Citizenship for alien GIs and the Issei naturalization push

Vol. 36, No. 26, June 26, 1953. 8 pages. View this issue

Citizenship was the main subject of this 8-page issue. Congress approved and sent to the White House a bill to speed naturalization for aliens serving in the armed forces during the Korean conflict, a measure JACL had endorsed. Mike Masaoka’s column marked the first anniversary of the McCarran-Walter Act, and Larry Tajiri wrote on how its removal of race restrictions came about. Citizenship classes for Issei were reported from Oakland, Minneapolis and Long Beach, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service was said to be pleased by the response.

Elsewhere, Lawrence Nakatsuka reported on seven defendants, four of them Nisei, convicted in Honolulu under the Smith Act. The editorial page honored attorney Guy C. Calden for forty years of service to Japanese Americans. Roy Yoshida’s column made the case for a JACL legislative program in Sacramento, and Paul Itaya’s short story, “Good Afternoon, Saito-san,” appeared on page 5. Sports and chapter news fill the inside pages.

What’s in this issue

National

• Citizenship Process Eased for Alien GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congress approved and sent to the White House legislation to expedite naturalization of aliens serving in the armed forces during the Korean conflict, endorsed by JACL. The bill waives waiting periods and fees for eligible servicemembers but not other basic requirements.
• First Nisei to Be Convicted Under Smith Act Await Sentences, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 1. Seven defendants, four of them Nisei, were convicted in Honolulu federal court under the Smith Act for conspiring to advocate violent overthrow of the government and await sentencing while attorneys seek a new trial. The trial was the longest criminal trial in Hawaii’s history.
• Enthusiastic Response of Issei to Citizenship Privilege Delights INS, page 1. JACL Washington representative Mike Masaoka urged the Immigration and Naturalization Service to expedite Issei citizenship by sending examiners and translators to areas with large Japanese populations. Commissioners expressed gratification at the strong interest and requested additional funds from Congress.
• 60-Year-Old Anti-Oriental Law Found in Burnaby, page 1. An 1892 Burnaby, B.C. ordinance barring employment of Japanese or Chinese workers by the town came to light when a Chinese Canadian applied for a city job. The city council moved to repeal the outdated law.
• Hawaii Statehood Chances Slim as Hearings Reordered, page 1. Senate Interior Committee hearings on Hawaiian statehood were scheduled, likely delaying any Senate vote this year. Topics include territorial boundaries, alleged Communist influence of Harry Bridges and Jack Hall, and Hawaii’s economy without military spending.
• Firing Range Controversy in Japan, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 3. Japanese cabinet decisions to use Uchinada and other sites as firing ranges for security forces provoked strong local opposition from residents on moral, agricultural, and fishing grounds. The columnist warns the issue could embarrass the Japanese government.

