Issei rights, naturalization and the McCarran-Walter Act, 1953

Vol. 36, No. 16, April 17, 1953. 8 pages. View this issue

Issei rights and the road to citizenship ran through much of this eight-page issue. A bill in California, AB 2059, would have granted old-age assistance regardless of citizenship, but it was postponed indefinitely because its author, Assemblyman Vernon Kilpatrick, was ill. Mike Masaoka wrote about scrolls of thanks for wartime friends, and the paper covered naturalization classes and mock examinations for Issei in San Francisco and Chicago. Forty petitioners took the oath in a Los Angeles federal court, where Henry Mori reported on the day.

Elsewhere, the Mile High JACL of Denver reported 553 members, and a new all-Nisei VFW post was being organized in San Jose. Lawrence Nakatsuka wrote on magazine coverage of Hawaii as statehood neared. Columns came from Smoky Sakurada, Tamotsu Murayama and Harry K. Honda, and the editorial page took up dual citizenship.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Assemblyman in La Canada Sends Encouraging Words on AB 2059, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A bill to grant old-age assistance regardless of citizenship, AB 2059, was postponed indefinitely due to the illness of its author Assemblyman Vernon Kilpatrick. Frank Lanterman, chairman of the social welfare committee, expressed sympathy for the needs of worthy Issei and the hearing was rescheduled for April.
• Honolulu Girl Given Award for Problem Submitted to ‘Kid’ Jury, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Barbara Nakayama, 11, of Honolulu received a portable typewriter from the national radio-TV show Juvenile Jury, the first award of its kind to a person outside the continental United States. Her submitted problem concerned a Christmas perfume gift mistakenly received by her sister.
• Prudential Reconsiders, OKs Nisei Purchase of New Home, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ensign Atsuko Emoto, a Nisei Navy officer, was initially denied the purchase of a home in Long Beach’s Carson Park tract, but Prudential Life Insurance reversed its decision and approved her loan. The Long Beach JACL chapter and the Southern California JACL office, with legal counsel Frank Chuman, had pressed the case.
• Mile High Chapter Reports 553 Members, Leads Nation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Mile High JACL of Denver reported 553 members, the largest chapter in the United States, at a membership victory dinner. Top solicitors and membership figures were recognized, and the chapter continues working toward its goal of 600 members.
• Midwest ADC Fete for Issei Planned, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Chicago JACL chapter will hold an appreciation dinner on May 16 honoring Issei who worked to raise funds for the Midwest ADC Fund drive. Mike Masaoka and National President George Inagaki have been invited as guests.
• Watsonville Speller Makes Grade Into County Finals, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kyoko Yamashita, 13, an eighth grader at E. A. Hall school in Watsonville, placed second in the Santa Cruz county finals of the National Spelling Bee after eleven rounds. The top finishers were set to compete for county honors and a place in the state meet.
• Mock Examinations for Chicago Issei Studying Naturalization Slated, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mock naturalization examinations will be held for 140 Issei students in Chicago under sponsorship of the Chicago Resettlers Committee and the JACL. Additional classes for Issei are also being conducted at local churches and community centers.
• 130 Issei Finish Naturalization Class in San Francisco’s Second Series, by P.C. Staff, page 3. 130 Issei completed the second series of naturalization classes conducted in Japanese in San Francisco, held jointly by the JACL and the San Francisco Unified School District. Graduation exercises were held April 9 at First Evangelical and Reformed Church.
• Burlingame Rotarians Hear Ishimaru Address, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Haruo Ishimaru, Northern California JACL regional director, spoke to the Burlingame Rotary Club about the history of Japanese Americans on the West Coast, including wartime evacuation and postwar acceptance. He noted that discrimination against Japanese Americans and other minorities still persists.
• JCCA Organization Modified; Provincial Councils to Assume National Work on Two-Year Rotational Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Japanese Canadian Citizens Association reorganized at its fifth national convention in Vancouver, placing emphasis on provincial and local chapters. A rotating national headquarters plan was adopted, with Quebec hosting first.
• Nurse Awarded $1,500 Public Health Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eunice Frances Nishimoto, R.N., of the Wahiawa General Hospital staff received a $1,500 public health scholarship from the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce to study public health nursing at the University of Hawaii. She is a graduate of St. Francis Hospital school of nursing.
• Topics, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 3. Murayama reflects on the American Legion Townsend Harris Post No. 1 in San Francisco and the upcoming Japanese centennial of Commodore Perry’s visit. He discusses Japan’s transformation since Perry’s arrival and the strengthening of Japanese-American relations.
• L.A. Federal Court Packed to Witness Naturalization Rites for 40 Aliens, by Henry Mori, page 3. Forty petitioners from 31 countries, including five Japanese, took the oath of allegiance before Judge Ernest A. Tolin in Los Angeles federal court. Judge Tolin praised the McCarran Act for lifting racial bars to citizenship.
• Chicago Corner, by Smoky Sakurada, page 4. Sakurada reports on Illinois’s FEPC equal job opportunities day and Governor Stratton’s support for equal employment legislation. The column also covers Chicago community social news including dances, church events, and personal notes.
• Los Angeles Newsletter, by Henry Mori, page 7. Mori analyzes the Los Angeles mayoral primary in which Mayor Fletcher Bowron faces a challenge from Congressman Norris Poulson in a May runoff. He notes that both candidates offered few substantive platform positions and that voter turnout was under half of registered voters.

