The 1952 fight over a presidential immigration commission

Vol. 35, No. 11, September 13, 1952. 8 pages. View this issue

A new presidential commission on immigration and naturalization policy led the news. Mike Masaoka, former JACL-ADC legislative director, told reporters that Japanese Americans need not fear it and argued it should focus on the discriminatory 1924 quota system. Richard Akagi of the JACL-ADC Washington office called President Truman’s move premature. San Francisco officials pledged help for Issei seeking citizenship, and the JACL Committee on Citizenship for Issei planned Japanese-language classes.

Columns ran inside, including Larry Tajiri on the paper’s contributors, Wilson Makabe on Dachau, Elmer R. Smith concluding his series, and Bill Hosokawa on a Colorado uranium town. Jobo Nakamura wrote about the cold reception Tule Lake returnees met in Japan. Hawaii news covered a record 51 Nisei candidates for office and a homecoming for Olympic swimmers including Ford Konno. A Seattle JACL gift shop did a rushing business at the Far East trade fair.

What’s in this issue

National

• Presidential Commission on Immigration Need Not Cause Fear, Says Masaoka, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka, former JACL-ADC legislative director, told reporters that Japanese Americans need not fear the presidential commission studying U.S. immigration and naturalization policy. He argued that the commission should focus on the discriminatory 1924 quota system and urged increased quotas for Japan.

Community

• Nisei Killed in Auto Crash, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Masao Nimura, 20, of Holtville, Calif., died in an auto accident near El Centro while returning from San Diego with George Otsuka. Otsuka suffered only slight injuries.
• ACL Booth Doing Rushing Business at Seattle Trade Fair, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Seattle JACL chapter’s gift shop, one of only two retail booths at Seattle’s International Trade Fair, sold many Japanese confections and gift items. The fair, an outgrowth of the 1951 Japan Trade Fair, features exhibits from Japan and other Asian nations.
• Dedicate New Oahu Bridge to Memory of Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Kiikii bridge near Waialua on Oahu was dedicated to Howard Hisayuki Kurio, a Territorial Public Works section engineer who died from injuries received during its construction. Co-workers funded a bronze plaque placed on the bridge.
• Hawaii Plans Welcome Fete for Masaokas, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese American organizations in Hawaii planned receptions and a banquet to honor Mike Masaoka and his wife during their 10-day islands visit. The honor recognizes Masaoka’s role in passing the Immigration and Nationality Act.
• Record Total of 51 Nisei File for Political Offices in Hawaii Biennial Elections, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 1. A record 51 Nisei candidates filed for Hawaiian territorial and county offices, representing one-fourth of all filers. The candidates must first survive the Oct. 4 primary before the Nov. 4 general election.
• Veteran Resigns 442nd Club Post to Enter Politics, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Matsuo Takabuki resigned as president of the Honolulu 442nd Veterans Club to focus on his Democratic candidacy for the Honolulu Board of Supervisors. Masato Doi succeeded him as club president.
• Government Officials Will Give Aid to Issei on Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. San Francisco immigration officials pledged to help Issei obtain citizenship under the Walter-McCarran Act, including providing interpreters during examinations. The JACL Committee on Citizenship for Issei is planning Japanese-language citizenship classes with the San Francisco Adult Education Department.
• Nisei Nun Takes Over Classes at L.A. School, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sister Corlis Marie, a Hawaii-born Nisei nun, became the first person of Japanese ancestry to teach at Maryknoll school in Los Angeles. She previously graduated from Maryknoll Teachers College in New York.
• Court Orders State to Refund Land Law Compromise Money to Nisei Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Sacramento County Superior Court ordered California to refund $548,802 it had received in escheat settlements under the Alien Land Act to 18 Japanese Americans and a farm corporation. The refunds follow legislation authorizing repayment in 1951.
• ADC Official Says Truman Premature on New Statute, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Richard Akagi of the JACL-ADC Washington office criticized President Truman for claiming the new Immigration and Nationality Act had fostered inequities before it takes effect. Akagi argued the commission’s review would be speculative and politically motivated.
• Shonien Fund Drive Started, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Shonien children’s care center in Los Angeles launched a fund drive with a $25,000 goal, having already raised $2,000. Mailings, house-to-house solicitation, and volunteer fundraising activities are underway.
• Pasadena Organizations Rap Group for Anti-JACL Activity, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Several Pasadena Japanese American organizations denounced a Sept. 4 meeting that attacked the JACL-ADC and its endowment fund drive. They noted that many votes were proxies held by one individual and that the Nikkei Jinkai board had repudiated the meeting.
• Murase Plans Japan Trip on Fulbright, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Kenny Murase, recently appointed associate professor at UCLA’s School of Social Welfare, will travel to Japan on a Fulbright fellowship to survey child guidance clinics and adult mental hygiene services. He previously wrote a column for the Pacific Citizen from Poston.
• Discuss Japanese Translation of Book on Mass Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Allen H. Eaton met with Mike Masaoka and Haruo Ishimaru to discuss translating his book Beauty Behind Barbed Wire into Japanese for circulation in Japan and South America. Eaton also suggested Japanese Americans compile a record of their artistic contributions to American culture.
• Big Homecoming Celebration Given Nisei Swimming Stars, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Hawaii’s Olympic swimmers received a large homecoming celebration at the Honolulu airport. The honored swimmers had won multiple medals at Helsinki and several AAU championships.
• Delano Nisei Hold Reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Former Delano Nisei from across the country gathered for a reunion at the Delano Supper Club on Aug. 31. Prizes, a Japanese folk song performance, and dancing highlighted the evening.
• Nisei Nuclear Physicist Ends Study with National Laboratory, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dr. Kikuchi, a nuclear physicist, completed a year of study at Brookhaven National Laboratory and will return to Michigan State College. His research focused on experimental nuclear physics.

