two of the top four races. Republican William F. Quinn won the governorship narrowly, while Dan Inouye was elected to the House.
• Newsletter from Los Angeles: Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt honored at $100-a-plate banquet, by Henry Mori, page 7. Henry Mori reports on a $100-a-plate Diamond Jubilee banquet for Eleanor Roosevelt at the Beverly Hilton, raising funds for a Denver cancer research institute. Downtown Los Angeles JACL president Gongoro Nakamura and Issei supporters attended and posed with her.
• Teenage fund drives may be cut down, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A proposed Los Angeles city ordinance amendment would require adult accompaniment for youth groups soliciting funds. The Japanese American Youth Inc. opposes the change as it would curtail teenage fundraising.
• First women’s judo tournament in U.S. won by American team, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The first women’s judo tournament in the United States was held in Cleveland with participants from several cities and Toronto. The American team defeated the Canadians 35-0 and Alice Harper won the individual title.
• Gov. Brown fills state FEPC seats, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Governor Brown appointed four members to the California State Fair Employment Practices Commission, including C.L. Dellums of Oakland. Dellums was a co-founder of the California Committee for Fair Employment Practices, which JACL district councils supported.

National

• President signs amendment to immigration bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Eisenhower signed amendments to the Walter-McCarran Act liberalizing quota classes and family reunification provisions. An estimated 57,000 aliens may join family members in the U.S., with about 1,000 native Japanese expected to become eligible.
• Few Japanese farm laborers able to save million yen from three-year U.S. stay, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A group of 101 Japanese supplementary farm workers returned home from Los Angeles after three years in California, with few managing to save the hoped-for million yen. Some returned early or were deported, and the program drew criticism from both the public and American farm labor unions.
• Nisei discrimination topic of Yoshino speech, by P.C. Staff, page 1. John Y. Yoshino of the President’s Committee on Government Contracts addressed the Richmond Inter-Agencies Council on discrimination against Nisei. He is also an active member of the Washington, D.C. JACL.
• The National Director’s Report, by Masao Satow, page 5. National Director Masao Satow outlines the purpose of the 1960-1970 JACL Planning Commission and its relationship to other committees. He also reports on Washington representation, National Convention preparations, and membership gains.
• JACLers attend 14th annual national citizenship conference, by JACL News Service, page 8. Tad Masaoka and Hisako Sakata represented JACL at the 14th National Conference on Citizenship in Washington, D.C. The conference theme was U.S. Citizenship: Know It, Cherish It, Live It.

Military & Veterans

• 442nd Infantry hall named for Turner, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Turner Hall, new home of Hawaii’s 442nd Infantry Reserve unit at Fort De Russy, was dedicated in ceremonies honoring Col. Farrant L. Turner, former 442nd commander. Governor Quinn delivered the dedicatory address.
• First Session roundup of the 86th Congress, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Mike Masaoka reviews the record of the First Session of the 86th Congress, including civil rights debates, the Hawaii statehood law, and labor reform. He notes the President’s vetoes and the nepotism scandals involving members of Congress.

Obituaries

• Elderly Issei in 80s and 90s sworn in as new citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Forty-four Issei, some in their 80s and 90s, were among 97 people sworn in as new citizens at a naturalization ceremony in Honokaa, Hawaii, the first held in the new State of Hawaii. Governor Quinn and Chief Justice-designate Tsukiyama addressed the group.
• New York restaurateur dies, operated Miyako, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kazuhei Ogawa, operator of the Miyako restaurant in Manhattan, died of cancer on September 23. He had come from Niigata prefecture in 1904.

In-Depth

• School teacher hailed as ‘father of Okinawa immigrants’; memorial rites held, by Thomas Toyama, page 1. Kyuzo Toyama, a teacher and politician who promoted emigration from Okinawa, was honored at a 50th anniversary memorial service in Los Angeles. The article traces his efforts to send Okinawans to Hawaii and the mainland and the subsequent wave of Okinawan emigration.
• Nisei in Brazil doing well, reports Japan-bound newsman, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Teisuke Kudo, returning to Japan after years in Brazil, reports that Japanese and Nisei are highly esteemed there, with one Nisei serving in the Brazilian Senate. About 400,000 people of Japanese descent live in Brazil, mostly as coffee farmers and in the laundry business.
• Kanrin Maru centennial to be observed in Japan, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 3. Plans are underway in Japan and the U.S. to commemorate the centennial of the Kanrin Maru’s 1860 voyage and the first Japanese mission to Washington. The Japanese Foreign Office and the America-Japan Society are assisting with preparations.

Commentary

• Beauty Behind Barbed Wire, by Shig Wakamatsu, page 2. JACL President Shig Wakamatsu recounts Allen Eaton’s motivation for writing Beauty Behind Barbed Wire, rooted in a childhood memory of his grandfather stopping a vigilante posse against Chinese families. The story illustrates how Eaton’s book became a positive message of understanding during the wartime evacuation.
• Feel honest opinion expressed, by Fred Hirasuna, page 2. Fresno JACL member Fred Hirasuna criticizes Harold Gordon’s harsh rebuttal of Kango Kunitsugu’s article on JACL’s future. He argues that honest differences of opinion deserve respect and that Gordon owes Kunitsugu an apology.
• Interest in fashion, by Mrs. Tom Nishitani, page 2. A Snake River Valley JACL member requests photographs of the Midori Shimamoto dress collection reported in an earlier issue. The editor responds that only one photograph is on file and will be shown when space permits.
• A Pacific Citizen editorial on JACL’s continuing purpose, by Barry K. Honda, page 2. The editor’s column on the Ye Editor’s Desk discusses the 1959 World Series and reflects on baseball’s place in American life. It also notes the Dodgers’ surprising pennant run.
• Dr. John Espada letter on JACL policy and purpose, by Dr. John Espada, page 2. Dr. John Espada of Long Beach JACL argues that JACL’s primary purpose of protecting persons of Japanese ancestry remains important and that its legislative gains must be defended. He calls for continued support of the national organization.
• Mexico City revisited, by Lorry S. Tojiri, page 3. Lorry Tojiri describes the restaurant scene in Mexico City, from international cuisines to Chinese and Polynesian restaurants, and notes the low prices. He observes that a sukiyaki house would do well in the city.
• An open letter to Dr. Arthur Schuck, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 5. Tamotsu Murayama writes an open letter to Dr. Arthur Schuck of the Boy Scouts of America, thanking him for his support in reactivating scouting in postwar Japan. He notes Schuck’s decoration by the Emperor.
• Eagle O’ the Right, by Richard Akagi, page 6. Richard Akagi comments on the record cover of The Crimson Kimono, a film featuring an Asian man kissing a white woman. He contrasts it with how MGM marketed Go For Broke, noting that interracial romance is still rarely accepted in practice.

Arts & Entertainment

• Micheners turn over own collection of 5,500 Japanese prints to Hawaii museum, by P.C. Staff, page 3. James and Mari Michener donated a collection of 5,506 Japanese prints valued at $250,000 to the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The gift includes works from early masters to modern artists and the Chandler collection.

Sports

• Frank Shimada of San Jose wins state golf title, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Frank Shimada of Garden City Golf Club won the state Nisei golf championship at Pebble Beach after a playoff with Glenn Okano and Ery Furukawa. The tournament drew a record field with strong handicap players.
• Negro golfer not a crusader, by Royal Brougham, page 7. Seattle sportswriter Royal Brougham profiles Bill Wright, the first Negro to compete in the U.S. Amateur championships. Wright approaches the tournament as a golfer rather than a civil rights crusader.

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