Honoring the 442nd in Honolulu, and the push on evacuation claims

Vol. 29, No. 5, July 30, 1949. 8 pages. View this issue

Col. Charles W. Pence, former commander of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, was in Honolulu for ceremonies honoring Nisei veterans, and Lawrence Nakatsuka reported on his visit. Pence praised the 442nd’s combat record at a wreath-laying and the dedication of Memorial Hall, and the 442nd Veterans club dedicated its clubhouse. The issue also followed the money owed for wartime losses. Attorney General Tom Clark said about 6,000 evacuation claims, totaling $22 million, had been filed, and a Los Angeles field office opened to handle them.

Larry Tajiri’s columns on page 4 looked back at newspaper columnists who backed mass evacuation in 1942 and at the secret wartime training of Nisei agents. Editorials took up Gen. DeWitt and a possible test case against California’s alien land law. Page 6 covered Hawaii’s longshore strike and the Senate hearing on the Judd bill. Page 8 reviewed a book on removal and return, with a run of sports briefs.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Col. Charles W. Pence Joins Nisei Veterans in Honolulu Ceremonies, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 1. Former 442nd Combat Team commander Col. Charles W. Pence visited Honolulu for ceremonies honoring Nisei veterans, including a memorial burial at Punchbowl and the dedication of Memorial Hall. He praised the 442nd’s combat record and the Nisei soldiers’ conduct during the war.
• Mysterious Fire Razes Home, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Glendale realtor’s house burned on the eve of its planned rental to a Japanese American family, and the fire marshal suspected arson. The realtor has been unable to collect insurance four months later.
• Clubhouse Dedicated for 442nd Veterans, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The 442nd Veterans club clubhouse was dedicated in Honolulu with Col. Charles W. Pence present. The item also reports that a U.S. commissioner in Germany endorsed naturalization rights for Japanese and other aliens.
• Nisei Ex-GI Goes to New York to Continue Operatic Career, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Kiyo Morimoto, a 442nd veteran and Silver Star recipient, left Pocatello to study opera at the Rossini School in New York. He had trained in Italy after the war and was praised by the San Carlo Opera conductor.

Incarceration & Redress

• Attorney General Clark Reports 6,000 Evacuation Claims Filed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Attorney General Tom Clark announced that roughly 6,000 evacuation claims totaling $22 million have been filed by Japanese Americans. The Justice Department opened its first claims field office in Los Angeles to process them.
• Justice Department Opens First Evacuation Claims Field Office in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Mangum Weeks, chief of the Japanese Claims Section, outlined the valuation standards and filing rules for evacuation claims at a Los Angeles meeting. He stressed fair market value at time of loss and a January 2, 1950 filing deadline.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Prima Donna of La Scala Opera Visits U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 3. Toshiko Hasegawa, a California-born soprano with Milan’s La Scala opera, visited her family in Chicago after 15 years abroad. She performed for Nisei soldiers in Italy and is scheduled to be honored at a Chicago club tea.
• Paul Higaki Plays Trombone with Lionel Hampton, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Nisei trombonist Paul Higaki joined the Lionel Hampton band and was touring the Pacific Northwest with the group. He had previously played with several orchestras in Chicago.

Community

• Chi Alpha Delta Alumnae Gives Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Chi Alpha Delta alumnae cabinet announced an annual scholarship for a Japanese American woman entering UCLA. Applications are due August 31.
• Two Thousand Watch O-Bon Dances at Seabrook Village, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The first Obon Festival at Seabrook Village, New Jersey drew 2,000 spectators and 200 costumed dancers. Local groups also operated booths at a county fair and block party.
• Ellis Community Center to Sponsor Leadership Training, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Ellis Community Center of Chicago plans a leadership training retreat in Des Plaines on August 20 and 21. An informal rally at the Center introduced the program.
• Ellis Center School Plans Graduation, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Ellis Community Center vacation church school will hold its second annual graduation on July 31. Four outstanding students will receive scholarships to a summer camp.
• Mrs. Tsuji Passes Teaching Test, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A St. Louis Nisei teacher passed her board examination and will receive a primary grade assignment in the public schools. The item notes her achievement in the new school term.
• Fresno Wins California Loop, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Fresno Nisei nine won the Northern California Nisei AA league championship with a 3-2 extra-inning win over the Santa Clara Zebras. The teams were slated to play a best-of-three series for the title.

