A new history of the 100th Infantry and Issei citizenship classes

Vol. 38, No. 13, March 26, 1954. 8 pages. View this issue

A forthcoming history of the 100th Infantry Battalion led this eight-page issue. Lawrence Nakatsuka reported that Club 100 was taking pre-publication orders for Ambassadors in Arms, by Dr. Thomas D. Murphy, due from the University of Hawaii Press that summer. The front page also covered a House amendment to the Refugee Relief Act, meant to keep Peruvian Japanese brought to the U.S. during the war from being deported. Mike Masaoka, Harry K. Honda and Min Yasui wrote for the issue.

Citizenship classes for Issei ran through the news, in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Los Angeles, and Min Yasui looked back at the 5-F Issei naturalization cases. Elsewhere are chapter news, sports pages, Henry Mori’s Los Angeles newsletter, and Larry Tajiri on the sale of Scene magazine. An editorial profiled Harry G. Matoba of Denver.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• ‘Ambassadors in Arms’ new book on 100th Infantry to be published, by By LAWRENCE NAKATSUKA, page 1. Club 100 is advertising pre-publication orders for Ambassadors in Arms, a history of the 100th Infantry Battalion by Dr. Thomas D. Murphy to be published by the University of Hawaii Press this summer. Club President Spark Matsunaga says the book draws on five years of research and newly released files.
• Highest ranking Nisei dental officer, Lt. Col. George G. Morimoto, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lt. Col. George G. Morimoto is the highest ranking Nisei dental officer and currently post dental surgeon at Red River Arsenal. A former Sacramento JACL president, he is married and the father of five children.

Community

• Sketch chapter banner for Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Salt Lake JACL is designing a chapter banner to display with the American flag at formal occasions. Several sketches with Japanese American and local themes were submitted, and a committee was named to refine details.
• First all-Nisei Lions International may be organized by Sacramentans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sacramento Nisei businessmen and professionals may form an all-Nisei Lions club, possibly the first of its kind, according to columnist Eugene Okada. The idea has drawn both support and questions about duplicating JACL and VFW efforts.
• Soothsayer predicts statehood for Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dorigho Kodama, a 76-year-old soothsayer who predicted Truman’s 1948 upset and Eisenhower’s 1952 victory, says Hawaii will win statehood this session of Congress. He based his prediction on a reading of Japanese words and said he had not previously studied Hawaii’s statehood question.
• Two Nisei MDs to receive degrees at Univ. of Utah, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lindy Fumio Kumagai and Elsie Sakae Sata will receive Doctor of Medicine degrees at a special commencement at the University of Utah. The report notes their achievement as Nisei graduates.
• Japanese fishermen radiation burns and Santa Barbara mercy package of aloe vera, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Santa Barbara businessman rushed a package of aloe vera leaves and salve to Tokyo to treat 23 Japanese fishermen hospitalized with radiation burns from the Bikini hydrogen bomb test. The materials were donated and flown via Japan Air Lines.
• Three Japanese women join ICU foundation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three New York women joined the women’s planning committee of the Japan International Christian University Foundation to build support for co-education in Japan. The committee is headed by Mrs. Harper Sibley.
• Mutual defense assistance, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 3. Murayama analyzes the Mutual Defense Assistance treaty signed by Japan and the United States on March 8, including planned naval and air equipment. He also discusses Japanese opposition groups and the constitutional questions the treaty raises.
• Sumitomo Hawaii bank depositors due interest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. About $100,000 in interest has been authorized for more than 6,000 depositors of the Sumitomo Bank of Hawaii, seized by the U.S. government on Dec. 7, 1941. The rate of 6 percent applies to deposits unfrozen between Dec. 7, 1941 and Nov. 28, 1942.
• 65 Santa Barbara study for citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sixty-five prospective Issei citizens are attending Americanization classes sponsored by the Santa Barbara JACL. National JACL President George Inagaki spoke at a banquet honoring the students and noted the record of Nisei in war and public service.
• Japanese houseboy willed $5,000 by rich lumberman, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kazuo Ichikawa, a 33-year-old Okayama-born houseboy in Toronto, received a $5,000 bequest from his late employer, lumber millionaire Edward Elsworth Johnson. The will was part of an estate of about $3.7 million.
• Nisei students honored at Santa Barbara citizenship banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Santa Barbara JACL citizenship program honored new citizens and students with a banquet attended by local education officials. Japanese, Spanish, and American food was served.
• Azuma Kabuki dancers schedule four cities, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Azuma Kabuki dancers and musicians will tour Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, and Chicago after their New York run ending March 28. Boston is the first stop on March 29.
• Temple lantern to adorn famed Washington, D.C. cherry trees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japan is donating a seven-foot temple lantern to light the cherry trees in Washington given 42 years ago, as a symbol of friendship. The lantern will be lit at a ceremony during the cherry blossom festival.
• Travel economies in Pacific flights, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Northwest Orient Airlines will begin tourist-class trans-Pacific service in DC-6B aircraft on April 1, lowering fares to Tokyo from the West Coast and other cities. Pete Ohtaki, Northwest’s special sales representative, announced the new fares.
• Nisei Lions, Chicago corner, and bowling notes, by Smoky Sakurada, page 4. Sakurada’s Chicago column covers upcoming events including a testimonial for Korean War veterans featuring Hiroshi Miyamura, Chicago JACL program announcements, and a foiled holiday robbery by Toshi Nakamura. It also profiles West Coast bowlers attending the national tournament.
• Salinas, Gilroy, Cleveland and other chapter news, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Multiple chapters reported officer elections and programs, including Gilroy electing Hiroshi Kunimura as its first president and Cleveland planning five community events. Other items cover Pacific Northwest District Council meetings and membership drives.
• Salt Lake CL in active program, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Salt Lake JACL under president Rupert Hachiya plans a citizenship refresher course and recently earned $425 from a benefit movie. National Director Mas Satow also spoke to local youths about JACL history.
• Two Americanization classes in Santa Maria, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Santa Maria County JACL and the local board of education started citizenship classes for about 85 Issei at two locations. Instructors S. Dohi and Harry Miyake are teaching twice weekly.
• Dr. Frank Herron Smith chapel being built in Berkeley, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Berkeley Methodist United Church is building a chapel dedicated to Dr. Frank Herron Smith, a longtime missionary who served the Japanese community and defended Japanese Americans during the war. An appeal of $30,000 is underway for the approximately $60,000 project.
• Citizenship classes in L.A. schools in session, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Issei enrollment remains open for Americanization classes at Hobart School and Dorsey High School, sponsored by the Downtown and Southwest Los Angeles JACL chapters. Classes emphasize passing the naturalization exam in English.
• New citizens sworn in at Brigham, Utah, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Twenty-six Box Elder County residents, including twenty-three from Japan, were naturalized in ceremonies in the First District Court. Makino Mitamura will take the oath later.
• Placer JACL nine workouts impressive, 15-game schedule opening Apr. 25, by Homer Takahashi, page 6. The Placer JACL baseball team held impressive early workouts under new manager Chuck Hayashida. The team opens its Placer-Nevada League season April 25 at Nevada City and released a full schedule.
• Fairway Golf Club begins third year, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Fairway Golf Club in Cleveland begins its third year with 15 women members planning match play and a Scotch foursome. The club’s officers are listed for 1954.
• San Fernando mother goes full-time breeding jumbo frogs for public sale, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Marie Doizaki operates a frog farm in Sun Valley with eight pools of Louisiana jumbo frogs, which she and her husband sell for food. The frogs are fed crawfish and take about a year to reach market size.
• Northwest Nisei Buddhist youth elect presidents, by P.C. Staff, page 7. James Demise and Minoru Tsubota were elected presidents of the Northwest Young Buddhist League and Young Adult Buddhist League at a regional convention in Spokane attended by more than 500 delegates.