Community

• Tsukiyamas Give Birth to First-Born Child, page 1. Mr. and Mrs. Ted Tsukiyama of Honolulu welcomed their first child, a daughter, on June 15. The father is deputy city-county attorney and the mother is the former Fuku Yokoyama.
• Two Issei Over 80 Years Old Graduate Oakland Citizenship School, page 1. Two elderly Issei, Kodashiro, 88, and Mrs. Tom Tsuna Nakayama, 84, were among the oldest members of an Oakland citizenship class sponsored by the Oakland JACL chapter. The class was conducted for the Oakland Community Adult School.
• Urge N.C. Regional Office Stay Open, page 1. The NCWN cabinet recommended continuing the Northern California JACL office through September 1954. District officials said a regional director is still needed until naturalization and claims matters are resolved.
• 75 Minnesota Issei Attend Citizenship Class, Pass Tests, page 1. Seventy-five Issei completed a citizenship class held at Minneapolis Vocational High School under the Twin Cities United Citizens League. All students passed the final examinations held June 4.
• Ohio Fiesta, page 1. Wallace Kaneshiro of Honolulu was elected Fiesta King of 1953 by the Marietta College student body. He represented the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity and is a senior biology major.
• Chapter Designated to Display County Crops at State Fair, page 2. Southern Alameda County JACL will again be in charge of the county vegetable display at the 1953 Sacramento State Fair. The JACL-sponsored displays have won many prizes in past fairs.
• Nisei Week Festival Program to Start Aug. 15, page 2. Bob Uno announced the tentative 10-day calendar for the Los Angeles Nisei Week Festival, aimed at attracting the non-Japanese community and tourists. Events include a coronation ball, judo tournament, flower arrangement and tea ceremony, and carnival.
• 40 Years Service to Japanese Cited, page 2. Guy C. Calden, alien land law attorney, was honored at a June 13 testimonial dinner in San Francisco for four decades of service to California Japanese. His firm with Albert Elliot handled most major cases testing the alien land law.
• Minister Resigns to Join Brother’s Firm, page 2. The Rev. Gordon Yamaguchi, director of student work at a Los Angeles church, resigned to join his brother’s wholesale produce business. He is a 442nd veteran and former commissioned intelligence officer.
• Bank of Tokyo Safety Deposit Boxes Expanded, page 2. The Los Angeles branch of the Bank of Tokyo of California installed additional safety deposit boxes after the initial 9 boxes were quickly rented. More than 100 new boxes were ordered to meet demand.
• Grounds Wanted by City Park Again, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 3. Former owners of the Izumo Taishi Kyo Mission property in Honolulu sought its return after it was converted into a playground during the war. The city later moved to regain the same property despite the parks board’s position on the transfer.
• Life Sketch of Nisei Scholarship Recipients, page 3. Several Nisei students received academic honors and fellowships during this period, including Thomas Sawa’s Danforth fellowship and Phi Beta Kappa recognitions at UCLA and Berkeley. Other honorees included John J. McCloy and Warren Burger.
• Driver Lights Cigarette, Car Hits Rock, Rolls Into Ravine, page 3. Sam Momii, past commander of Cathay Post 185, was injured when his car went off a mountain highway while returning from an American Legion convention. Three other passengers escaped with minor injuries.
• Issei Naturalization to Be Stepped Up in July, page 3. H. B. Hart of the San Francisco INS district office said 500 to 700 Issei from Northern California JACL citizenship classes will be tested in July. Those in more distant areas like Sacramento must wait until fall.
• 130 Long Beach Residents Finish Americanization Class, page 3. 130 students completed a 12-week American citizenship course at the Long Beach-Harbor District Japanese Community Center, sponsored by the local JACL chapter. Instructors were Harry Nishimura, Rev. Nick Iyoya, and George Nakamura.
• Fine Arts Program Outlined by JACL Chapter, page 4. Chapter news on various JACL activities across the country. Coverage includes membership and summer programs.
• Colo. Fishing Laws Silent on Alien Restrictions, page 6. The Colorado supreme court ruled that state fishing and hunting laws are silent on alien hunting rights, allowing Issei with 90-day residency to obtain hunting licenses. The ruling arose from a Swiss alien’s deer hunting case.
• Pal Assists Golfer With Hole-in-One on Spokane Course, page 6. Yoni Ota was credited with assisting George Honda’s hole-in-one on the 110-yard 11th hole at Indian Canyon golf course in Spokane. Ota’s ball struck the leaning pin and bounced away, leaving Honda’s ball to fall in.
• St. Paul’s First-Born Nisei Graduates From High School, page 6. Hideko Akamatsu, the first Japanese baby born in St. Paul, graduated from Harding High School as cheerleader, basketball star, and National Honor Society member. She plans to study sociology at the University of Minnesota.
• Elderly Japanese Man Gives Gifts to Capitol Officials, page 6. An elderly Japanese man distributed gifts to officials including Justice Tom Clark and Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Washington, D.C. He ended up at Gallinger Hospital for observation after police found his suitcases of gifts.
• Chicagoan Yorine Ger Attends Art Librarians Association Conference, by Henry Mori, page 7. Chicagoan Yorine Ger attended the Art Librarians Association conference in Los Angeles, where she serves as assistant editor of the organization’s bulletin. Other Nisei delegates were also present.

Military & Veterans

• GI Home From Korea Killed Accidentally by Gunshot, page 1. Cpl. Charles H. Takebayashi, 25, who returned home for discharge after 17 months of Korean duty, died June 13 when a rifle he was cleaning was accidentally discharged. Police reported the shot passed through his head and out an open window.
• New York Nisei Earns Commission Early, page 3. George Kurosaka, Jr., son of a George, N.Y. family, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers after completing his junior year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He earned credit for prior Army service.

