Korean War casualties and JACL lobbying in Washington, 1951

Vol. 32, No. 6, February 10, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

News from the Korean War opened this eight-page issue. The Department of Defense reported two Hawaiian Nisei killed in action and four Japanese American soldiers missing, with the names and hometowns of their families. Elsewhere in the news, the JACL ADC pressed Congress on several fronts. Two measures, a Soldier Brides Act extension and the Walter Naturalization bill, cleared the House Judiciary Committee. Mike Masaoka argued against a race-based ban in the Reclamation Act and for letting loyal aliens file for vested property. Senator Pat McCarran also reintroduced an omnibus immigration and naturalization bill.

Bill Hosokawa reviewed the film The Steel Helmet, and Jobo Nakamura wrote a Minority Week column for Negro History Week. Page 2 reported that Rev. Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a Hiroshima survivor, served as guest chaplain of the Senate. Pages 6 and 7 are given over to sports, from Hawaiian swimming records to a coming national JACL bowling tournament. Chapter news from across the country fills much of page 8.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Hawaiian Is Killed in Korean Action; Defense Department Reports Four Also Missing in Action, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense reported casualties in Korea, including one Hawaiian Nisei killed in action and several Japanese American soldiers missing. The list names the soldiers and their families’ hometowns.
• Nisei Navy Officer Given Active Duty at Pearl Harbor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lieut. jg. Harry K. Ishida of Honolulu is believed to be the first officer of Japanese ancestry on duty with the Navy at Pearl Harbor. He was commissioned in March 1950 and ordered to active duty in January 1951.
• Chicago Dentist Enters Dental Corps, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Clifford Fujimoto of Chicago was commissioned a captain in the dental corps at Fort Sam Houston. He will be joined by his wife, a fellow Chicago JACL member.
• Burial Held for Ralph Diffendorfer, ICU Executive, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Ralph E. Diffendorfer, executive vice-president of the International Christian University Foundation, died suddenly in New York. He was buried in his birthplace of Hayesville, Ohio, after a career in Methodist mission work.
• Navy Veteran Recalled to Duty, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Bob Shiba, one of the first Nisei to serve in the postwar U.S. Navy, was recalled to active duty last month after a discharge the previous year.
• California Girl Trains as Technician in Women’s Army, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Pvt. Hana Shintani of Long Beach is training as a medical field service technician at Fort Sam Houston, specializing in portable X-ray equipment. She is one of 100 enlisted Women’s Army Corps personnel in the course.