Commentary

• Challenging the Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the Oregon Supreme Court’s invalidation of its anti-alien land law makes a test case against California’s law worth considering. It notes the law’s discriminatory origins and urges the JACL board to study the question.
• The Return of Gen. DeWitt, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial examines Gen. John L. DeWitt’s racially based decision to order mass evacuation and his continued avoidance of the West Coast. It concludes that his fears of evacuee lawsuits were unfounded.
• Death of a Columnist, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri remembers Chicago columnist Kenesaw Mountain Landis II, who defended Nisei civil rights during the war and opposed racial mass evacuation. Landis died suddenly at age 39.
• Columnists and Evacuation, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri surveys how nationally syndicated columnists such as Walter Lippmann, Westbrook Pegler, Damon Runyon and Henry McLemore promoted mass evacuation in 1942. He notes that later columnists helped reverse public opinion toward Japanese Americans.
• Nikkei Agent Story, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri notes a radio drama about a Nisei agent landed in Japan and discusses the secret wartime training of Nisei agents. He observes that Japanese surrender likely made such operations unnecessary.
• Top Secret, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri discusses the wartime training of Nisei agents for work inside Japan and the Paramount film Tokyo Rose featuring such a character. He notes no official confirmation that Nisei were actually landed.
• Evacuation Story, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Brief item announcing an upcoming newspaper series on the evacuation and return of Japanese Americans by Howard Covey. The series is slated for publication in the San Francisco newspapers.

National

• The Wisconsin Story, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Milwaukee officials and citizens defused a racial confrontation over a Negro veteran’s right to live in a county trailer camp. A second Wisconsin item describes segregationist efforts against Mexican American migrant children in Waupun.
• Note Lack of Racial Violence in Hawaii Waterfront Dispute, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 6. Lawrence Nakatsuka reports that Hawaii’s 11-week longshore strike has produced little racial violence despite Japanese and Filipino strikers making up much of the workforce. He observes that Nisei leaders remain largely in the background.
• Display of Interracial Unity Shown in Support Voiced for Judd Bill at Senate Hearing, by P.C. Washington Bureau, page 6. Asian American and West Indian witnesses testified in unison before a special Senate subcommittee in favor of the Judd bill on immigration and naturalization. The report outlines the remaining committee steps needed before a Senate vote.

In-Depth

• Removal and Return: The Socio-Economic Effects of the War on Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A review of a book by Leonard Bloom and Ruth Riemer comparing prewar and postwar socio-economic status of Japanese Americans. The authors measure the economic losses from evacuation as a basis for evaluating government claims policy.

Sports

• Matsubu Pitches No-Run, No-Hit Game, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Matsubu pitched a no-run, no-hit game for Stockton in a seven-inning half of a doubleheader against Castro’s team. Matsubu also drove in the only run of the game.
• Mainland Champions Go to Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Robertson’s Nursery, the 1949 National JACL bowling champions, will travel to Honolulu for the AJA tournament over Labor Day weekend. A second mainland team sponsored by H & F Produce will also compete.
• Canadian Turns Out for Phillies Tryout, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A Canadian Nisei pitcher named Herby Miyamoto was among 30 players selected for Philadelphia Phillies tryouts. Another Nisei, Leo Tsuji, was noted for his baseball talent in Seattle.
• Wally Yonamine Faces Tough Competition with 49ers, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Wally Yonamine trained with the San Francisco 49ers, facing stiff competition from 13 halfbacks in camp. The team is rated among the top pro football squads.
• Richmond Nisei All-Stars Enter Oakland Tribune Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Richmond Nisei All-Stars, the strongest Nisei team since the war, will enter the Oakland Tribune state amateur baseball tournament starting August 5. The squad is managed by Henry Honda.

Obituaries

• Blame Triangle for Suicide Death in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 8. Police found Shoichi Ken Hattori dead in a Los Angeles hotel after a suicide pact with his wife’s sister, who survived. The pair cited a refused divorce as the reason for the act.
• Former Racehorse Owner Succumbs to Accident Injuries, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Kensaku Minami, a colorful Issei who owned thoroughbred racehorses in the United States and South America, died in San Francisco from injuries sustained in a hit-and-run accident. He had worked as a cook in recent years.

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