Evacuee claims moving at a crawl, and a ruling on California’s Alien Land law

Vol. 30, No. 21, May 27, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

Mike Masaoka, JACL ADC legislative director, told a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that the evacuation claims program could take 25 to 50 years at its current pace. Almost 24,000 claims had been filed under the act, and fewer than 40 small ones had been paid. He urged Congress to double the fiscal 1951 budget for administering it. Also on the front page, the California District Court of Appeals refused to rehear its ruling that the UN Charter makes the Alien Land law unenforceable. An editorial on page 4 took up that decision.

Elsewhere in these eight pages, Larry Tajiri wrote on the anatomy of fear, and Bill Hosokawa recalled a Denver blizzard and nine years since the forced removal. Elmer R. Smith’s history column covered the 1936 JACL convention in Seattle. Sports fill much of pages 6 and 7: Wally Yonamine with the Salt Lake Bees, Bill Nishita’s pitching for Santa Rosa, and Henry Aihara’s broad jump record. Plans for the Chicago national convention appear too.

What’s in this issue

National

• Masaoka Urges Senate Group to Double Budget Allotment for Evacuee Claims Program, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka, JACL ADC legislative director, testified before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that the evacuation claims program could take 25 to 50 years at its current pace. He urged Congress to double the fiscal 1951 administrative budget so claims can be adjudicated faster.
• Editors of Eight Nebraska Weekly Newspapers Will Help Ben Kuroki With First Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nebraska weekly editors pooled efforts to produce a special 24-page paper to help Ben Kuroki launch his tenure as publisher of the York Republican. Kuroki, a Nisei war hero, will be the first Japanese American publisher in Nebraska.
• California Appellate Court Denies State Request for Rehearing on Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California District Court of Appeals denied Attorney General Fred Howser’s petition for rehearing on its ruling that the UN Charter makes the Alien Land law unenforceable. The state is expected to appeal to the State Supreme Court.
• Three Japanese Recommended for Stays of Deportation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended stays of deportation under Public Law 863 for Nobuo Suzuki, Denkichi Tani and Toshiko Yoshida. Their approval must still be granted by Congress.
• Hearst Paper Raps Ruling in Land Law Test, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Los Angeles Hearst Examiner editorially attacked the appellate court’s ruling that the Alien Land law conflicts with the UN Charter. The paper argued the law is a good one that was not nullified as an improper exercise of state power.
• House Passes Bill to Admit Brides of Two American GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House passed private laws admitting Japanese fiancees Masae Marumoto and Sumiko Kato into the United States. Both must marry their fiances within three months of entering the country or face deportation.
• $150 Million in Evacuation Claims Filed, Says Official, by P.C. Staff, page 1. S. S. Andretta told a House Appropriations subcommittee that about 25,000 evacuation claims totaling nearly $150 million have been filed. He said the Justice Department can currently settle only claims of $2,500 or less.
• Yukio Ozaki Arrives in New York on Goodwill Tour, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Yukio Ozaki, a Japanese constitutional liberal and former Tokyo mayor, arrived in New York City for a goodwill tour of the United States. He expressed pessimism about democracy’s growth in Japan and said no war is justified.
• Arizona Judge Upholds U.S. Citizenship of Nisei Stranded Who Voted in Japan Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Federal Judge David Ling upheld the American citizenship of Nisei Eiko Yamamoto, who voted in Japan’s 1946 elections. He became the first U.S. judge to rule that such votes did not cost Nisei their citizenship.
• JACL ADC Asks Sen. Lucas to Bring Walter Resolution Up for Action Next Month, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka asked Senate Majority Leader Scott Lucas to bring the Walter resolution to a vote on the next calendar call. The resolution would extend naturalization rights to Japanese immigrant parents and is part of the President’s Civil Rights program.
• Utah Issei’s Grandson Will Come to U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 3. The House passed a bill allowing five-year-old Daijiro Yoshida to enter the United States on a non-quota basis to live with his grandfather in Salt Lake City. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Community

