Vol. 39, No. 23, December 3, 1954. 8 pages. View this issue
Newly naturalized Issei were the main news of this eight-page issue. Genichiro and Mrs. Nishi were among 228 people from 34 countries sworn in on Veterans Day in Washington, D.C., and the paper also reported on ceremonies in Tulare County, Sacramento and Albuquerque, where chapter president Ruth Hashimoto had taught the citizenship classes. A committee of naturalized Issei and Nisei formed to bring family members from Japan, and Mike Masaoka’s column looked at JACL’s prospects before the new Congress.
Other pages carry Larry Tajiri’s review of Prejudice, War and the Constitution, a University of California study of the wartime forced removal of Japanese Americans. A Justice Department ruling on claims for Nisei servicemen’s families appears on page 1. Harry Honda, Bill Hosokawa and Tamotsu Murayama write columns, and chapter news, new officers and sports fill the middle pages.
What’s in this issue
Incarceration & Redress
- Issei Refouching Photos of U.S. Leaders Sworn In, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Genichiro and Mrs. Nishi were among 228 aliens from 34 countries sworn in as citizens on Veterans Day in Washington, D.C. Thereby Nishio, a portrait retoucher for 36 years at Harris & Ewing studios, also became a citizen.
Community
- Tulare County Issei Among New Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Twelve Issei from Tulare County became U.S. citizens in a ceremony before Superior Judge W. G. Machetanz on Nov. 19. Naturalization ceremonies were conducted by officer J. S. Hemmer of Fresno.
- 150 Sacramento Area Issei Become Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Some 150 Issei from Sacramento communities were among 715 persons naturalized Nov. 11 at Memorial Auditorium. Local JACL chapters and Nisei organizations participated in the program following the court ceremonies.
- New Mexico Issei Citizens Honored, Some Taught by Chapter President, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fifteen naturalized Issei of Albuquerque were honored at a JACL dinner Nov. 11 after being made citizens earlier that day. Chapter president Ruth Hashimoto had instructed the Issei group in citizenship classes.
- L.A. Publishers Slate FEP Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Los Angeles community newspapers, including the Pacific Citizen, are sponsoring an FEPC conference on Dec. 12 at Holman Methodist Church. Keynote speaker is ACLU president Dr. Eason Monroe, with the hope of producing a city and county FEPC ordinance.
- Southeastern Colorado Issei to Get Assistance in Naturalization Class, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rev. Eizo Sakamoto agreed to conduct weekly citizenship classes for about 14 Issei in the Granada area of Colorado. Sixty-one Issei in the Arkansas Valley have already become citizens, and the classes aim to boost Nisei and Issei political participation.
- Civic Celebration Held for Colorado New Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sixty-six Issei citizens of the Brighton area were honored at a banquet sponsored by the Brighton Nisei Women’s and Japanese American Association. Officials including Judge Christian D. Stoner and Mayor Charles Montandon offered greetings.
- Tom Umade President of Selma JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Tom Umade was elected to lead the Selma JACL chapter for 1955 at the November election meeting. Other officers were also chosen and will be installed at the December 5 CCDC banquet in Fresno.
- Albuquerque Election Meeting Serves as Near 100% Renewal of Memberships, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Albuquerque JACL held its election meeting, achieving nearly 100 percent membership renewals. Mike Yonemoto and his new officers will be installed at a New Year’s Eve party.
National
- Form U.S. Committee to Reunite Alien Kinfolk from Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A committee was formed by naturalized Issei and Nisei to bring alien family members from Japan, since Japan’s annual immigration quota of 185 is heavily oversubscribed. The group plans to seek special remedial legislation through its Washington representative Mike Masaoka.
Military & Veterans
- Nisei Servicemen Entitled to Evacuation Claims in New Rule, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Justice Department precedent decision holds that Nisei servicemen whose parents were evacuated during World War II are entitled to evacuation claims. The decision distinguished their losses from ordinary military service losses because the exclusion order forced their parents’ property loss.
Commentary
- Equal Rights, by Harry Honda, page 2. Honda notes women have made great gains in equal rights but remarks that lady wrestlers remain barred from competing in California. He questions whether state athletic commission control of professional wrestling, which is widely understood to be staged, is necessary.