Community

• JACL Intermountain District Council to Meet in Pocatello, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Intermountain District Council will meet February 18 in Pocatello during the chapter’s winter carnival. Delegates will discuss membership, a fund drive, and the council convention.
• Portland JACL Reactivation Meeting Planned, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Portland residents will discuss reactivating the Portland JACL chapter at a February meeting. Films of the 1950 National JACL convention in Chicago will be shown for the first time on the Pacific coast.
• New JACL Chapter Will Be Organized Soon in Hollywood, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Hollywood JACL chapter is being organized and will join the national organization’s eighty chapters. Organizers are collecting signatures for a charter and set membership rates.
• Legal Profession Provides Springboard for Nisei in Public Life in Territory, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 2. Nisei lawyers in Hawaii hold many prominent public positions, including legislative seats and government posts. The article argues that law is the most common path to public recognition for Nisei there.
• Court Upholds Strandee’s Right to Statements, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Los Angeles federal judge ruled that Nisei strandees seeking restoration of citizenship are entitled to copies of statements they made to government agencies. The ruling in the Akio Kuwahara case sets a precedent for similar cases.
• Twin Cities JACL Elects New Cabinet, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Twin Cities JACL chapter elected Yukio Okamoto as president and installed a full cabinet for the coming year. Officers include vice president, secretaries, treasurer, historian and delegate.
• Education Council to Hold Workshop, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Adult Education Council of Denver will sponsor a workshop for program planners on March 29 and 30. Nisei groups were encouraged to send delegates through the Mountain Plains JACL office.
• Hawaii’s Hermit Not Wanted on Charge of Draft-Dodging, by P.C. Staff, page 2. William Kinichi Oshiro, a Hilo hermit captured in January, was found not to be wanted for draft dodging after all. Records showed he had been a mental hospital patient and was reclassified 4-F, and any draft charge is now time-barred.
• Stockton Pays Tribute to Humbargers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nearly 100 people attended a testimonial dinner in Stockton honoring the Humbarger sisters, longtime teachers to the Nisei and Issei. Gifts including a suitcase, wristwatches, and a television set were presented.
• Nisei Official Runs Control Office on Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Jun Okazaki, a Nisei from Seattle, is in charge of the Economic Stabilization Agency’s enforcement headquarters for wage and price control on the West Coast. He previously worked monitoring Japanese propaganda broadcasts during the war.
• Acting Governor Lauds Participation of Buddhist Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Hawaii Acting Governor Oren Long praised the Young Buddhists Association of Honolulu for its civic participation and upright living. James T. Nishi was installed as the new YBA president.
• Denver JACL Nears 1950 Membership; Drive to Continue, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Denver JACL had 245 members as its membership campaign entered the final two weeks, approaching its 1950 total of 275. Two competing solicitation teams are leading the drive.
• Nursery School Enrolls Forty-Seven, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Ellis Nursery School in Chicago enrolled 47 children for its new semester. The school launched a health program with local doctors and a child psychologist.
• Resettlers Name Associate Head, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Mrs. Chizu Iiyama was named associate director of the Chicago Resettlers Committee. She previously served on the Parkway Community House public relations committee.
• Rosecoe Hits High Series in Chicago League, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Rosecoe Garage bowled a 3014 team series to defeat Maruhachi Cafe in Chicago league play, and Frank Hamasaki rolled a 658 individual series. Nisei Liquors also maintained first place in the standings.
• Chicago Groups Hold Installation, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Twenty & Five Investors and the Enterprisers held a joint installation dinner in Chicago. Speaker Peter I. Bukowski discussed present-day investments.
• Nisei Situation Surveyed by Minister in Magazine, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Rev. Daisuke Kitagawa surveys the postwar situation of Nisei in The Presbyterian Outlook, noting urban resettlement and the need for integrated church life. He argues that Issei and Nisei generational gaps shaped their response to wartime evacuation.
• Alameda County Group Holds General Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Southern Alameda County JACL held its first 1951 general meeting to discuss the new Social Security law and its effect on Nisei and Issei. A social hour followed.
• YW to Sponsor New Course in Flower Arrangement, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Buchanan YM-YWCA in San Francisco offered a ten-week course in modern Japanese flower arrangement taught by Tatsuo Fujioka. The course was popular when first held in the fall.
• Brotherhood Fete Is Scheduled by Soto-Michigan Center, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A UN brotherhood celebration with performances, national dishes, and a photo exhibit is set for February 11 at the Soto-Michigan Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles. Tats Kushida of the JACL is a featured speaker.
• Pioneers Honored at JACL Dinner; Cabinet Installed, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Southern Alameda County JACL honored Issei pioneers and installed its new cabinet at its third annual dinner in Hayward. Recognition certificates were awarded to several members.
• Capital Chapter Honors Six Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Washington, D.C. JACL installed new officers and presented ADC recognition certificates to six Issei for their assistance. The chapter also began planning to host the Eastern District Council convention.
• Southwest Chapter Slates Meeting, Valentine Social, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Southwest Los Angeles JACL will hold a February 13 meeting featuring a Social Security Administration speaker and a Valentine social. The chapter is also running its ADC fund drive with a goal of $1,800.
• 23 Japanese May Receive Ouster Stay, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Stays of deportation for nearly 1,000 aliens, including 23 Japanese, were recommended to Congress. Congressional approval is usually routine, according to the JACL ADC.
• Young Buddhists Set Annual Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Young Buddhists from the Intermountain area will hold their annual conference in Ogden with services, a ball, and speakers. Queen Terry Usui and her attendants will be presented at the ball.
• Issei Celebrate 50th Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Mr. and Mrs. Magoki Masunaga of Denver celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with family and friends. The couple has lived in Colorado since arriving in the United States in 1912.