Commentary

• Immigration and Nationality Act Anniversary, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka marks the first anniversary of the McCarran-Walter Act, noting it has not worked out as viciously as opponents charged nor as well as advocates claimed. He highlights benefits such as naturalization and Asian quotas alongside remaining hardships like deportation suspension rules.
• Fifty-Fifty Out of Curiosity, page 2. A writer surveyed immigration attorneys on whether their cases were helped or harmed by the McCarran-Walter Act, and the answers were nearly evenly split. The piece notes this balance is notable given the technical nature of the cases.
• Speaking Freely: Need for JACL Legislative Program in Sacramento, by Roy Yoshida, page 5. Roy Yoshida argues that the defeat of an Issei old age assistance bill in California shows the need for a strong JACL legislative presence in Sacramento. He urges chapters to prevent discriminatory measures rather than react to them.
• Mannahatta, by Joe Oyama, page 5. Joe Oyama describes a Waseda University volleyball team visiting the U.S. and their wariness of being seen as freeloaders by Japanese American communities. He also previews a New York Japanese community picnic on the Hudson.
• Vital Statistics, page 5. A reader comments on the Pacific Citizen’s vital statistics, objecting to adding an s to Japanese surnames. The letter asks the paper to reconsider how Japanese names are presented.
• Self-Segregation, page 5. A reader agrees with Bill Hosokawa’s column on self-segregation, arguing that Nisei scattered across the country should now be able to live with people of all backgrounds. The letter calls for continued progress.
• Editorial: To an Old Friend, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial honors attorney Guy C. Calden, who worked for Japanese Americans since 1913 and handled alien land law cases through difficult times. The paper expresses gratitude for his four decades of loyal friendship and service.
• Displaced Persons, by P.C. Staff, page 8. JACL endorsed President Eisenhower’s proposal to admit European displaced persons but urged Congress to also consider Far East displaced persons and Peruvian Japanese facing deportation. The editorial argues these requests are fair and reasonable.
• Kurope-First Attitude, by Larry Tajiri, page 8. The column criticizes the Europe-first attitude of liberal Americans on immigration, noting the Immigration Act of 1924 was driven by anti-Asian politics. It credits JACL with achieving the removal of race restrictions in the McCarran-Walter Act.
• Very Truly Yours: Distortion, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Harry K. Honda critiques Japanese-language newspapers for distorting the news, citing a publisher who wrongly claimed the government had dropped its suspicion of Japanese organizations. He warns readers to be skeptical of vernacular press reporting.

Arts & Entertainment

• New Murder Mystery With Nisei Written, page 3. Lloyd S. Thompson’s novel Hear Not My Steps concerns murder, prejudice, and Northern California, with a Nisei veteran as the central figure. The plot follows a Nisei family returning from camp who are framed for a murder.

In-Depth

• From the Past: Good Afternoon, Saito-san, by Paul Itaya, page 5. A fictional story following Mr. Saito and his friend Mr. Omori, whose son Keo serves in Korea, as they discuss bitterness over wartime incarceration and Memorial Day. The story ends with news of a telegram about Keo.
• Heart Mountain Homesteaders, page 8. Ko Ando, a Nisei farmer near Heart Mountain, bought a homestead from a veteran and farms about 90 acres of land cleared by evacuees. The feature describes how the homesteaders have fared since land was distributed after the war.

Sports

• Oyakawa Breaks Own Hawaiian Backstroke Time, page 6. Olympic backstroke champion Yoshi Oyakawa broke his own Hawaiian record in the 100-meter backstroke at the Keo Nakama swimming meet trials. Richard Tanabe of Hilo was also noted for competitive times in the 200-meter freestyle.
• Sportscope, page 6. Nancy Ito became the first Nisei signed by the National Girls Baseball League as a shortstop for the Wilson-Jones Bloomer Girls. Japanese non-pro champions will also compete in the National Baseball Congress tournament.
• Fuzzy Shimada Wins Another Tournament, page 6. San Francisco Nisei bowler Fuzzy Shimada won the Oakland College Bowl benefit tournament with an all-time record scratch series. More than 2,700 entrants contributed to the Oakland Boys Club camp fund.

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