The 1948 JACL convention in Salt Lake City and the ‘Tokyo Rose’ case

Vol. 27, No. 8, August 21, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue

Plans for the Tenth Biennial JACL Convention in Salt Lake City shared the front page with the arrest order for Mrs. Iva Toguri d’Aquino, the woman accused of treason as “Tokyo Rose.” A panel on the Nisei’s comeback since the wartime incarceration was set for convention week, with Annie Clo Watson, Robert Cullum, A. L. Wirin, Edward Ennis and Dr. Thomas Yatabe among the speakers. A message from President Truman to the convention was also printed. Several stories followed the d’Aquino case, and page 2 reported on the treason trial of Tomoya Kawakita.

Inside are columns by Larry Tajiri on Nisei political morality, Roku Sugahara on Japanese families in Louisiana, Bill Hosokawa from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Togo Tanaka on the Los Angeles Times. Dyke Miyagawa explained why he would vote for Henry Wallace. Mike Masaoka’s paper on exclusion laws, a new law on deportation stays, and sports and community news fill the rest of the eight pages.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Nisei Will Be Discussed by Panel at JACL Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A panel of five distinguished speakers, including Annie Clo Watson, Robert Cullum, A. L. Wirin, Edward Ennis, and Dr. Thomas Yatabe, will discuss the Nisei’s comeback since evacuation at the Tenth Biennial JACL Convention in Salt Lake City. Chairman Shigeki Ushio explained the panel was organized to honor those who stood by Japanese Americans during the war.
• Masaoka Article Printed by Federation, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Mike Masaoka’s paper “Exclusion and the World Situation” argued that Asian exclusion laws harm American foreign relations and urged passage of the Judd bill for immigration and naturalization equality. The paper was presented at a conference in New Jersey in April 1948.

Incarceration & Redress

• U.S. Will Try “Tokyo Rose”, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Attorney General Tom Clark asked Army authorities in Tokyo to arrest Mrs. Iva Toguri d’Aquino on treason charges for wartime Radio Tokyo broadcasts and return her to San Francisco for a grand jury. Justice officials said she was the only American-born woman among the broadcasters to whom the nickname applied.
• Mrs. d’Aquino Awaits Arrest for Propaganda Broadcasts, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mrs. Iva Toguri d’Aquino was to be returned to the United States to face a federal grand jury in San Francisco on treason charges for Tokyo radio broadcasts. Government witnesses including Japanese nationals were to be brought from Japan for the hearing.
• Family Will Back Daughter Accused as “Tokyo Rose”, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Chicago family of Iva Toguri d’Aquino said they do not believe she is guilty of treason and will stand by her. Her brother Fred Toguri said she would have had to be forced into making the broadcasts.
• Navy’s Joke “Citation” May Be Factor in Trial of Tokyo Rose, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Navy mock citation broadcast in 1945 praising Tokyo Rose may be used by the defense in the treason trial. Legal experts speculated the defense might argue the broadcast implied immunity after American forces entered Tokyo.
• Japanese Canadians Return After War Years in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eight war-stranded Japanese Canadians and seven Mexican citizens of Japanese ancestry arrived in San Francisco on the General Gordon. They were among 145 persons of Japanese ancestry on the ship.
• Attorneys Directed to Begin Final Arguments in Kawakita Trial, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Judge Mathes directed opposing attorneys to begin final arguments in the treason trial of Tomoya Kawakita, a Calexico-born Nisei accused of overt acts while an interpreter at Oeyama prisoner of war camp. Defense witnesses disputed prosecution claims about a wooden sword Kawakita allegedly carried.
• Judge Goodman’s Ruling, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises Judge Louis Goodman’s refusal to remove 607 added names from his order restoring citizenship to Tule Lake renunciants who acted under duress. It notes that most Japanese Americans kept faith in the government despite the evacuation.
• Noted Chicago Sociologist Rejects Proposal for Continued Race Covenants, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dr. Louis Wirth, University of Chicago sociologist, condemned a Los Angeles real estate proposal for a constitutional amendment to preserve racial housing covenants after the Supreme Court ruled them unenforceable. He spoke before the San Francisco Council for Civic Unity on race relations prospects.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Can Aid U.S. Prestige, Says Truman, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Truman sent a message to the JACL national convention saying Americans of Japanese ancestry can help demonstrate American unity and democratic processes to the world. Congratulatory messages from Utah and Salt Lake City officials and a Church leader were also received.
• Eunice Noda Will Be 351st Nisei Missionary to Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Eunice Noda, commissioned by the Reformed Church in America, sails for Yokohama on Sept. 9 to teach at Ferris Seminary. She becomes the first Nisei missionary to Japan and the 351st American Protestant missionary there since V-J Day.
• 351st Nisei Remains Arrive on Army Vessel, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Among the remains of 5,864 World War II dead aboard the Army transport Lawrence Victory are two Nisei soldiers, Sgt. Ichiro J. Takeuchi of Monterey and Corporal Itaro Kokubu of Chicago, both of the 442nd. Both bodies are expected to be interred in local cemeteries.
• Oshima Party Wins Maui Legion Team Trip, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A Maui American Legion baseball team of Japanese ancestry arrived in Salt Lake City to compete in the western regional American Legion junior baseball tournament. The team had earlier upset a favored Oahu team in the Hawaiian tournament.
• Hawaii Nisei Vet Visit Mainland, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Earl Finch, benefactor of Nisei veterans, left Honolulu to visit mainland friends after helping veterans with business problems and supporting a play sponsored by the 442nd Veterans club. He planned to return to Honolulu in time for the September return of war dead.
• Nisei Courage Hailed at V-J Parade Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Brig. Gen. Leroy H. Watson praised the courage of Nisei soldiers at a Los Angeles ceremony climaxing the V-J Day parade. He presented a scroll to Mrs. Nawa Munemori, mother of Medal of Honor recipient Pfc. Sadao Munemori.

