A textbook slur and anti-Nisei TV films: JACL’s 1957 campaigns

Vol. 44, No. 13, March 29, 1957. 8 pages. View this issue

JACL pushed back on how Japanese Americans were portrayed. The front page reported that the organization asked California education officials and a publisher to remove a grammar school story that repeatedly used a racial slur for the enemy, after it upset a Nisei child in Delano. JACL also wrote to 480 TV stations about wartime films showing Japanese Americans as spies and saboteurs. Harry K. Honda’s editorial tied that campaign to a possible Justice Department ruling on block-booking, and Tom Nagamatsu reported that a Fresno station agreed to review old films before airing them.

Also in this issue: Mike Masaoka’s Washington Newsletter on the coming Hawaii statehood hearings, Bill Hosokawa’s review of Day of Infamy, and Larry S. Tajiri’s profile of Sessue Hayakawa. Chapter news covers Detroit, Milwaukee, Cincinnati and San Diego, and the eight pages include sports, a Nisei 300 bowling game and a California FEPC bill that cleared its first committee.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Nurses Consider Citizenship First, by Dr. Roy Nishikawa, page 1. Dr. Roy Nishikawa recounts a panel with the California Nurses Association on race and human relations, where nurses showed a commitment to non-discrimination. He argues that applying the Golden Rule is the path to ending suspicion, fear, and discrimination.
• From the Frying Pan: Day of Infamy, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa reviews Walter Lord’s book Day of Infamy, noting it gives scant attention to Nisei experiences in Hawaii. He highlights the anecdote of reporter Lawrence Nakatsuka questioning Japanese Consul General Kita on the day of the attack.
• Vagaries: Sessue Hayakawa Still Has a Bright Future, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Tajiri profiles silent film star Sessue Hayakawa, from his Hollywood heyday and controversial roles to his years in France and Japan. He describes Hayakawa’s comeback in the film Bridge Over the River Kwai, where he plays a Japanese officer.
• Sou’wester: See Sea, by Tats Kushida, page 4. Kushida describes a complimentary voyage aboard the President Cleveland, comparing modern Economy Tourist class with the cramped steerage travel of earlier Issei. He praises the food, air conditioning, and amenities of the new accommodations.
• Editorial: Harry K. Honda on Anti-Nisei TV Films and Justice Department Block-Booking, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. The Justice Department may rule that selling old Hollywood films to TV in compulsory blocks is illegal, which would help JACL’s campaign against wartime films depicting Japanese Americans falsely. Honda argues it is unfair for stations to buy blocks containing objectionable films.
• Los Angeles Newsletter: Spring Cleaning Find, by Henry Mori, page 7. Mori reprints an unsigned letter from an Issei frustrated by the slow pace of evacuation claims payments. He also reports Justice Department assurances that renunciant citizenship restorations will be completed by the end of 1958.
• Washington Newsletter: Statehood for Hawaii, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Masaoka previews the coming Hawaii statehood legislative drive, noting the President’s support may be decisive as Hawaii now elected a Democratic delegate. He rebuts common arguments against statehood, including communist charges and concerns about cultural affinity.

Incarceration & Redress

• JACL Seeks Deletion of ‘Fuzz Young’ Text, Use of ‘Japs’ May Bias Children, by Harry Honda, page 1. JACL objects to a grammar school textbook story about Rodger Young that repeatedly uses the slur ‘Jap’ for the enemy, which upset a Delano Nisei child. JACL has asked state education officials and the publisher to remove the story and avoid the term in future textbooks.