Commentary

• Tule Lake Returnees Met Cold Reception in Japan, by Jobo Nakamura, page 2. Jobo Nakamura describes his arrival in Japan, his travel to Hiroshima, and the hardships faced by Tule Lake repatriates who were denied shelter and food by relatives. He also observes how Nisei working for the Occupation lived well while the Occupation ended.
• Behind the PC Bylines, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Editor Larry Tajiri praises the regular contributors to the Pacific Citizen over the past decade, naming writers such as Bill Hosokawa, Roku Sugahara, and Elmer Smith. He recounts the varied contributions of columnists, photographers, and fiction writers who sustained the paper.
• The Grim Shrine of Dachau, by Wilson Makabe, page 5. Wilson Makabe describes visiting the former Dachau concentration camp with Nisei sergeant Tom Kamikido, reflecting on the gas chambers and crematorium. He then recounts his travels through Salzburg, the music festival, and a meeting with a Nisei judo coach.
• Japanese in the Americas: Expectancy Factor, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Elmer Smith explains how the psychological principle of expectancy shaped prejudice against Japanese Americans, citing Brazil, Peru, and General De Witt’s wartime report. He concludes his column series and thanks the JACL and the Tajiris.
• Dusty Town in the Desert, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa visits Uravan, Colorado, a remote uranium-milling town, describing the mill, the desert landscape, and the hard labor of uranium miners. He notes that the uranium extracted there feeds the nation’s atomic weapons program.
• Hearty Soups and Hammu, by Ann Nisei, page 8. Ann Nisei’s kitchen column offers recipes for miso soup, satsuma jiru, minced lobster soup, eggplant with miso sauce, and hammu. The recipes show how miso and vegetables can be combined into everyday dishes.

Sports

• Nisei Trading Upsets San Jose Zebras, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei Trading of Los Angeles won two games from the San Jose Zebras over Labor Day, tarnishing the Zebras’ claim to the national Nisei baseball championship. The Zebras had earlier won the JAAU tournament in Ogden.
• Ford Konno for the Sullivan Award, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Ford Konno, a 19-year-old Nisei swimmer from Honolulu, is proposed for the Sullivan Award after dominating distance freestyle events and winning the 1500 meters at the Olympics. He previously received the JACL Distinguished Achievement medallion in sports.
• Fibber Hirayama Has .273 for Season, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Fibber Hirayama, rookie centerfielder for the Stockton Ports, finished the California League season with a .273 batting average. Manager Tony Freitas credited Hirayama with stabilizing the outfield and helping the club play .500 ball.
• Performances of Nisei Stars Feature Japan Baseball Season, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Several Hawaiian Nisei players, including Wally Yonamine of the Yomiuri Giants and Tomoji Kai of the Kintetsu Pearls, drew attention in Japan’s professional leagues this season. Yonamine’s play helped the Giants nearly clinch the championship.
• Hawaiian Olympic Swimmers Receive Homecoming Celebration, by Ken Misumi, page 7. Hawaii’s Olympic swimmers, including Ford Konno and Yoshinobu Oyakawa, received a welcome of more than 4,000 fans at Honolulu Airport after winning four gold medals. Konno credited the people of Hawaii with spurring him on during the 1500-meter race.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Officer Receives DSC at Hawaii Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Lt. Toshio Aoyagi of Kaneohe, Hawaii, received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in Korea in October 1951. Although wounded, he attacked enemy positions with grenades and continued fighting until his unit was adequately prepared.

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