Paying evacuation claims and the fight over naturalization equality

Vol. 34, No. 11, March 15, 1952. 8 pages. View this issue

Money and citizenship dominated this eight-page issue. On March 13 the House approved $14.8 million to pay compromise claims for property and business losses from the forced removal of 1942, with Rep. Henry M. Jackson and the JACL ADC credited for the push. Claimants were urged to file before the March 22 deadline, a point an editorial and Mike Masaoka’s column returned to. The front page also followed the Walter and McCarran omnibus bills on immigration and naturalization, including Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s view on the 1924 Exclusion Act and a letter from thirteen groups opposing the Walter bill.

Elsewhere, Larry Tajiri’s Nisei Views and several news items answered Sen. Tom Connally’s remarks about Hawaii and the 442nd. Bill Hosokawa, Mary Oyama and Elmer R. Smith wrote columns, and Toyo Suyemoto contributed two poems. Sports pages covered Ford Konno’s three Big Ten swimming titles, and chapter news looked ahead to the June national convention in San Francisco.

What’s in this issue

National

• House Approves $14,800,000 Supplemental Appropriation to Pay Evacuation Loss Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House on March 13 approved a third supplemental appropriations bill including $14.8 million for compromise evacuation claims already processed by the Justice Department. Rep. Henry M. Jackson and JACL ADC were credited with helping secure the funding, and claimants were urged to file before the March 22 deadline.
• New Mexico VFW Aids JACL-ADC Naturalization Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The New Mexico department of the VFW backed the principle of naturalization equality in the McCarran Omnibus bill. Henry Yanaga reported that the VFW was sending telegrams to legislators urging support.
• Proposal to Rewrite U.S. Immigration, Naturalization Laws Taken Off Calendar, by P.C. Staff, page 1. House Majority Leader McCormack removed the Walter omnibus immigration bill from the House calendar at Chairman Celler’s request. Rep. Walter then denounced opponents and defended the bill’s equality provisions.
• 13 Groups Circulate Letter Opposing Omnibus Proposal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Thirteen religious, civic and veterans organizations circulated a letter to House members opposing the Walter omnibus bill. They argued it had not received adequate hearings and would strip citizenship rights.
• Gen. MacArthur Favors Modification of Exclusion Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Gen. Douglas MacArthur told Sen. Herbert O’Conor that modifying the 1924 Japanese Exclusion Act would be highly desirable for friendly relations with Japan. The letter was written while the Japanese peace treaty awaited Senate ratification.
• ADC Studies Effect on Issei of Latest High Court Verdict, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL ADC is studying whether recent Supreme Court rulings allowing deportation of long-resident aliens and denying bail to communists affect Issei. Questions include whether prewar Japanese organizations designated totalitarian fall under the decisions.
• Compromise Claims Deadline, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial urges evacuees to file compromise claims before the March 22 deadline after House approval of $14.8 million. It recommends the compromise process for claims under $3,500 or couples’ claims under $7,000.

Military & Veterans

• Naturalization Equality Bills Endorsed by Nisei VFW Posts, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nisei VFW posts meeting in Hanford, Calif., endorsed the principle of equality in naturalization and immigration in the McCarran and Walter omnibus bills. The convention also held bowling and other events and discussed blood bank policy.
• ADC to Query Pentagon on Nisei War Prisoners, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL ADC will ask the Pentagon about several Nisei soldiers missing in action in Korea who former POWs reported seeing in Communist camps. None of the missing men appeared on United Nations prisoner lists.
• Court Finds Death Car’s Driver Guilty, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Sacramento Superior Court jury found Joe Perez guilty of manslaughter and hit-and-run driving in the New Year’s Day deaths of two Issei men. Sentencing was set for March 21.
• Nisei Soldier Hurt in Action in Korea War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Defense Department reported that Private First Class Soi Ikebuchi of Seabrook, New Jersey, was wounded in action in Korea. JACL ADC learned of the casualty through the department.
• Deadline Nears for GI Brides Legislation, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. The Soldier Brides Act, which allowed alien spouses of American servicemen to enter the U.S., expires at midnight March 18. JACL ADC will instead concentrate on passing the Walter-McCarran omnibus bills.
• Nisei Veteran Notes 442nd’s Record in Protesting Texan’s Opposition to Statehood Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A delegation of Hawaiian veterans and a Texas 36th Division veteran confronted Sen. Tom Connally over his remarks questioning the loyalty of Hawaii residents. They recalled the 442nd’s rescue of the Texas 36th Division’s Lost Battalion.
• New York Group Wires Protest to Texas Solon, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The New York 442nd Association sent a telegram to Sen. Tom Connally protesting his remarks on Hawaiian loyalty. The wire noted the 442nd rescued fellow Texans of the Lost Battalion.
• Former Chaplain of 442nd Protests Connally’s Remarks, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Thomas Eugene West, former chaplain of the 442nd Combat Team, wrote to Sen. Connally protesting his remarks that Hawaiians were not of American ancestry. West praised the unit’s service and courage.