National

• San Francisco Nipponmachi Suffers Light Damage in Mar. 22 Earthquake, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A magnitude earthquake shook the San Francisco peninsula, scattering merchandise and type in Japanese American shops in Uptown. Nihonmachi reported no serious damage, with only minor cracks in some homes.
• Stacked Lumber Falling on Youth Results in $16,000 Out of Court Settlement, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A nine-year-old Sansei was injured when a lumber stack fell on him at a Mountain View yard, and his father sued. The case settled for $16,000 before reaching a jury, using the attractive nuisance doctrine for the first time with lumber.
• National JACL Headquarters Withstands Earthquake, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The dilapidated JACL headquarters building in San Francisco held firm during the earthquake with no reported damage. Staff said the ceiling did not give way despite the shaking.
• Hearing Dates Set for Hawaii Statehood Bills in Both Houses, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congressional hearings on Hawaii statehood are scheduled for early April in both the Senate and House committees. JACL’s Washington representative Mike Masaoka said JACL will continue to actively support admission on equal terms with the 48 states.
• Call Japanese Refugees for U.S. Army Service, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Four Japanese refugees who entered under the Refugee Relief Act are being called for Army induction. Their service will allow them to qualify for naturalization upon discharge rather than waiting five years.
• Canadian Nisei Fiancees Permitted Entry Under Special Immigration Rule, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Canada will allow fiancees of Canadian Nisei to immigrate from Japan under the same bond-based provisions used for Chinese Canadians. The policy aims to help Nisei farmers in the Rocky Mountain provinces find wives.
• National Campaign on Anti-Nisei TV Films Opens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL sent letters to 480 TV stations asking them not to show wartime films portraying Japanese Americans as spies and saboteurs. The letter notes that no resident of Japanese ancestry committed espionage or sabotage before, during, or after Pearl Harbor.
• Calif. FEPC Bills Win First Approval, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California’s Assembly Committee on Governmental Efficiency and Economy voted 11-1 to advance bills creating a fair employment practices commission. The measures now go to the Ways and Means Committee, with JACL director Masao Satow testifying in support.
• Celler’s Immigrant Quota Plan Rapped by Calif. Editorial, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Oakland Tribune criticized Rep. Emanuel Celler for omitting Asia from his discussion of discriminatory immigration laws. The editorial noted the 105-person annual quota for Chinese immigration as a glaring example of discrimination.
• Nat’l Democratic Committee Names Nisei to New Post, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dr. Ernest Murai of Honolulu, a Democratic national committeeman, was named to a committee drafting by-laws for the Western States Democratic conference. The dentist attended the last national JACL convention.
• Nisei Airman Among Crew Lost Near Japan on C-97, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Military Air Transport Service disclosed that Airman 2d Class Paula E. Tamanaha of Waihee, Maui was aboard a C-97 lost at sea near Japan. The aircraft carried 57 passengers on a flight from Travis AFB to Tokyo.
• TV Films Cooperation with Fresno Station, by Tom Nagamatsu, page 8. Fresno station KJEO-TV asked CCDC chairman Tom Nagamatsu to form a committee to review old films before airing them, after he protested the showing of Betrayal from the East. The station wants to avoid misrepresentation.
• Foreign Service Officers Examination Date Set; Application Deadline May 1, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The State Department announced a June 24 foreign service officers examination open to citizens aged 20 to 30. Applications are due by May 1, and starting salaries range from $4,750 to $5,350.
• Civil Rights Legislation Moves Forward in Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Civil rights bills advanced in both the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights. The Washington JACL office noted past Rules Committee delays and urged continued support.

Military & Veterans

• First Japanese POW Taken in WW2 Found Working for Car Firm, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kazuo Sakamaki, the Japanese navy lieutenant captured at Waimanalo on Dec. 7, 1941, now works as chief clerk at Toyota Sales Corporation in Nagoya. Paul Crackel of Hilo met him during a visit to Japan.