Community

• Two Nisei Vets Drown in Utah’s Green River, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two 22-year-old Nisei war veterans, Tommy Kuwata and Kenji Watanabe, drowned while seining catfish near the Green River dam on Aug. 18. The men were members of the Japanese American Wild Life club and had served with the Army of Occupation in Japan.
• Nisei and the Elections: It’s Wallace for Me, by Dyke Miyagawa, page 2. Dyke Miyagawa explains why he will vote for Henry Wallace in November, criticizing the Democratic and Republican parties for returning to Wall Street dominance. He argues that both major parties have abandoned liberal principles since Roosevelt’s death.
• Technicalities Beset Issei Fisherman, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Joe Grant Masaoka reported that immigration officials have detained Nisei and Issei fishermen in California, requiring proof of citizenship or re-entry permits. Fred Matsuda of San Mateo was held in San Diego when he returned from a fishing trip.
• Ogden Wins Nisei Ball Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Ogden Nisei nine won the Intermountain Japanese American Athletic Union baseball championship by defeating the Ontario AC 6 to 1 at John Affleck park. Ogden had previously beaten the Davis Comets and Syracuse Vets.
• Nisei Is First Non-Transfer Graduate of Chicago School, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Jiro Ishihara of Chicago became the first non-transfer student graduated by Roosevelt College after completing a four-year program in three years. He received a bachelor of science in mathematics and plans a teaching career with graduate study at Northwestern.
• Pioneer Store Adds Branch in San Jose, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Nichibei Bussan, a pioneer Japanese-owned department store in San Francisco, opened a San Jose branch on the first anniversary of Sheldon Tatsuno’s death. The branch is run by Dave Tatsuno, son of the founder.

National

• California VFW Leader Backs Issei Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Alvin Kime, state VFW commander, said he will support Resolution 100 at the national encampment, which asks for naturalization and citizenship rights for Issei. The resolution was adopted at the California VFW state encampment.
• Deportation Stay Law Will Affect 2,000 Japanese Aliens, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Public Law 863, the stay of deportation bill, struck the racial inadmissibility clause so Japanese aliens may be considered for suspension of deportation like other aliens. Immigration officials will reexamine pending cases, though the law does not automatically cancel deportation or change alien status.

Commentary

• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This column comments on the Justice Department’s decision to hold the Tokyo Rose trial in San Francisco rather than the East Coast, citing transportation limits and changed Pacific coast attitudes. It also briefly notes other items including Hollywood’s Tokyo Joe film and a Chicago community church history.
• Agenda Against Racism, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that racism continues to threaten American democracy and that wartime mass evacuation could be repeated against other minorities. It endorses Dr. Louis Wirth’s five-point agenda for combatting discrimination in San Francisco and elsewhere.
• Nisei’s Political Morality, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri argues that Nisei voters in Hawaii and on the mainland have not voted as a racial bloc and that charges to the contrary were disproved in congressional hearings. He surveys how Nisei support is divided among Democratic, Republican, Progressive and Socialist candidates in 1948.
• In the Land of Jim Crow, by Roku Sugahara, page 5. Roku Sugahara describes the Yamagata family, the first Japanese farm family to relocate to Louisiana, who were accepted by their community. He contrasts this with the Nakamura family, who were forced out of their Louisiana parish by night-riders and a hostile political boss despite Jim Nakamura’s war service.
• Los Angeles Times Tries to Justify Wartime Bias, by Togo Tanaka, page 6. Togo Tanaka criticizes the Los Angeles Times for its wartime racism toward Japanese Americans and its sensational front-page coverage of the Kawakita case. He argues the paper is using the trial to vindicate its earlier anti-Nisei stance.

In-Depth

• Only Thing Free Is View, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa reports from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, describing the Rockefeller-owned land there and Guy Robertson’s work administering it. He also notes high prices at local businesses and the Snake River’s condition in Idaho.

Sports

• Robert Takeshita Among Lightweight Contenders, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hawaii’s Nisei boxer Robert Takeshita gained national stature after losing to Maxie Docusen, placing him among leading lightweight contenders. The bout drew nearly 18,000 fans and Hawaii’s biggest fistic gate.
• Driver Injured During Race, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Nisei hot rod driver Yam Oka was injured in a crash during a 25-lap main event at Gilmore Stadium in Los Angeles. He had earlier set a new track record in a qualifying heat before the accident.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.