A JACL crossroads and the Nishikawa citizenship case

Vol. 45, No. 18, November 1, 1957. 8 pages. View this issue

Where the JACL should go next was the question raised on the front page of this eight-page issue. An editorial by the Board weighed a broad international policy against continued work on domestic discrimination, set out the views of Kango Kunitsugu and national president Dr. Roy Nishikawa, and asked members for their input. The Supreme Court also heard oral arguments on whether Congress can strip citizenship from native-born Americans, in cases involving Mitsugi Nishikawa, Clemente Martinez Perez and Albert L. Trop. At Arlington National Cemetery, Col. Kai E. Rasmussen spoke at the Nisei Soldier Memorial Day services.

Elsewhere, Wilson Makabe described Bruyeres marking the anniversary of its liberation by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Dillon S. Myer gave his views on wartime removal, and Lorry S. Tajiri wrote about Hollywood’s Japan films. Harry K. Honda’s column linked Sputnik to wasted Nisei talent, and the Detroit chapter set up a $10,000 educational loan fund.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Where Do We Go From Here?, by By the Board, page 1. The JACL faces a crossroads between a broad international policy, continued domestic anti-discrimination work, or assessing whether its founding aims have been achieved. The editorial weighs the differing views of Kango Kunitsugu and national president Dr. Roy Nishikawa and calls for membership input on the organization’s direction.
• Sputnik in Terms of Human Relations, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. The editor observes that Sputnik demonstrates both how small the world has become and how far the Soviets have gained scientific prestige. He argues that racial discrimination has long wasted the talents of capable Nisei scientists and engineers, weakening American strength.

Military & Veterans

• Col. Rasmussen Recalls Gettysburg Speech at Arlington Rites for Nisei War Dead, by JACL News Service, page 1. At the Nisei Soldier Memorial Day services at Arlington National Cemetery, Col. Kai E. Rasmussen praised the Nisei linguists of the MIS and urged participants to uphold the equality the Nisei fought for. Ira Shimasaki and Mike Masaoka also spoke, and the Nisei dead were honored with a rifle salute and Taps.
• Nisei Co-Author of Atlas, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Recent sports and community news notes that the Seattle Nisei Veterans Women’s Auxiliary hosted a dinner for the Fighting Irish Little League football team. The team’s season and awards were highlighted in the sports coverage.

