Vol. 40, No. 19, May 13, 1955. 8 pages. View this issue
The House voted 218-170 to send the combined Hawaii-Alaska statehood bill back to committee, and JACL vowed to keep pressing for action this session. The paper’s editorial argued the vote came just when admitting Hawaii would have strengthened American democracy’s image in the Far East. Larry Tajiri’s Vagaries column traced the story of Madame Butterfly from a letter to a novelette, a play, an opera and a new Italo-Japanese film. Bill Hosokawa described a visit to Salt Lake City, and Mike Masaoka reviewed Congress’s first five months.
Elsewhere in the 8 pages: a publisher told JACL that a textbook with discredited claims about Japanese Americans was out of print, and Utah’s attorney general ruled on mixed marriages. Haruo Ishimaru continued his Cherry Blossom Tour account, and chapters in Reedley and Eden Township planned honors for newly naturalized citizens. Nisei architect Gyo Obata won a national award for a school design.
What’s in this issue
Commentary
- Vagaries: Cho-Cho-San Movie Version, by Larry Tajiri, page 1. Larry Tajiri traces the history of Madame Butterfly from a letter through Long’s story, Belasco’s play, and Puccini’s opera. He notes a new Italo-Japanese film version and the Japanese singers who have performed the role.
- From the Frying Pan: Revisiting Salt Lake City, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Bill Hosokawa recounts a visit to Salt Lake City, including a stop at the JACL office where Hito Okada discussed the National JACL credit union. He also relates an anecdote about Hizi Koike and a Sherwood-arranged newspaper episode.
- Tokyo Topics, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. Murayama describes the many Issei and Nisei visitors to Japan who missed the cherry blossoms due to bad weather. He argues Japan should be grateful for the contributions of overseas Japanese emigrants, once called kimin.
- Honolulu Newsletter: ‘Cerf board’ rider in Hawaii, by Larry Nakatsuka, page 3. Nakatsuka describes how visitors such as Bennett Cerf, Hodding Carter, and Rep. Powell have argued that Hawaiian statehood strengthens America’s standing against Communism in Asia. He recounts Powell’s handling of Communist questioners at Bandung.
- Nisei and his job, by Hal Noel, page 4. Hal Noel, formerly Hal Noguchi, discusses the difficulties Nisei face integrating into industrial employment at various job levels. He argues that education of supervisory-level management is key to opening opportunities.
- The Sau’Wester: Puncturing Nisei myth, by Tats Kushida, page 6. Tats Kushida argues that despite Nisei gains since the war, anti-Japanese sentiment persists, as shown at a Los Angeles city council hearing on a fair employment ordinance. He notes that proponents’ logical arguments contrasted sharply with the bombast of opponents.
- Los Angeles Newsletter: Amazing Li’l Tokio Japanese, by Henry Mori, page 7. Henry Mori critiques Demaree Bess’s Saturday Evening Post article on Japanese Americans in California as lacking reportorial depth. He suggests the piece focused too narrowly on Little Tokyo and missed broader aspects of Issei and Nisei life.
- Washington Newsletter: Congressional scoreboard, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Masaoka reviews Congress’s first five months, noting only 28 public bills were enacted while many bills await floor action. He also comments on the President’s increasing legislative engagement through behind-the-scenes pressure.
- Editorial: Statehood action, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial comments on the House’s recommittal of the Hawaii-Alaska statehood bill and argues it came at a time when admitting Hawaii would have strengthened American democracy’s image in the Far East. It urges renewed efforts by statehood proponents.
- Editorial: Security vs. individual rights, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial examines the tension between national security and civil liberties in the federal loyalty program, quoting Robert Sherwood and Louis Nichols. It highlights the Dr. Peters case before the Supreme Court as a test of due process.
- Editorial: Maidens from Hiroshima, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial praises the arrival of 25 Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor girls at New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital for free plastic surgery. It argues such individual gestures build international goodwill.
- Editorial: Letters from America Week, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial promotes Letters from America Week, May 16-22, urging Americans to write to relatives and friends abroad. It frames letters as a way to counter Communist propaganda and promote goodwill.
National
- House votes to recommit statehood bill, 218-170, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House voted 218-170 to recommit the combined Hawaii-Alaska statehood bill to committee, largely due to Southern Democrat and Republican opposition. JACL vowed to continue pressing for favorable action this session.
- Publishing company reports book maligning Issei, Nisei out of print, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Thomas Y. Crowell Co. informed the JACL Washington Office that Modern World Politics, which contained discredited claims about Japanese Americans’ wartime loyalty, is out of print. JACL had protested the textbook’s continued distribution.
- Eisenhower trade program approved, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate approved a modified version of President Eisenhower’s foreign trade program by a 75-13 vote. The bill extends reciprocal trade agreements to 1958 and grants tariff-cutting powers, and is now in conference with the House.
