Vol. 27, No. 14, October 2, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue
The story of some 400 Peruvian Japanese held in the United States during the war led this eight-page issue of October 2, 1948. Alfred Steinberg, a former UN economist, told how they were interned without charge or hearing, and Justice and State department officials called it a blunder. An editorial, “The Kidnapped Peruvians,” urged that the men be given legal residence. The issue also reported that evacuation claims forms were expected around October 15, with Mike Masaoka advising those with unpaid claims to refile.
A federal court ruling on page 8 would restore U.S. citizenship to about 5,500 people who renounced it at Tule Lake. Other pages cover California’s Supreme Court striking down its ban on interracial marriage, Iva Toguri d’Aquino’s return as Tokyo Rose, and a Heart Mountain reunion described by Bill Hosokawa. Roku Surchora profiled the Ijuin family of New Orleans.
What’s in this issue
Incarceration & Redress
- Internment of Peru Japanese in U.S. Termed “Blunder”, by Alfred Steinberg, page 1. Former UN economist Alfred Steinberg recounts how some 400 Peruvian Japanese were interned in the United States during the war without charge or hearing. Officials of the Justice and State departments called the affair a blunder, and the internees now face deportation to Japan because Peru refuses to take them back.
- Advise Evacuees to File Anew for Unpaid Government Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Evacuees whose earlier compensation claims have not been paid should refile on the new evacuation claims form, Masaoka reported after talks with Justice Department officials. The Justice Department recommends refiling for any claims that have not already been paid.
National
- Supreme Court Outlaws Intermarriage Ban, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California’s Supreme Court ruled 5 to 2 that the state’s ban on marriage between Caucasians and persons of Negro, Mongolian or Malayan blood violates the equal protection clause. The decision directed the Los Angeles county clerk to issue a license to an interracial couple.
- Tokyo Rose Makes Page One in U.S. Press, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Iva Toguri d’Aquino, known as Tokyo Rose, returned to the United States on Sept. 25 and became a page one celebrity. U.S. Attorney Frank Hennessy said he was flooded with requests for interviews and Hollywood contracts.
- Motion Picture Staff to Confer in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL national staff will confer in Los Angeles with special counsel Edward Ennis on evacuation claims on October 9. The meeting will discuss the organization’s role in filing and processing claims.
- Stockton Realtors Consider Ways to Bar Non-Caucasians, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Attorney James DeMartini told the Stockton Realty Board that no legal order can enforce racial restrictive covenants following the Supreme Court decision. He outlined four possible alternative devices realtors are considering to keep non-Caucasians out of restricted districts.
JACL
- Expect Claims Forms Ready in Mid-October, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Official evacuation claims forms are expected around October 15, according to Mike Masaoka, after a conference with Justice Department officials. JACL regional councils and chapters are being briefed to help members fill out and file the claims.
Community
- War-Stranded Nisei Expected to Arrive on General Gordon, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A group of war-stranded Nisei from Japan is due in San Francisco on October 5 aboard the General Gordon. The arrival was moved up two days because of a maritime strike, and some mainland Nisei obtained last-minute passage.
- Valuable Violin Stolen from Home of Nisei Musician, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Stradivarius violin and a flute were stolen from the New York apartment of violinist Kazuko Tajitsu and her husband Yuji Kawamoto. The theft occurred last week.
- 38 Japanese Americans File for Political Offices in Hawaiian Primary Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Thirty-eight candidates of Japanese ancestry are running in Hawaii’s territorial and county primaries, about 17 percent of all filers. Observers note the field is slightly larger than in 1946, when 24 Nisei filed and 13 were elected.
- Reunion in San Francisco, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Former residents of Heart Mountain relocation center held a reunion in San Francisco. The column reflects on the shared hardships and the human traits seen in camp life.
- Nisei Pictorial Magazine Publishes Second Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The second issue of the quarterly picture magazine Nisei Vue was published in Chicago with 10,000 copies. The subscription rate is rising from $1 to $1.25 due to higher production costs.
- District Council Meeting Will Hear Ennis, Masaoka on Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Northern California-Western Nevada JACL district council meets October 9 and 10 in Monterey with Mike Masaoka and Edward Ennis discussing evacuation claims. The agenda also includes sports and social activities.
- Candidates Speak to East Bay JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Democratic candidates Buell Gallagher and Byron Rumford addressed the East Bay JACL meeting in Berkeley. Gallagher called for extending the Marshall Plan and repealing Taft-Hartley, while Rumford urged public health insurance and a permanent FEPC.
- JACL May Curtail Operation of East Regional Office, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Plans to curtail the New York JACL ADC regional office are under consideration, according to Mike Masaoka after conferring with Sam Ishikawa. The move follows recommendations made at the national convention in Salt Lake City.
- Immigration Service Seeks Detention Area at Tanforan, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Immigration Service plans to reopen the former Tanforan race track as an alien detention area to handle a backlog of processed immigrants from China. The site was used as an assembly center for Japanese American evacuees in 1942.
- Los Angeles Supervisors Will Not Back Realty Action, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will not act on a San Gabriel Valley Realty board request to endorse a constitutional amendment permitting racially restrictive covenants. Sam Ishikawa reported that supervisors Ford and Darby assured him of this.
- 5,500 Renunciants Will Regain U.S. Citizenship by Order of Federal District Court, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A federal judge ruled that approximately 5,500 persons who renounced citizenship at the Tule Lake segregation center will be restored to full citizenship on January 27, 1949. The decree becomes final in 120 days unless the Justice Department presents new evidence.
Military & Veterans
- Nisei Soldier Will Be Buried in Japan Grave, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The remains of Pvt. Toshio Miura, killed in Italy while serving with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, arrived in Tokyo on Sept. 24 at the request of his parents. A military escort will take the casket to his family home in Kyushu for burial.
- Blind Nisei Veteran to Enroll at School, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sanji Kimoto, a blind 442nd veteran, returned to Honolulu with his Seeing-eye dog Sandy and is enrolling at the University of Hawaii. Sandy will accompany him to all classes.
- Midwest Veterans of 442nd Hold Chicago Reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Midwest veterans of the 442nd Combat Team held a reunion at Jackson Park Beach in Chicago on September 2. Speakers included Paul Douglas and Sherwood Dixon, both Democratic candidates in Illinois.
Commentary
- Affirmation in the Courts, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises recent Supreme Court decisions, including Oyama and Takahashi, that dismantled discriminatory race legislation in California. It welcomes the state court’s ruling striking down the ban on interracial marriage as consistent with the U.S. Constitution.
- The Kidnapped Peruvians, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the case of the Japanese Peruvians is a shameful episode in which the United States participated in unjust internment. It urges congressional or administrative action to grant these men legal residence and reunite them with their families.
- Hollywood and the Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This column traces how wartime films such as Across the Pacific helped build public acceptance of the Nisei evacuation. It notes that a planned RKO film on the Tomoya Kawakita case may reinforce prejudice and urges the industry to make amends.
- Footnote to History, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recounts how Issei and Japanese workers contributed to Wyoming’s timber industry about 40 years earlier. He lists the many other ways Issei helped build the American West.
In-Depth
- Ijuins of New Orleans, by Roku Surchora, page 5. The Ijuin family relocated from Stockton to New Orleans after the father, an Issei, decided to start over despite his age. After his death, his wife and daughters kept their sandwich shop running through hard work and perseverance.
Arts & Entertainment
- Ruby Yoshino Will Appear in Concert in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Nisei soprano Ruby Hideko Yoshino will sing at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall on October 18 as part of the One World Ensemble. The interracial quartet will perform works by Verdi, Schubert, Mozart and others.
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