JACL

• Central California JACL District Council Holds Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Central California JACL district council held its first quarterly conference in Visalia with the Tulare County chapter as host. Plans were made for the district convention in Fresno and ten new members joined the 1000 Club.
• Fuku Yokoyama, Miss National JACL, Arrives in Honolulu to Wed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fuku Yokoyama, Miss National JACL from Washington, D.C., arrived in Honolulu to marry attorney Ted Tsukiyama. She plans to continue nursing and pursue modeling in Honolulu.
• Delegates to EDC Meeting Plan Visit to Congressmen, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Delegates to the JACL Eastern District Council meeting in Washington, D.C., April 6-8 will visit senators, representatives, and government centers. The program includes official films of the 1950 national convention.

National

• House Vote Near on Walter Naturalization Bill, Extension of Soldier Brides Measure, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two JACL ADC-backed measures, a Soldier Brides Act extension and the Walter Naturalization bill, passed the House Judiciary Committee unanimously. Both were scheduled for House action the following week.
• JACL ADC Seeks Amendment to Permit Japanese Internees to File for Vested Property, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL ADC proposed amending the Trading With the Enemy Act so interned and paroled aliens could file claims for vested property. Mike Masaoka argued that the current exclusion unfairly penalizes loyal aliens cleared during the war.
• ADC Asks Congress to Drop Race Ban in Reclamation Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL ADC urged a House subcommittee to repeal a 1902 provision barring Mongolian labor on federal reclamation projects. Mike Masaoka called the race-based ban unconstitutional and contrary to public policy.
• A-Bomb Survivor Is Guest Chaplain of U.S. Senate, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rev. Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a Hiroshima survivor, delivered the opening prayer in the Senate on February 5. He praised the United States for its humanitarian rehabilitation efforts during his American tour.
• Seek Repeal of Alien Land Law in Idaho, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A bill to repeal Idaho’s Alien Land law, which bars Japanese aliens from owning real property, was introduced at the request of the Boise Valley JACL. The measure follows a similar Utah repeal in 1946.
• Omnibus Bill to Revise U.S. Immigration, Naturalization Codes Introduced in Senate, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sen. Pat McCarran reintroduced an omnibus immigration and naturalization bill that would extend token immigration to Asian and Pacific countries and remove racial barriers to naturalization. The bill consolidates existing laws into a single code.
• FEP Bill Gets Approval of Utah Senate Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Utah’s Fair Employment Practices bill was reported favorably by a Senate education committee and placed on the calendar. Supporters argued that the measure would protect minority workers, including returning veterans.
• Do You Know? Note Wide Scope of ADC’s Interest in Legislation, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. A retrospective on JACL ADC legislative work in 1948, including the alien deportation suspension bill, the evacuation claims act, and the Takahashi fishing license case. The article outlines how those efforts advanced Nisei and Issei rights.
• Judd Pushes Private Bill for Kitagawa, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Minnesota Representative Walter Judd introduced a private bill to grant citizenship to Rev. Daisuke Kitagawa, founder of the Twin Cities Japanese American community center. Judd argued citizenship would strengthen Kitagawa’s influence in promoting U.S.-Japan understanding.

In-Depth

• Your Social Security: Two Types of Payments, by Charles H. Shreve, page 2. This installment explains the difference between currently insured and fully insured workers and the benefits each receives. It also describes the lump sum death payment and its amounts.

Arts & Entertainment

• Tomi Kanazawa Will Sing Puccini Role in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Soprano Tomi Kanazawa returns to San Francisco to reprise her role as Madame Butterfly with the Pacific Opera Company. She previously performed the role in the 1950 season and on a tour of the West Coast and Canada.