- Part-Japanese couple wins Utah marriage ruling, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Utah’s attorney general ruled that state law does not bar marriage between whites and Hawaiians, Polynesians, or persons of part Mongolian or Malayan blood. The ruling followed a county clerk’s refusal to issue licenses to a couple including a part-Japanese partner.
Community
- Selma JACLers sign up as ground observers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Selma JACL chapter agreed to provide ground observers for the USAF Ground Observer Corps program activated May 21. The chapter also planned a food booth for Selma Fair Days.
- Portland Japanese form community blood bank, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Japanese American community blood bank with the American Red Cross was launched in Portland under the Nisei Veterans Club. Donors of Japanese ancestry may be able to receive blood free of charge.
- Viola Nakano of S.F. visits Washington, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Francisco JACL member Viola Nakano stopped in Washington after attending the YWCA centennial in New York. She was one of two San Francisco chapter representatives at the session.
- Nisei designer runs Detroit art gallery with UN theme, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Francisco-born designer Robert Hanamura operates the Chiku-Rin Gallery in Birmingham, Michigan, which features furniture and objects from many countries. The gallery hosts monthly art exhibits and Sunday parties.
- Eden Township JACL chapter honors new citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Eden Township JACL chapter honored 100 new citizens and pioneers of the area on March 30. Those honored included citizenship class instructors and assemblyman Kenji Fujii.
- Reedley JACL to honor newly naturalized Issei citizens at May 22 fete, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Reedley JACL will honor some 100 recently naturalized citizens at a May 22 banquet at Reedley College. Naturalization officials, city dignitaries, and the American Legion have been invited.
- San Francisco-born Nisei designer runs Detroit art gallery, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Robert Hanamura, 23, operates the Chiku-Rin Gallery, which displays design objects from many nations. His mother, Midori Hanamura, is an accomplished watercolor artist whose works appear in his interiors.
- ELA dinner-dance to fete membership committeemen, by P.C. Staff, page 4. East Los Angeles JACL will hold its annual membership dinner-dance May 21 at Swalley’s Restaurant to honor the membership committee. Entertainment will include dancers and the HiFiettes singing group.
- Unusual filmfare announced for San Francisco JACLers, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The San Francisco JACL chapter will present seven experimental films at its May 21 meeting at American Friends Service Center. Titles include Begone Dull Care and Muscle Beach.
- Gyo Obata designs award-winning Bristol Primary School, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Gyo Obata, son of Prof. Chiura Obata, designed the Bristol Primary School near St. Louis, which won a top national award from the American Association of School Administrators. The school features special lighting, heated kindergarten floors, and individual climate control.
- Sacramento JACL, VFW pledge funds for Nisei War Memorial community center, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Sacramento JACL and VFW Nisei Memorial Post pledged to raise $7,500 for a Nisei War Memorial community center expected to cost $25,000. The land was purchased by the late Masao Taketa, and an all-out fund drive begins in June.
- Dateline Northwest: Orphaned girls find home, by Charles Regal, page 7. Two Japanese orphan girls, Christine Marie and Julie Ann, were adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Donald F. Lynch of Seattle after arriving from Yokohama. The article describes their new home and family.
Arts & Entertainment
- To kiss after all, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese actress Mitsuko Kimura returned to Hollywood to film a kissing scene for Columbia’s Sergeant O’Reilly that she had refused to shoot in Japan. The item notes the film was previously titled Gentle Wolfhound.
- Madame Butterfly in Rome, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Nisei designer piece and cultural note appear in the Chicago column. Nisei-designed primary school wins top award in national competition.
JACL
- Togasaki winds up Town Hall tour of America, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. George K. Togasaki returned to Tokyo after participating in the six-week Town Hall Asia Mission tour across the United States. He reported that audiences asked mainly about Japan-Red China trade and communism in Japan.
- Pvt. Ben Frank Masaoka Memorial Scholarship nominations open, by P.C. Staff, page 3. National JACL announced nominations are open for the 1955 Pvt. Ben Frank Masaoka Memorial Scholarship worth $200. Candidates must be recommended by a JACL chapter by June 30.
In-Depth
- Cherry Blossom Tour (Part 2), by Haruo Ishimaru, page 5. Ishimaru describes the group’s arrival in Tokyo, their stay at the Yamanouye hotel, and a welcoming dinner with a speech by a Japanese Foreign Office official. He also recounts visits to the Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, and a Kabuki performance.
Incarceration & Redress
- Japan interest in refugee relief, orphan adoption high, Ishimaru reports to San Francisco committee, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Haruo Ishimaru reported to the San Francisco committee on Japanese children’s adoption that Japanese officials show strong interest in the U.S. Refugee Relief Act. He noted about 3,000 mixed-blood war orphans in Tokyo are being assisted.
Sports
- Chiyo Tashima, June Jue to compete in Midwest bowling tourneys, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Chiyo Tashima and June Jue left for Chicago to compete in the WIBC tournament and other events. Tashima won the singles title at the California Women’s Bowling Tournament.
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