Community

• Takes Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Michiro Watanabe was sworn in on February 29 as attorney general of the Territory of Hawaii. He was born in Watsonville, Calif., and raised on Maui.
• Reporter Wins Two Awards for Newspaper Work, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Katherine Kawamura of the Grand Junction Sentinel won two first-place awards from the Colorado State Federation of Press Women for 1951. She is a graduate of the University of Denver and formerly edited the Denver JACL monthly.
• Rotary Supports Issei Naturalization, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Fort Lupton Rotary Club voted to support equality in naturalization under the McCarran and Walter omnibus bills. It sent letters to Colorado congressional representatives requesting their support.
• Residents of All-White Tract Welcome Chinese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two hundred neighbors, many from the previously all-white Hillview tract in Sonoma, welcomed Freddie Wing and his family to their new home. The gathering contrasted with the rejection of a Chinese American family in South San Francisco.
• Twenty Models Turn Out for First Rehearsal, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Twenty aspirants attended the first rehearsal for the JACL National Convention fashion show in San Francisco. Models will make their first public appearance at the April 6 Convention Previews meeting.
• Chicago Supports Sponsor’s Fund for National Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ten members of the Chicago JACL chapter joined the Sponsor’s Fund for the June national convention in San Francisco. Each sponsor contributes $25, applied to registration fees and used as working capital.
• Nisei GI Hero Sent Home to Hospital, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sgt. 1st Class Henry Yoda, who received the Distinguished Service Cross, was recovering at Tripler General Hospital in Honolulu from combat injuries. He was wounded in action in Korea on September 29, 1951.
• Mother Kiefer, 68, May Visit Her Nisei GI Sons in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Nellie Kiefer of La Crosse, Wisconsin, befriended Japanese American soldiers during World War II and will visit them in Hawaii on May 1. Former members of the 100th Battalion and 442nd raised $450 to fund her trip.
• Denverites Push Blood Donor Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Denver JACL members participated in a Red Cross blood donor drive, with Cpl. Ken Kitajima contributing his 16th pint. Several JACL members are listed as donors.
• Natives of Hawaii May Apply for Birth Certificates, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Persons born in Hawaii without birth records may apply for a Certificate of Hawaiian Birth when a representative visits San Francisco in May. Applicants must appear in person with witnesses and a $5 fee.
• Detroit Chapter To Raise Funds for Delegates, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Detroit JACL will hold a carnival and an Easter dance to raise funds for delegates to the June national convention in San Francisco. Rose Leong and Janice Kodani are chairmen of the events.
• Nisei Doctor Named to U.S. Health Agency, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dr. Harvey A. Itano of Sacramento was confirmed as a senior assistant surgeon in the U.S. Public Health Service. He is assigned to the Cancer Institute at the California Institute of Technology.
• Strandee Wins Recognition of Citizen Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Federal Judge William M. Byrne held that Masuo Sangen, a wartime strandee in Japan, retained his U.S. citizenship because his post-war vote was made under duress. The State Department had refused him a passport.
• Resettlers Will Support Civic Unity Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Chicago Resettlers Committee will sponsor the Fourth Conference on Civic Unity, eight weekly sessions beginning April 21. The conference will assess human relations in Chicago and develop an action program.