Community

• Detroit Chapter Establishes $10,000 Educational Loan Fund, by Kay Miyaya, page 1. The Detroit JACL established the Taizo Kokubo Memorial Educational Loan Fund from a bequest, offering interest-bearing student loans to qualified Japanese American college students. The chapter also won a court judgment recovering an inheritance tax paid on the bequest.
• Nisei Picked as Attendant to Bruin Homecoming Queen, by P.C. Staff, page 1. June Shintani of East Los Angeles was selected as one of four princesses to UCLA homecoming queen Phyllis McKeen. Stella Nakadate of East Los Angeles was among the 25 finalists, and both were East Los Angeles JACL representatives.
• Nisei Appointed Cadet Colonel of All Denver High School ROTC Units, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tom Y. Yasuda of Manual High School was named cadet colonel of all Denver high school ROTC units for 1957-58 after scoring highest among 15 candidates. He was also inducted into the Denver Post Gallery of Fame for public service.
• Tak Momita’s Back in Business, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Calipatria druggist Tak Momita returned to work on crutches after a fatal accident that killed his wife Helen, finding his store busy with supportive customers. Townspeople donated to a planned flagpole in her honor, and Momita remains hopeful about reviving the Imperial Valley JACL.
• Nisei Co-Author of Atlas on California, by P.C. Staff, page 2. John C. Kimura, a geography instructor at East Los Angeles Junior College, co-authored Patterns on the Land, a 100-map atlas of California. The work was produced with two Los Angeles State College geography professors and is intended for use in California history courses.
• Bruyeres Celebrates Liberation Day; Tribute Paid to Men of 442nd, by Wilson Makabe, page 3. The French town of Bruyeres marked the 13th anniversary of its liberation by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team with ceremonies at the 442nd monument in the forest. The writer, a disabled 442nd veteran visiting Europe, reports that the monument site has been improved with a new road and park.
• L.A. Chapters Planning Joint Installation Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Several Los Angeles County JACL chapters are combining forces for a joint installation dance on January 25 to honor their 1958 cabinet officers. Kaz Kawakami and Kango Kunitsugu co-chair the L.A. JACL Coordinating Council sponsoring the event.
• Stereophonic Sound Demonstration Feature, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Downtown Los Angeles JACL will host a luncheon on November 7 featuring Pacific Telephone’s ‘Adventure in Sound’ demonstration of sound recording and stereo reproduction. The program traces the history of sound technology from Bell’s first telephone call through modern stereo.
• Japanese Chamber of Commerce Honors UNICEF Representative Dr. Asako Matsuoka, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. Dr. Asako Matsuoka, Japan’s UN representative to UNICEF, spoke at a Los Angeles Japanese Chamber of Commerce dinner about the agency’s child-nutrition programs. She described the budget and aid to Japanese hospitals and said UNICEF helps keep Communism from taking root in Japan.
• Fashion Show Highlights Changing Face of Fashion, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The San Francisco JACL Auxiliary staged a fashion show at the Hopkins Hotel featuring The White House’s designs before a capacity crowd. Fifty-five costumes were shown, including chemise-look dresses and tweed outfits, and door prizes were awarded.
• Shonien Ball Benefits Children’s Home, by Kengo (Harry) Fujita, page 4. The Nisei Legal Secretaries Association and the Mrs. Pascnas group held the annual TOT Ball at Fox Hills Country Club to benefit Shonien Children’s Home, which received $2,000 last year. The home is installing fire alarms and plans to expand its child care facilities.
• Something Like a Flower Is Growing, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Writers Richard Kayne and Tim Sullivan completed a stage play about Nisei during the evacuation, using back issues of the Pacific Citizen for background. The three-act play, with eleven Nisei roles, is slated to open in San Francisco before moving to Broadway.
• Oakland Organizes Jr. JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The newly formed Oakland Jr. JACL elected Kaz Sato as president and ratified its constitution. The group planned to attend the Jr. JACL conference during the NC-WN District Council convention in Sacramento.

National

• Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Nishikawa Citizenship Case, by JACL News Service, page 1. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on whether Congress can strip citizenship from native-born Americans, in cases involving Mitsugi Nishikawa, Clemente Martinez Perez, and Albert L. Trop. Attorney A. L. Wirin argued that Nishikawa did not voluntarily relinquish citizenship when he was coerced into the Japanese Army.
• No Need of Mass Evacuation in Wartime in Future, Myer Says, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dillon S. Myer, former WRA director, told an Asahi Evening News reporter in Tokyo that mass evacuations and relocation centers should not be repeated, favoring individual intelligence screening instead. He argued that the wartime relocation ultimately helped Japanese Americans by dispersing them and prompting legal reforms.
• Canadian Nisei Protest Filming of Anti-Nisei Film Over Upstate New York TV Station, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Toronto JCCA chapter protested a Buffalo, N.Y. TV station’s showing of the anti-Nisei wartime film Little Tokyo, U.S.A. by writing to its sponsors. Mike Masaoka, JACL Washington representative, praised the action and noted the national campaign to halt such films.

Arts & Entertainment

• Hollywood’s Japan Cycle, by Lorry S. Tajiri, page 3. Hollywood is producing several films with Japanese-American friendship themes, including Sayonara, Escapade in Japan, and Stopover Tokyo, along with a planned Townsend Harris story. The column examines casting difficulties, economic motives such as frozen yen funds, and the industry’s use of Japanese technicians.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.