- JACL and the 84th Congress, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka analyzes the prospects for the new Democratic-controlled Congress, concluding that the narrow majorities mean little legislative change. He sees Hawaii statehood facing difficulties due to Senate maneuvering and the loss of key Republican champions.
- Tokyo Topics: Prof. Emeritus Obata, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. Murayama profiles artist Chiura Obata, professor emeritus at UC Berkeley, who is touring Japan with an American party. He praises Obata’s half-century of introducing Japanese arts to America and his role as a bridge between cultures.
- The People Speak: Lessons from Asia’s Voice and Hawaii Labor, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Nakatsuka draws a parallel between a Christian Science Monitor series on understanding the Asian mind and labor relations in Hawaii. He argues management must listen to workers, as failure to do so led to the rapid unionization of plantations.
- Land Investors, by Henry Mori, page 5. An all-Nisei land investment company was formed with $200,000 capital to purchase and develop properties owned by Japanese Americans across the state. Initial investments include a Gardena gas station and subdivision housing for families with little down payment.
- Larry Tajiri: Vagaries — A Future Guidestone, by Larry Tajiri, page 6. Tajiri reviews Prejudice, War and the Constitution, a University of California study of the wartime mass evacuation of Japanese Americans. The book blames General DeWitt and President Roosevelt for the evacuation and criticizes the delay in returning evacuees until after the 1944 election.
- Editorials: Jewish Tercentenary, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The National Association of Attorneys-General moved its convention from Camelback Inn in Arizona after the resort’s policy of discriminating against Jewish guests drew protest. The editorial argues that religious discrimination is as harmful as racial discrimination.
- From the Frying Pan: December Delights, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Hosokawa reflects on a snowfall in Denver after a dry summer and on children’s reactions to Western movies. He also praises Issei naturalization and recounts a grateful thank-you note from Japan for a CARE package.
Arts & Entertainment
- Singer Kanazawa Leaves for European Concert, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nisei soprano Tomiko Kanazawa returned to San Francisco after a successful Los Angeles concert before departing for a three-month concert tour of New York and Europe. Her husband Leo Mueller is the new chorus director of the San Francisco Opera.
JACL
- Intermountain Tables Proposal to Bid for 14th Biennial Until February, by Alice Kasai, page 4. The Intermountain District Council tabled its bid for the 1956 National JACL convention at Sun Valley until its February meeting. The quarterly meeting also re-elected cabinet officers and set committee assignments for constitutional revisions.
- Fresno Attorney to Head JACL in ’55, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Attorney Hugo Kazato was elected president of the Fresno JACL chapter for 1955 along with a new cabinet. Installation is scheduled for December 5 during the Central California District Council conference.
- Pacific Northwest Chapters Final Quarterly Meeting Dec. 12, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pacific Northwest District Council will hold its final quarterly meeting Dec. 12 in Fife, Wash., hosted by Puyallup Valley JACL. National staffer Haruo Ishimaru will attend and visit individual chapters afterward.
- Name Committee for EDC-MDC Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Washington, D.C. JACL chapter named its convention committee chairmen for the joint 1955 Eastern and Midwest District Council convention. Tad Masaoka is convention chairman and the committees cover registration, hotel, banquet, and other arrangements.
Sports
- Seattle Little League Football Grid Honor Won by Nisei Vet-Sponsored Gridders, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The International Fighting Irish, sponsored by the Nisei Veterans Committee, won the 1954 Little League football championship in Greater Seattle with a 7-0 victory over Ballard. The team had gone undefeated through the season.
- Florida Sansei Sets Swim Record, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Roy Tateishi, a Miami Sansei swimmer, was recognized as a 1954 Junior Olympic National Champion for setting a 100-yard butterfly record for 16-year-old boys. He was also ranked second nationally in two other events.
- Two Denverites on All-City Grid Team, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Charley Inagaki of North High was named to the Denver Post All-City first team for the second year, a selection that could make him a candidate for all-state honors. Don Furuta of Manual High was named to the second team.
- Bowling Tournament Announced by Boise Valley JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Boise Valley JACL will sponsor its sixth annual handicap bowling tournament Dec. 18-20 at the Boise Bowling Center with prizes expected to exceed $4,000. Only JACL members in good standing for 1954 may participate.
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