Issei naturalized at Seabrook Farms, and the push for evacuation claims pay

Vol. 37, No. 1, July 3, 1953. 8 pages. View this issue

Citizenship for Issei led the news. Twenty-two Issei at Seabrook Farms, New Jersey, were naturalized on June 29, in a ceremony arranged with help from the Seabrook JACL and an American Legion post. Mike Masaoka wrote to congressional appropriations committees urging full approval of $8,072,696 for evacuation claims, and his column also remembered the 148 Nisei who died in Korea. A President Eisenhower bill speeding citizenship for aliens in the armed forces was reported, and Lawrence Nakatsuka covered the renewed debate over Hawaii statehood.

Elsewhere in the eight pages, Harry K. Hosoda of St. Anthony, Idaho, became that area’s first Issei citizen, and Yoshiko Annette Bertsch became the first Japanese in Santa Clara County to win citizenship. Sports pages covered Ford Konno and Yoshi Oyakawa swimming in Japan, and the Japanese Davis Cup team in Vancouver. Editorials and columns by Harry K. Honda and Charles A. Kikuchi closed the issue.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Issei of Brook Farm Naturalized, page 1. Twenty-two Issei at Seabrook Farms, New Jersey, were naturalized on June 29 by Federal Judge in a special session, the first such group on the East Coast. The ceremony was arranged with help from the Seabrook JACL and American Legion post.
• Utah Miner Dies in Coal Mine Accident, page 1. Frank Haraguchi, 41, a member of the United Mine Workers, died of injuries after being caught between a cutting machine and a sidewall of coal in a Spring Canyon mine. He lived in Helper, Utah.
• Elk Grove Girl Wins National Typing Contest, page 1. Naomi Takehara of Mayhew, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herb Takehara, won the unlimited accuracy division trophy in the National Commercial Typing Contest. The competition included some 8,000 students from 200 schools.
• Over 200 Expected to Join Seabrook July 11 Celebration, page 2. The Seabrook JACL planned a Citizenship and Tenth Anniversary celebration for July 11 with more than 200 invitations extended. New Issei citizens will repeat the naturalization oath and Rep. Walter H. Judd is scheduled to speak.
• Retired Restaurateur Sworn In as First Issei Citizen in Idaho, by M. Hanami, page 2. Harry K. Hosoda of St. Anthony, Idaho, became the first Issei citizen in the area when he took his oath on May 22. He had operated the Star Cafe in St. Anthony for about two decades before retiring.
• Warbride First Japanese of San Jose Area to Be Made U.S. Citizen, page 2. Yoshiko Annette Bertsch, a former Tokyo resident, became the first Japanese in Santa Clara County history to win U.S. citizenship at a hearing on June 25. She married Gordon Bertsch, a San Jose State student, after meeting in occupied Japan.
• Japanese Lanterns and Folk Art Displayed at Outdoor Living Show, page 4. Tomoye and Henri Takahashi, winners of 1953 Good Design awards, displayed Japanese lanterns, grass mats, and patio accessories at the San Francisco Museum of Art. Their Nisei shop was also featured in Harper’s Bazaar and The New Yorker.

National

• Masaoka Discusses Japanese Minority Problems at Human Relations Institute, page 1. Washington JACL representative Mike Masaoka addressed the American University Institute of Human Relations on problems facing Japanese Americans. He was also scheduled to lecture on Congress and civil rights at a CIO labor school in July.
• Parcel Post Rates to Japan Rising August 1, page 1. International parcel post rates to Japan will increase sharply on August 1, with the first pound rising to 45 cents and additional pounds to 22 cents. The 22-pound limit will remain in effect.
• Evacuation Pay Bill Passage Urged by JACL, page 1. Mike Masaoka wrote to members of House and Senate appropriations committees urging full approval of $8,072,696 in supplemental funds for evacuation claims. He argued that delay or reduction would constitute a denial of justice to Japanese Americans.
• Japanese Question Raised in New Light for Hawaii Statehood, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 1. Opponents of Hawaiian statehood are again raising the Japanese population issue to stall the bill in Congress. Statehood supporters are urged to answer inaccurate statistics with facts, as Hawaii’s Caucasian population ratio has actually increased slightly since 1950.

Commentary

• In the Black, But, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Citizen reports it has been operating in the black thanks to increased advertising, but circulation has not reached the hoped-for 7,000 mark. The editorial urges greater support, especially new subscribers, so the paper can expand to more pages.
• Going Our Own Way, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial rejects the notion that Issei and Nisei should pursue separate paths, arguing that the community’s major achievements have come from joint effort. It also defends organized group advocacy against discrimination as a legitimate democratic right.
• Negro & Immigrants, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Honda examines criticism of the McCarran-Walter immigration law by Black journalists and a white lawyer, noting historical economic competition between Black workers and European immigrants. He suggests the Black community’s opposition to increased immigration is rooted in past economic exclusion.
• No Flagmaker’s Boom, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial notes Hawaiian statehood has been delayed in Congress, leaving a forty-ninth star off flags this year. It argues the bill has broad public support and that opposition based on race or geography has weakened.
• Dear Mr. Dulles, by Charles A. Kikuchi, page 8. The writer urges Secretary of State Dulles to recruit qualified Americans of Asian ancestry for informational and policy positions. He argues their loyalty and bicultural knowledge are valuable assets in the cold war competition for Asian allegiance.

Military & Veterans

• President Signs Bill Speeding Citizenship for Armed Forces Aliens, page 1. President Eisenhower signed a bill allowing aliens who served at least 90 days in the U.S. armed forces since the outbreak of the Korean War to be naturalized quickly. The law extends to Korean veterans the same privileges granted to World War II servicemen, for service through July 1, 1955.
• Nisei Casualties in the Korean Fight, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Over three years of fighting in Korea, 148 Nisei died, 433 were wounded, 92 were listed missing, and 25 were captured. Hawaii suffered 496 Nisei casualties and the mainland 202, a rate more than three times the national average relative to population.
• A Friend Retires, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka honors Rear Admiral Kenneth D. Ringle, who retired July 1 after a career in which he challenged General DeWitt’s loyalty appraisals and evacuation justification in 1942. Ringle later sought to command an all-Nisei destroyer against Japan and served with distinction in the Pacific.

Sports

• Konno, Oyakawa to Swim for U.S. in Japan Meets, page 6. Hawaiian swimmers Richard Cleveland, Ford Konno, and Yoshi Oyakawa of Ohio State, along with diver Jery Harrison, were invited to compete in All-Japan championships in Tokyo and Osaka. They will return to the U.S. in time for the August national outdoor championships.
• Shimada Honored with All-American Bowling Selection, page 6. Nisei bowler Fuzzy Shimada was named to the All-American Bowling Team, honorable mention, by the Bowlers Journal, the first Oriental bowler to receive such distinction. He also made the first team of the All-Western All-Stars.
• Nippon Davis Cup Team Warming Up for U.S. Matches, page 6. Japan’s youngest-ever Davis Cup team arrived in Vancouver to prepare for zone play against the United States on July 9-11. Captain Jiro Yamagishi predicted a powerful Japanese team within a year or two despite a faint chance of winning.

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