• Extend Entry Date for JACL Fashion Show, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Entries for the JACL fall fashion show by Nisei designers were extended to June 1 after many requests. The show will be held at the Palmer House during the Eleventh Biennial National JACL Convention in Chicago.
• Carl Sato Elected Treasurer of Arizona Jaycees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Carl Sato of Mesa, Ariz., was elected treasurer of the Arizona Junior Chamber of Commerce at its annual state convention. Sato had served as general chairman of the convention, which drew 200 members.
• Scholar Awards Announced by Bruin Alumni, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Nisei Bruin memorial scholarship committee named its 1950 award winners, including Herbert Kawahara and Tommy Maeda. New officers were also elected for the organization.
• Frances Watanabe Elected to Queen’s Court at Northwestern, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Frances Watanabe was elected a maid of honor in Northwestern University’s annual May queen election. Lorie Weikert of Columbia City, Ind., was crowned queen on May 21.
• Chicago TV Fans to See Young Nisei Dancers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seven-year-old dancers Mariko Ann Akiyama and Toyoko Kitahata will be featured on the Windy City Jamboree TV show on June 4. The girls are students of Haruko and Tomeko Uyeda.
• Speech Expert Advises Nisei in Hawaiian Islands Not to Worry About Local Dialects, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 2. Dr. Richard A. Parry, University of Hawaii speech professor, told Nisei that local speech patterns are no different from those on the mainland. He recommended they pursue good speech without fighting local dialects.
• Appoint Sumio Doi to California State Fresh Fruit Board, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sumio Doi of Auburn, Calif., a World War II veteran, was appointed to the State Fresh Fruit Advisory Board. The board oversees size provisions, sales promotions and marketing for fresh fruit.
• Mun Iseri Loses in Bid for City Council Post, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mun Iseri was defeated in his bid for a Democratic nomination for the Ontario, Ore., City Council. He received 157 votes while Horace A. Beal led the Democrats with 363.
• Nisei Named Valedictorian at Coast School, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dahlia Yoshiko Kakiuchi will be valedictorian of the Imperial Valley Union high school class of 1950. An honor student who never received below an A, she has won multiple essay and oratorical contests.
• Salt Laker Named Alternate for Barnard Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Hisa Aoki, a University of Utah sociology major, was named alternate for a $1,800 public service fellowship to Barnard College. The Daily Utah Chronicle praised both her and winner Betty Glad.
• Takei, Kushida Attend Meetings on FEPC, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Bill Takei and Yukio Kushida represented JACL at two state-wide meetings planning a 1951 campaign for FEPC legislation in California. The effort aims for passage by the state legislature.
• Mikami Will Head JACL 1000 Club in Fresno Area, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Seichi Mikami volunteered to chair the 1000 Club for the newly created Central California JACL district. He was recently nominated for Nisei of the Year honors.
• Santa Marian Is First Nisei to Join Navy WAVES, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ann Hope Agawa became the first Nisei to enlist in the Navy WAVES, joining in Los Angeles on May 1. She is training at Great Lakes, Illinois, and is the fourth member of her family to serve.
• California Nisei Pilots Plan Air Race to Chicago in Fall, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nisei pilots will race more than 1,600 miles from Los Angeles to Chicago on September 24 for the Henry Ohye trophy, ending in time for the JACL national convention. The race uses a handicap system to give contestants equal chances.
• Court Orders U.S. to Return Seized Shrine, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Federal Judge J. Frank McLaughlin ordered the Kotohira Jinsha shrine in Honolulu returned to its owners, ruling that Shinto worship is protected under freedom of thought. The shrine had been seized under the Trading with the Enemy act in 1948.
• Nisei Bowlers Compete at Chicago Pin Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Mercury 20 team from Cleveland won the team title at the second annual Nisei bowling tournament in Chicago. Ernie Komatsu of Omaha took the men’s singles title.
• Parlier Meet Will Consider Credit Unions, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Delegates from across central California will meet at the Parlier Buddhist church for the second quarterly conference of the Central California JACL district council. Talks on credit unions and fund raising for the national convention are on the agenda.
• Cincinnati Queen Candidate Named, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Yuriko Lillian Miyachi was named the Cincinnati JACL queen candidate for the Midwest district council contest. She recently won a scholarship as the outstanding student nurse of her graduating class.
• Mayhew Fellowship Wins Banner as Outstanding Group, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Mayhew Baptist Youth Fellowship won the Sacramento Valley association banner for outstanding youth group for the second time. Bill Satow was elected association president.
• Fresno JACL Group Plans Concert for Scholarship Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Pianist Maria Miyamoto will give a benefit concert on June 16 at Edison high school auditorium in Fresno. Proceeds will go to the Fresno JACL scholarship fund.
• Eastern Bussei Plan Fifth Annual Meet This Weekend, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Eastern Young Buddhist League will hold its fifth annual convention in Cleveland over the Memorial Day weekend. Activities include business meetings, discussion groups, an oratorical contest and a banquet.
• Chicago Nisei Blossom Festival Audience Applauds Uyeda Dancers, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Tomeko and Haruko Uyeda won applause at the Chicago Blossom Time Festival with their Japanese classical dance performances. The festival was presented by the Chicago Park District at Grant Park.
• Chiye Nao Named Delegate to YW World Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Chiye Nao of the San Francisco YWCA was named a delegate to the YWCA’s first world membership conference in Whitby, Ontario. The conference will be held August 9 to 18.

Military & Veterans

• Cathay Post to Join JACL in Denver Memorial Day Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Denver JACL chapter and Cathay Post 185 of the American Legion will hold Memorial Day services honoring Colorado Nisei war dead. The services will be held at California Street Methodist church.
• Fumi Iwatsuki Crowned Miss Chicago JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fumi Iwatsuki was crowned Miss Chicago JACL at the chapter’s coronation dance. She will represent Chicago in the Midwest JACL District Council contest in Cincinnati.
• JACL Group to Lay Wreath on Tomb of Unknown Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National JACL Arlington Cemetery Committee will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and decorate the graves of Nisei dead at Arlington on Memorial Day. Several Nisei soldiers from across the country are buried there.