JACL

• Hair Stylists’ Contest Planned for JACL Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A hair designers’ contest will feature at the 12th biennial JACL convention in San Francisco in June. The competition will be open to JACL members and use only Oriental hair.
• Satow Announces JACL-ADC Donations, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL director Masao Satow announced $2,261.50 in donations to the National JACL and ADC. Contributions came from Snake River Valley, Fort Lupton, and Gresham-Troutdale chapters and several individuals.
• JACL Chapters Will Solicit Advertising for Souvenir Program, by P.C. Staff, page 2. All JACL chapters were asked to sell advertising for the souvenir program of the 12th biennial national convention in San Francisco. Contracts must be secured by May 1 and a generous commission will be paid.

Incarceration & Redress

• Name 311 Evacuees Whose Claims Were Settled in 1951, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Justice Department released the names of 311 evacuees whose claims were adjudicated in 1951, totaling $183,092.36 in awards. Mike Masaoka noted these are separate from over 1,800 compromise settlements.

Commentary

• Sing Shengs and the Garys, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial contrasts the Southwood vote rejecting Sing Sheng’s move into an all-white neighborhood with the Gary family’s defiant stand in San Pablo. It argues that putting housing rights to a neighborhood vote reinforced prejudice.
• Nisei Views, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri criticizes Sen. Tom Connally’s statement that Hawaiians are not of American descent as revealing white supremacist thinking. He argues the controversy has helped the Hawaiian statehood bill and recalls how wartime Nisei service advanced the cause.
• Box-Score on Race Relations: Group Classifications, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Elmer Smith continues his series by applying Robert Merton’s typology of dominant-group attitudes toward race. He describes four types, from unprejudiced nondiscriminators to prejudiced discriminators, and their implications for action.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa writes about the household concerns of television arriving in Denver and his son’s stamp-collecting habits. He jokes about the pressures of children and advertising.
• Smog-Lites: Three Bouts With the Flu, by Mary Oyama, page 6. Mary Oyama describes three bouts of flu and recalls childhood memories of Sacramento’s Japantown. She also tells of standing up to a man who followed schoolgirls home.

Arts & Entertainment

• Flyleaf and Acceptance, by Toyo Suyemoto, page 5. Two short poems by Toyo Suyemoto explore ownership after death through a book’s inscription and the completeness required in true acceptance.
• Japanese American Artists Featured in Exhibit, by P.C. Staff, page 5. An exhibit at the National Museum in Ueno, Tokyo, features works by twelve artists of Japanese ancestry recognized in the United States. The show includes paintings by Yasuo Kuniyoshi and photos of Isamu Noguchi and others.

Sports

• Idaho Falls JACL Joins Field in Intermountain Cage Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Idaho Falls JACL accepted the eighth spot in the Salt Lake JACL invitational basketball tournament March 27 to 29. The San Francisco Chinese Saints were seen as favorites in the field.
• Zenimura Named Coach of Fowler Junior Varsity, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Howard Kenso Zenimura, former Fresno State leftfielder, was named junior varsity coach at Fowler High School. He is the first Nisei to join the Fowler High faculty.
• Kojima Signs Pro Contract with Japanese Team, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hawaii Red Sox outfielder Kats Kojima accepted a professional offer from Japan. Wally Yonamine and others also left for Japanese teams.
• Konno Wins Three Titles, Sets New Records in Big Ten Conference Swimming Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Ohio State swimmer Ford Konno won three events and set conference records at the Big Ten championships at East Lansing. His 1500-meter time of 18:11.5 bettered the intercollegiate short-pool mark.
• Chicago Stars Beat Waukegan in Benefit Game, by Dick Hirasuna, page 7. The Chicago AA All-Stars defeated the Waukegan Rexes 71 to 47 at Olivet Institute in a benefit game. The team was preparing for the Intermountain Nisei tournament in Salt Lake City.
• Chapter Officers Installed at Snake River JACL Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Snake River JACL installed its 1952 officers at a dinner in Ontario, Ore. Guest speaker Grant Gardner described his experiences in the Idaho legislature.

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