National

• Peruvian-Japanese relief bill amendment approved by House, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House passed an amendment to the Refugee Relief Act to prevent deportation of Peruvian Japanese brought to the U.S. for wartime internment and allow them to seek permanent residence. JACL lobbyist Mike Masaoka praised the sponsoring representatives.
• Nisei cabbie robbed, suspect held, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Cleveland Nisei cab driver Jack Morimitsu was robbed at gunpoint by a passenger who fled when two detectives stopped to investigate. The suspect was later found with shotgun wounds and held, and he has identified three of eight recently robbed drivers.
• Special Nisei newsfeature in Christian Science Monitor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A full-page feature in The Christian Science Monitor on March 31 will highlight the accomplishments of Nisei in the United States, including Los Angeles figures such as Attorney Frank Chuman, Dr. James Hara, and Judge John Aiso. It will describe how Japanese Americans are advancing in business, professions, and government.
• Conference call on civil liberties, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. The JACL joined 70 national organizations responding to the Sixth Annual National Conference on Civil Liberties in Washington. President Eisenhower and Attorney General Herbert Brownell addressed the conference, with Brownell urging protection of civil rights against intolerance.

Incarceration & Redress

• Citizenship and adoption information for orphans under Refugee Relief Act, by Washington JACL Office, page 1. The Washington JACL Office released information on the Refugee Relief Act of 1953, which allows up to 4,000 non-quota visas for eligible orphans under 10. The release explains eligibility conditions and notes that adoption qualifications are governed by foreign or state law.
• Burglary wave continues in San Francisco Japantown, by P.C. Staff, page 2. San Francisco police estimate about 75 burglaries have hit Issei and Nisei homes this year, with only 35 solved. Several suspects have been arrested but no property recovered, and victims have struggled to identify the burglars.
• Question of 5-F Issei citizenship did not impel ACLU, by Min Yasui, page 5. Min Yasui writes that the ACLU did not intervene in the 5-F Issei naturalization cases, and that the victory in the Matoba and Tsuji cases came from coordinated JACL action. He suggests the episode shows the value of Nisei organizational support.