Commentary

• The UN Charter and State Laws, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial examines the California appellate court’s ruling that the Alien Land law violates the UN Charter and its potential impact on higher courts. It argues the decision has given meaning to national commitments under the Charter even if the Supreme Court is not yet ready to uphold it.
• Jewish Groups Aided ABC Fight, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors correct an earlier omission by acknowledging Jewish organizations that fought the American Bowling Congress’s whites-only rule. They note the significance of Jewish groups working on behalf of Negro and Oriental Americans.
• The Anatomy of Fear, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri warns that fear and suspicion in the postwar climate could enable mass detention of American citizens as the 1942 evacuation did. He criticizes legislative witchhunts and guilt by association that victimized Nisei during the war.
• Between Carbons, by Al T. Miyadi, page 5. Al Miyadi comments on racial discrimination through several vignettes, including Joe Louis being refused service in Brazil and a Los Angeles streetcar incident. He also notes the Press club’s invitation to a film on prejudice that excluded Negroes from the screening.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa reflects on a Maytime blizzard in Denver and the nine years since evacuation. He considers how the Nisei experience of wartime uprooting shaped their lives, concluding he would not wish to repeat it.

In-Depth

• Tokyo, 1942, by Hideo Kuwahara, page 6. A short story set in Tokyo in 1942 follows a narrator whose friend silently visits his room day after day. The two reflect on human nature and the cycle of destruction that they see as unchanging.

JACL

• Seattle Convention in 1936 Showed Growth of JACL, by Elmer R. Smith, page 6. This history column recounts the 1936 JACL national convention in Seattle, which addressed voting, vocational placement, insurance, and citizenship for Hansei. Decisions included incorporation under California law and the election of James Y. Sakamoto as national president.

Sports

• Yonamine Only Gridder Left on Bees, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Wally Yonamine is the only member of the Salt Lake Bees’ celebrated backfield still with the club after four weeks of Pioneer League play. He has been converted to first baseman and has been juggled through the batting order during the team’s slump.
• Three Nisei on All-Time LACC Team, by George Yoshinaga, page 6. Crossroads reports that Vincent Brewer of LACC selected three Nisei for his all-time Los Angeles College baseball team. They are Mas Kinoshita, Joe Suski and Sano Sugi.
• San Jose Zebras Score 32 Runs, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The San Jose Zebras crushed the San Francisco Padres 32 to 1 in a semi-pro game at San Jose Municipal stadium. The roundup also notes several other Nisei players and teams across California.
• New Way to Lose a Baseball Game, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Lodi Nisei juniors lost a Rural League game to Walnut Grove after their pitcher left to check a flooded ditch. The roundup also reports a new Oriental Scratch League forming in Sacramento.
• Iseri Sets Another Pool Record, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Tak Iseri of the Sacramento YMCA set a new pool record in the 100-yard breaststroke at Vallejo Junior College. The roundup also reports several other Nisei athletic achievements.
• Matsubu Also Plays in Field for Yuma, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hank Matsubu is playing in the outfield as well as catching for the Yuma Indians of the Class C Sunset league. He is among a new generation of Nisei athletes who came of age in relocation centers.
• Aihara Sets New Broad Jump Mark at Modesto Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Henry Aihara, co-captain of the USC track team, set a new California Relays record in the broad jump at 24 feet 8.5 inches. He also placed fourth at the Coliseum Relays the previous day.
• Chicago Plans First U.S. Nisei Golf Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Midwest Golf Association will sponsor the first U.S. Nisei amateur golf tournament in Chicago from September 25 to 27. It will be held just before the national JACL convention.
• 400 Nisei Keglers Invited to Enter JACL Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Some 400 Nisei bowlers in Los Angeles are invited to compete in the open tournament at the Santa Monica Bowl during the JACL Pacific Southwest District convention. Entry blanks were sent to league chairmen with a June 21 deadline.
• Bill Nishita, Star of California College Circuit, May Sign Contract With Pro Ball Club, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Pitcher Bill Nishita led Santa Rosa Junior College to the Northern California championship and may turn professional. Scouts from several major and coast league clubs have been watching him.
• Nishita Fans 15 As Santa Rosa Defeats Taft JC, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Bill Nishita struck out 15 and allowed only two hits as Santa Rosa JC defeated Taft Junior College 4 to 0 in front of a record crowd. The win sends Santa Rosa to the State junior college baseball championship.
• Yonamine Hits .328 to Lead Bee Batsmen, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Wally Yonamine has the highest average among regulars on the Salt Lake Bees after the first month of Pioneer League play. His .328 average placed him among the league’s top ten batters.
• See Early Affiliation of Nisei Women’s Leagues With WIBC, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Women’s International Bowling Congress is expected to reconsider its whites-only membership rule at a June 5 meeting. Nisei women’s leagues may join the WIBC if the ban is dropped.

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