Evacuation claims money runs short, and a Medal of Honor for Sgt. Miyamura

Vol. 37, No. 16, October 16, 1953. 8 pages. View this issue

No federal funds were available to pay evacuation claims awarded after June 30, 1953, the Washington JACL Office reported. Awards of $2,500 or less would wait for supplemental appropriations from the next Congress, and larger awards had to go to Congress as separate items. Also on the front page: Sgt. Hiroshi H. Miyamura, home in New Mexico and due to receive the Medal of Honor in Washington on Oct. 27, and a ten-year memorial service for the 100th Infantry Battalion in Honolulu. National JACL President George Inagaki proclaimed Nisei Soldier Memorial Day for Oct. 30.

Columns this week came from Mike Masaoka on California’s weight in Washington, Bill Hosokawa on a trip east to Chicago, Larry Tajiri on Japanese film after Rashomon, and Tats Kushida on the trials of JACL fund-raising. Chapter news covers Placer County’s 25th anniversary dinner, citizenship classes for Issei in Santa Barbara, and the Nov. 7-8 district convention in Stockton. A newly naturalized Issei also wrote in to thank the JACL.

What’s in this issue

National

• No Funds Available to Pay Evacuation Awards After June 30, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Washington JACL Office reports that no federal funds are currently available to pay evacuation claims awarded after June 30, 1953. Awards of $2,500 or less will be paid from supplemental appropriations requested of the next Congress, while larger awards must go to Congress as separate items.
• Canadian Nisei Granted Non-Quota U.S. Status, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Kenneth Hisaoka, a Canadian-born Nisei biologist, was admitted to the United States as a non-quota immigrant after Loyola University filed a petition on his behalf. He had been denied entry the previous summer despite an appointment to teach at Loyola.
• Four Civilians Arrested After Brutal Attack on Wounded G.I. Amputee in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Four civilian men were arraigned on assault charges after attacking Pfc. Nakahama and Set. O’Callaghan, two amputee veterans of the Korean war, in San Francisco. The JACL regional office commended police for the quick arrests.
• Second Meeting of Nixon, Crown Prince in Hawaii Symbolized as One of Hope, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 1. Vice-President Nixon and Crown Prince Akihito met in Honolulu during simultaneous visits that drew large welcoming crowds. The writer sees their cordial relationship as a symbol of hope for Pacific cooperation.
• Endowment Fund Contributors, by P.C. Staff, page 4. National JACL headquarters acknowledged $1,379.25 in recent donations to the National JACL Endowment Fund, which has now reached $58,293.30. Contributors from several states are listed.
• Newsletter: Supreme Court Refuses to Reconsider Racial Covenant Ruling, by Henry Mori, page 7. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to reconsider its 1953 decision barring damage suits against neighbors who violated racial covenant agreements. The case involved a Los Angeles home sold to a Negro buyer.

Community

• Placer County JACL Set for Silver Jubilee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Placer County JACL will hold its 13th annual goodwill dinner on Nov. 12 at Veterans Memorial Hall in Loomis, also marking the chapter’s 25th anniversary. Committee chairmen have been named to plan the event.
• Drama Teacher Wins Playwriting Contest on First Attempt, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mollie Tani Shell, a drama teacher at Stevenson Intermediate School in Honolulu, won first place in the territorial playwriting contest with ‘Where Dwells the Heart,’ a play about Japanese folk. The University of Hawaii Theater Group will produce her winning play.
• Search Party Finds Nisei Lost in Washington Forest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Masao Nakamichi, 35, was found by a search party after spending a night in a Washington national forest while mushroom hunting. Family and friends located him at dawn after he failed to return home as expected.
• Tribute Given Mr. and Mrs. Masanobu M. Morisuye of Sharon, Pa., by P.C. Staff, page 3. Several hundred friends honored Masanobu Morisuye and his wife, longtime Sharon, Pa. residents who recently became U.S. citizens, at a reception in a Methodist church. Morisuye was praised for his decades of service to the Buhl Club and Boy Scouts.
• Mi. Eden Nisei Nurserymen Stay Up All Night to Capture Plant Thief, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Yoshida brothers, operators of Sunnyside Nursery in Mt. Eden, caught a thief who had stolen $2,000 worth of azaleas and rhododendrons after keeping watch through the night. The suspect was held for grand theft after Eiichi Yoshida subdued him until deputies arrived.
• Alameda County JACL Vegetable Display Wins Top Prize, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Southern Alameda County JACL won the California state fair vegetable display sweepstakes after missing by one point for three years. Shikano Brothers and Sam Yamanaka led the chapter’s winning entries.
• Denver Area KKD Adopts JACL Koenkai Title, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Denver-area Kika Kisei Domei voted to adopt the name JACL Koenkai and launch a fall financial campaign to support National JACL-ADC. The group had previously assisted Issei with naturalization efforts.
• Stockton, French Camp CL’s Host NCWN District Convention Nov. 7-8, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The fourth biennial Northern California-Western Nevada District Council convention will be held Nov. 7-8 at the Stockton Civic Auditorium, hosted by the Stockton and French Camp JACL chapters. Committee assignments for the event have been announced.
• Eden Nisei Nurserymen Stay Up All Night, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Two Nisei nursery owners in Mt. Eden stayed awake overnight to catch a plant thief who had made off with flowers worth $2,000. The incident led to the arrest of a Redwood City man on grand theft charges.
• New Citizens Dinner Date Changed to Friday, Oct. 30, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Denver JACL announced that its New Citizens Dinner has been rescheduled from Oct. 21 to Friday, Oct. 30 at the YWCA. Guests of honor will be Issei who recently became American citizens.