Commentary

• On chapter bulletins, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Honda describes the labor-intensive process of producing and mailing chapter newsletters in cramped office conditions. He praises the volunteers who keep chapter bulletins going despite mechanical problems.
• Very truly yours, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Honda reflects on the labor behind Los Angeles chapter newsletters produced in the Pacific Citizen office and regional office. He concludes by wishing the chapter committees well.
• Fuji Drug Co. and convention preparations (Souvenir booklet and Washington notes), by Harry K. Honda, page 7. Honda reports on preparations for the JACL National Convention souvenir booklet and thanks chapters for ad support. He also describes a Nisei-operated restaurant opening and a hearing on the Adams-Washington freeway that threatens Nisei homes.
• Job and housing discrimination, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The author describes housing discrimination against Nisei families in Southern California, including denials from several developments despite veterans’ status. Most such cases were resolved through JACL legal counsel and community support.
• Mailbox letters on Nisei votes and Jehovah Witness citizenship, by Letters to the Editor, page 7. Readers wrote on the role of Nisei votes in future elections and objected to citizenship for a Jehovah’s Witness who refused to salute the flag. The editor responded that voter participation will be covered at election times.
• Newsletter, by Henry Mori, page 7. Henry Mori’s column covers Los Angeles political news, including Mrs. Mildred Younger’s campaign for State Senate against Jack Tenney, and community gossip about new Nisei organizational firsts. The column also notes a planned Optimist Club in Little Tokyo.
• The Happiest Man in Town, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Harry G. Matoba, a 1914 immigrant from Okayama, became the first Issei male granted citizenship over immigration objections to his World War I draft status. The editorial profiles his life, his service bureau in Denver, and the decision that opened the way for other Issei.

Arts & Entertainment

• Shilin-Fujihara film world-premiered, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Village of the Poor, a 28-minute color film by Alan Shilin Productions with photographer Toge Fujihara, premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was filmed in the Madras area of India.
• Better Known Cho-Cho San, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Soprano Tomi Kanazawa of Los Angeles is better known in Europe than in the United States, having toured Scandinavia and performed for the Swedish royal family. She is well known for her Madame Butterfly roles in American productions.
• Scene magazine sold to Jaffe Publications, by Larry Tajiri, page 8. The sale of Scene magazine to Jaffe Publications of Los Angeles keeps the monthly alive but ends the first professional Nisei picture magazine effort. Tajiri explains that the small Nisei audience could not sustain the production costs.
• Nisei performers in Broadway hit Hakuan Mom, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A dozen Nisei performers appear in a Broadway production and the cast includes dancer and choreographer Yuki Shimoda as assistant stage manager. Actress Mariko Niki has a leading role in the New York version.

JACL

• Pacific Northwest District sets chapter clinic session in Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pacific Northwest District Council will hold a DC business meeting and chapter clinic at Nikkei Jinkai Hall in Seattle, with National Director Mas Satow conducting training for new chapter officers. Six member chapters plus the new Moses Lake chapter are expected to attend.
• Recall early CL history at Stockton installation, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Former national JACL president Saburo Kido reviewed the organization’s history at joint installation ceremonies for Stockton and French Camp chapters. Stockton College president Julio Bortolazzo also spoke on the importance of education for Nisei assimilation.
• Special JACL price for Mashbir’s book announced, by P.C. Staff, page 5. JACL members can order Col. Mashbir’s I Was an American Spy through National Headquarters for $2.75, a dollar below the bookstore price. The book includes a chapter on the Nisei G-2 men under his command.

Sports

• Nisei basketball championships decided, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Shin Nichibei won the Southern California NAU title over Pasadena, and California St. Methodist Church claimed the Colorado Nisei title with a perfect season. Tak Tsutsui led the Methodist team with 23 points.
• George Taniguchi’s riding success at Bay Meadows, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Apprentice jockey George Taniguchi made a strong showing at Bay Meadows, bringing in three winners last Saturday including a longshot paying $57.30. He is under contract to trainer Larry Kinney.
• Washington State wins Pacific Coast boxing title, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Washington State claimed the 1954 Pacific Coast Intercollegiate boxing title with a record 38 points, and Gil Inaba retained his 132-pound title. Inaba’s decision drew loud disapproval from the crowd.
• Wat Misaka bowling notes, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Former Univ. of Utah basketball standout Wat Misaka, who played in the NIT and NCAA tournaments a decade ago, now bowls in the Wasatch League in Salt Lake City, pounding a 277 game and 694 series.

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