Community

• JACL Bldg. Fund Boosted by Tri-Villes Donation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Redwood City Tri-Villes girls club donated $50 to the JACL Building Fund, bringing the total to $8,200. Most of the fund came from San Francisco JACL’s 14th biennial national convention profits.
• Nisei Optometrist Named to Statewide PR Post, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. George Miyake of Fowler JACL was appointed director of public information for the California Optometric Association. He will direct statewide public service activities for 1957.
• Nisei Form New Market Cooperative, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Central California Fruit Growers, Inc. was formed with prominent JACL members on its board, growing out of an 11-year-old farmers cooperative. The group plans to construct its own packing plant once established.
• Shonien Push Final Bid for $30,000, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fifteen local committees in Southern California are raising the final $30,000 needed to reach the $50,000 goal for Shonien Children’s Home. San Diego and Gardena Valley committees have led the effort.
• Sacramento Nisei War Memorial Community Center All Paid Up; New Directors Selected, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Nisei War Memorial Community Center in Sacramento has paid off all expenses and obligations from its purchase and improvements. The hall board also selected new directors from the local JACL chapter and Nisei VFW Post.
• Marsing Community Rallies Behind Takeo Nakano Family After Fire, by P.C. Staff, page 3. After the Nakano family home near Marsing, Idaho burned in January, neighbors helped build a new house with insurance funds and volunteer labor. A benefit dance raised about $500 for the family.
• Denver Daughters of the American Revolution Honor Mary Miyauchi, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mary Miyauchi of Denver’s Manual High School was among eight girls given Good Citizen pins by the local DAR chapter. The chapter had recently drawn national criticism over a member’s remarks about a Mexican American’s citizenship.
• Detroit CL Votes Incorporation as Non-Profit Group, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Detroit JACL chapter unanimously approved incorporating as a non-profit organization in Michigan at its March general meeting. The meeting also included a film on the Orient and a potluck supper.
• Elect Walter Wong Milwaukee Prexy, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Attorney Walter Wong was installed as president of the Milwaukee JACL at its annual dinner. Outgoing president James Momoi presented a $100 donation to the Hungarian relief fund.
• Enthusiasm, Fun Higher Than Bowling Scores, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Thirty Cincinnati JACL members enjoyed an afternoon of bowling at Stacy’s alley, with prizes for high and low games and team competition. The event ended with an informal get-together at chapter president Jimmy Hashimoto’s home.
• San Francisco JACL Credit Union Declares Dividend Drop, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The San Francisco JACL credit union declared dividends of 2.9 percent, down from 8.5 percent the prior year, due to a lack of borrowers. The annual meeting also elected William Hoshiyama as board president.
• East L.A. Designates PSW Confab Committee Heads, by P.C. Staff, page 4. East Los Angeles JACL named committee chairs for the fifth Pacific Southwest District Council convention, held May 18-19 at Anaheim Elks Lodge and Disneyland Hotel. Fred Takata and Roy Yamadera are convention co-chairmen.
• Zen Buddhism Subject of New York JACL Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 4. New York JACL will host Dr. Daisetsu R. Suzuki, a leading authority on Zen Buddhism, at its general meeting. Colored slides will be shown by William Hoshino.
• Chicago Corner: Cook of the Week, by Smoky H. Sakurada, page 5. Issei Harry Harada won the Chicago Daily Tribune’s Cook of the Week honors and a $100 prize for his Korean dishes. The column describes the ingredients and approach of Korean cooking, including kim-chee.
• Nisei Discussion Club Series Examines Nisei and Sansei Issues, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Chicago JACL is sponsoring a four-session discussion series titled Let’s Look at Ourselves, starting March 31 at Olivet Institute. Topics include the trouble with Nisei, the dilemma of Nisei parents, Sansei perspectives, and prejudice.
• Detroit JACL Discussion Group Formed to Build Resource Information, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Detroit JACL Discussion Group presented papers on the Nisei WW2 record and the Japanese Exclusion Act at its meeting. The group was organized last year to build resource material on topics relevant to Nisei in America and Michigan.
• Oakland JACL to Show This Is Your Life Kinescope, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Oakland JACL will hold its first general meeting on April 5, featuring a kinescope of This Is Your Life honoring Mike Masaoka. Former NC-WNDC regional director Haruo Ishimaru will speak.
• Gilroy Community Picnic Set for April 7 at Uvas Damon, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Gilroy JACL has completed plans for its community picnic on April 7, with the Women’s Club and YBA assisting. Highlights include an egg hunt and a Community Hall drawing.
• Brighton Carnival Night Draws Hundreds, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Brighton TriState Buddhist Church held a successful Carnival Night attended by hundreds of people. Prizes included a movie camera outfit, dinnerware, and a clock-radio, and volunteers ran the chow mein dinner.
• Do It Yourself Fashion Show Held in Cleveland, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Nisei Jr. Matrons held a fashion show on March 8 at Nationality Services Center featuring spring and summer fabric trends and do-it-yourself designs. Sue Dote chaired the event.
• Issei Citizens Donate Cherry Trees to Reedley College, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Sixty Issei donated 150 Japanese flowering cherry trees to Reedley College in appreciation of Americanization classes that helped them naturalize. Instructors Howard Nakamura and Toru Ikeda led the bilingual course.

Obituaries

• Tribute to Harry N. Miyake, by Tats Kushida, page 4. Kushida mourns the death of Harry N. Miyake, a Nisei community leader and former board chairman of Guadalupe Buddhist Church. Over 400 people attended his funeral service, and nearly 200 telegrams were sent to his family.

Sports

• Seki Fires 77 to Win First San Diego JACL Golf Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 4. George Seki shot a 77 to win low gross honors in the first annual San Diego JACL golf tournament held at Tijuana. Harry Hankawa finished second with a 78 and Chick Hinaga took low net.
• Cubs’ Yosh Kawano Keeps Team Equipment in Order, by Edward Prell, page 4. Yosh Kawano, a Cubs equipment manager since 1936, handles a massive inventory of baseballs, uniforms, and gear each spring training. Prell describes him as the club’s most valuable employee among the players.
• Nisei Bowler Rolls Perfect 300 Game, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A 41-year-old Nisei bowler rolled a perfect 300 game in ABC-sanctioned play at Stadium Bowl-O-Drome, qualifying for bowling’s Hall of Fame. He had a 182 average and called the 11th strike the scary moment.
• Takagi Rolls 651 in Nisei Commercial League, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Fred Takagi rolled a 651 series in the Nisei Commercial League with scores of 195, 225, and 201. The item reports his strong performance during the week’s league play.

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