Commentary

• A Precedent for Strandee Cases, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A Honolulu federal judge ruled that Nisei strandee Fujiko Furusho could file for citizenship in Hawaii despite living in Japan. The editorial calls this a liberal and welcome interpretation of the law.
• The Council for Civic Unity, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial urges support for the San Francisco Council for Civic Unity’s membership and fund drive. It notes the decline of similar organizations and the council’s record of advancing equal opportunity.
• Nisei GI Is One of Steel Helmet Heroes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Richard Loo plays Sergeant Tanaka, a Nisei veteran of the 442nd, in the Korean War film The Steel Helmet. The article describes the film’s depiction of racial themes and its reception.
• Proposal in Georgia Legislature to Transfer Public Schools to Private Owners, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A Georgia bill would hand public schools to private individuals to evade desegregation rulings. The editorial warns the scheme could pass given its backing by state leaders.
• Minority Week, by Jobo Nakamura, page 4. The writer urges readers to reflect on the struggles of Negroes and Nisei alike during Negro History Week. He draws parallels between the hardships of camp life and the discrimination faced by African Americans.
• Art and Cousin Willie, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A humorous column recounts a cousin’s sudden pursuit of art after he decided to paint his garage door. The writer mocks his self-taught efforts and the mail-order art course that encouraged him.
• The Steel Helmet Story, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa reviews the Lippert film The Steel Helmet, praising its racial brotherhood message and realistic combat scenes. He notes its Nisei and Negro characters argue effectively against Communist claims about American minorities.

Sports

• Salt Lake Bees Have Deals for Yonamine, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Salt Lake Bees general manager Claude Engberg says the club is pursuing deals to sign Wally Yonamine. The column also covers Nisei pitchers and players moving into professional and collegiate baseball.
• Nisei Will Be on Hawaiian Bowling Team, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Several Nisei bowlers are competing for spots on Hawaii’s six-man team to the ABC tournament in St. Paul. Tad Nagasawa was among the leaders after the first 50 games of qualifying.
• Nakama’s Mark Broken by Aussie Youth, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Barry Darke, a 15-year-old Australian swimmer, broke a 1939 record set by Hawaii’s Keo Nakama. Australian sportswriters compare him to top contenders for the 1952 Olympics.
• Draft Calls Hit Rolls of Nisei Teams, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Several Nisei athletes, including basketball players from Central California, have entered military service and are depleting local teams. The column also notes upcoming tournaments and standout performances.
• Nisei Cagers Help Universal Beat UC, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Honolulu’s Universal Motors team, with several Nisei starters, defeated the visiting University of California Bears 68 to 61. Three of the Nisei players had been members of Hawaiian all-star teams that toured the mainland and Japan.
• Kanamine Stars for Nebraska Swimming Team, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Ted Kanamine, a University of Nebraska psychology major, became the first mainland Nisei to become a standout collegiate swimmer. He set pool records in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events.
• Tourney Officials Forecast New JACL Bowling Records, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Co-chairmen Harley Kusumoto and Dick Fujioka predicted record scores at the fifth annual National JACL bowling tournament in March. The article summarizes past champions in men’s and women’s events.
• Ichinose May Send Marino Against Allen in Far East, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Manager Sad Sam Ichinose said flyweight champion Dado Marino may defend his title against Terry Allen in Manila or Tokyo. Marino is a Honolulu beer truck driver of Filipino ancestry.
• Hawaiian All-Stars Undecided About Trip to Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Hawaii’s AJA All-Stars have not decided whether to attend the Intermountain Nisei basketball tournament in Salt Lake City because of the costs involved. A Japan tour is definitely off for this year.
• Julia Murakami Sets Hawaiian Swim Record, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sixteen-year-old Julia Murakami set new Hawaiian and University of Hawaii records in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke at the Aloha swimming meet. Evelyn Kawamoto also won three events.
• Machida Beats UCLA’s Ogi in Pocatello Bout, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Eugene Machida, Intermountain champion, won a decision over UCLA’s Mamoru Ogi as Idaho State defeated the visiting Bruin boxing team 7 to 1. The article covers the Pocatello match.

Obituaries

• Vital Statistics: Births, Deaths, Marriages, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The column lists recent births, deaths, marriages, and marriage licenses among Japanese American families across the West and Midwest.

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