Military & Veterans

• New Nisei VFW Post Organized in San Jose, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A new all-Nisei VFW post, number 9970, is being organized for veterans in the San Jose area, with Tom Honda as temporary chairman. VFW Commander Walter Keil praised the service record of Nisei veterans and said the post will be a valuable asset to the community.

National

• All-Out Magazine Coverage of Hawaii in the Making, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 1. Major national magazines are preparing extensive coverage of Hawaii in anticipation of Senate action on statehood. Nakatsuka notes that while the press has been supportive, attention now shifts to what Hawaii will contribute to the nation as a state.
• Present Scrolls of Thanks to Wartime Friends, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. National JACL president George Inagaki will present appreciation scrolls to nine distinguished Americans who aided persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II. The scrolls honor their courage in defending Japanese American constitutional rights during wartime hostility.
• Former Resident of San Francisco Quota Immigrant, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mrs. Yukiye Murata, 77, returned to San Francisco as the city’s first quota immigrant from Japan under the annual quota of 185. Her former residence in the country and her son’s military service and American Legion recommendations reportedly helped expedite her assignment.
• Naturalization Council Hears Masaoka on McCarran-Walter Act, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka was scheduled to outline the advantages of the naturalization provisions of the McCarran-Walter Act at the annual meeting of the National Council on Naturalization and Citizenship in New York. He was also to discuss difficulties Issei face in securing naturalization.

Incarceration & Redress

• Minister, Wife Killed in Head-On Auto Collision With Truck, 1½ Yr. Baby Lives, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rev. Clifford T. Nakadegawa of Ogden was killed and his wife Chieko fatally injured on April 8 when their car collided with a semi-trailer truck near Clearfield, Utah. Their 19-month-old daughter suffered minor injuries.
• Supreme Court Shuns Tokyo Rose Case Again, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Supreme Court declined without opinion to reopen the case of Iva Toguri d’Aquino, known as Tokyo Rose, who is serving time for wartime broadcasts. She had argued that a recent high court opinion provided grounds for reconsideration.

Commentary

• Ike Changes His Mind About Baseball, by P.C. Staff, page 2. President Eisenhower reversed course and threw out the first ball at the Washington inaugural game after initially declining to attend in favor of a golf vacation. The article traces the history of presidents throwing out opening day pitches.
• Dual Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial warns that Nisei with dual U.S. and Japanese nationality face serious risks if Japan enacts military service requirements, since the U.S. cannot protect dual nationals in Japan. It recommends expatriation for those affected and notes the National JACL is pursuing clarifying legislation in the Japanese Diet.
• Cameraman Takes Off, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Life magazine photographer Carl Iwasaki was assigned to cover Crown Prince Akihito’s visit to Vancouver and his train journey east. The article profiles Iwasaki’s career and notable past photo assignments.
• Very Truly Yours, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Honda discusses a dispute with the Cleveland JACL Bulletin over the orientation of the eagle in the JACL seal on the Pacific Citizen masthead. He concludes with lighthearted commentary on the seal’s design inconsistencies across chapter publications.
• Who’s Being Intolerant?, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial reprinted from the Chicago Tribune argues that German pianist Walter Gieseking’s 1949 denunciation as a Nazi was unfounded, and that critics who opposed his entry then are now attacking the McCarran Act that facilitated his admission. It questions who is truly intolerant in the debate.

Arts & Entertainment

• Portland Holds Arts Show of Rare Oriental Pieces, by P.C. Staff, page 3. An exhibition of 15th and 17th century Oriental art treasures, including screens, gold wall hangings, porcelain, and vases from the Collins and Moffat collection, is on view in Portland through May 16. Japanese and Korean pieces are included.

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