Incarceration & Redress

• Santa Barbara Minister Naturalized, Now Busy Teaching Other Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rev. M. Ohmura, a newly naturalized Congregational minister, and Frank Mori are instructing a JACL-sponsored citizenship class at Santa Barbara High School. Students aged 49 to 84 are preparing naturalization petitions with chapter assistance.

Military & Veterans

• 100th Bn. Veterans Hold 10th Anniversary Combat Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion held a memorial service at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu marking the tenth anniversary of their first day of combat. The ceremony honored the 19 officers and 300 enlisted men of Hawaii killed since 1943.
• Sgt. Miyamura Getting Medal of Honor Oct. 1, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sgt. Hiroshi H. Miyamura, Medal of Honor recipient from the Korean campaign, returned home to New Mexico after his separation from the Army and was honored by the El Paso American Legion and Las Cruces VFW. He is scheduled to receive the Medal of Honor in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 27.
• Nisei Soldier Memorial Day: Oct. 30, by P.C. Staff, page 3. National JACL President George Inagaki issued a proclamation urging chapters to observe Nisei Soldier Memorial Day on Oct. 30 in honor of Nisei servicemen, including those who fought in Korea. The day commemorates the rescue of the Lost Texas Battalion by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Commentary

• California Dynasty in Washington, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka observes that California now wields more influence across all three branches of federal government than any other state, listing Californians in cabinet posts, Congress, and the judiciary. He urges Nisei and naturalized Issei to participate more actively in politics at all levels.
• Hosokawa Travels and Other Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Bill Hosokawa visited Chicago en route to a Sunday editors conference, and wrote a feature on Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi Miyamura. Taro Yashima also published a new children’s book, The Village Tree.
• The Sou’wester: Fund-Raising Is Tough Going, by Tats Kushida, page 6. Kushida describes the frustrations of JACL fund-raising, from Nisei who refuse to give to those who ask ‘What do I get out of it?’ He notes that Issei are often more generous and that most supporters appreciate JACL’s work.
• A Grateful Issei, by T. S. Hashimoto, page 7. A newly naturalized Issei thanks the JACL for its support of the Walter-McCarran Bill and describes his citizenship ceremony and the Los Angeles ‘I Am An American’ Day celebration. He reflects on gratitude toward America.
• A Journey Eastward, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Hosokawa describes his visit to Chicago, including a tour with Togo Tanaka and a meeting with Louisville publisher Mark Ethridge, who spoke highly of Mike Masaoka. He reflects on the JACL’s public relations work.
• Hope of United Nations, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Honda examines criticism and defense of the United Nations ahead of United Nations Week, weighing Soviet obstruction against the organization’s value as a forum. He cites Father D’Souza’s argument that a world organization is necessary as nations become increasingly interdependent.

Sports

• Morita Smashes Par to Win O.C. Golf Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Beach Morita shot a 69 to take low gross honors at the second annual Orange County JACL Open at Huntington Beach Municipal golf course. Charles Miyamoto won the championship flight low net trophy.

Arts & Entertainment

• Vagaries: Cinema After Rashomon, by Larry Tajiri, page 8. Tajiri examines how Japanese filmmakers have tried to replicate the international success of Rashomon, with Ugetsu Monogatari emerging as the first to combine artistic quality with broad appeal. He also discusses anti-American themes appearing in recent Japanese films.

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