Claims, citizenship and court cases in November 1950

Vol. 31, No. 20, November 18, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

Claims, citizenship and the courts ran through this eight-page issue. The front page reported that the Justice Department would consider quick hearings for elderly Issei under the Evacuation Claims Act, and that Tomoya Kawakita’s treason appeal was heard in Los Angeles. A page 4 editorial, “Claims and Red Tape,” criticized how slowly the claims program was paying out. Page 2 covered Nisei winning back citizenship by court decree and two Tule Lake renunciants filing suit. Joe Grant Masaoka reported Sen. Pat McCarran’s assurance on a naturalization bill.

Bill Hosokawa wrote two columns about coming home from abroad, one on the air route from Tokyo through Wake Island and Honolulu. Page 3 followed Nisei soldiers, including Cpl. Jack C. Arakawa’s return to Hawaii after his escape in Korea. Elmer R. Smith’s history piece looked at JACL’s new offices for relocation. The JACL wreath at Arlington was laid by Mrs. Kinu Hirose.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• JACL Joins in Armistice Day Observance at Tomb of Unknown Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL joined some 20 other organizations in placing wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery on Armistice Day. Mrs. Kinu Hirose laid the JACL wreath, flanked by an honor guard and accompanied by Jack Hirose.
• Nisei Join in Armistice Day Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Seattle’s Japanese Americans took part in Armistice Day services at Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Washelli, at the site of the new Chimes Tower memorial. Rev. Shoko Masunaga of the Seattle Buddhist church was among the ministers who participated.
• Seven Nisei Spend Final Leave Before Going Overseas, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Seven Nisei members of a unit scheduled to leave for overseas duty from the Southern Port of Embarkation were spending their final leave. The article lists the men and their hometowns.
• Veteran of 442nd Comes Home to Hawaii After Escape From Enemy in Korean Conflict, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Cpl. Jack C. Arakawa, reported as Hawaii’s first war casualty, returned to Honolulu after 97 days as a prisoner of North Koreans. He was rescued in October by South Korean and American troops after being captured following a machine gun action.
• Kitaoka May Be First Nisei in Navy Air Arm, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Cadet Harvey N. Kitaoka of Los Angeles, completing flight training at Whiting Field, is expected to be the first Nisei to wear the gold wings of a U.S. Navy pilot. He graduated from the Naval Pre-Flight school at Pensacola after attending the University of Illinois.
• Three Volunteers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Three recent Denver high school graduates, Paul Takahashi, Jack Kuge, and Jim Kuga, left for Army Air Corps training at San Antonio. The article notes their enlistment.
• Nisei Vets Will Play in Seattle Bowl Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Seattle Nisei Vets football team will face Lake City in the second annual ABC bowl game on November 19. The Nisei team has won three of four games this season.

Incarceration & Redress

• Kawakita Appeals Treason Conviction Before U.S. Court, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A three-judge Ninth Circuit panel heard Tomoya Kawakita’s appeal of his treason conviction and death sentence for brutality toward American POWs at Oeyama camp. His attorney Morris Lavine argued he could not be considered a traitor because he had renounced U.S. citizenship and was a Japanese national at the time.
• Plan to Speed Action on Claims of Aged Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Justice will consider immediate hearings for elderly and needy Issei claimants over age sixty-five under the Evacuation Claims Act. Claimants should write to William W. Palmer in Los Angeles stating their age, residence, and need of money.
• Two Tule Lake Renunciants File Court Cases, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Tadao Adachi and Yukiko Adachi, Tule Lake renunciants living in Japan, filed suit in Los Angeles federal court seeking to return to the United States and recover their citizenship. Their attorneys A. L. Wirin and Fred Okrand invoked a provision allowing such claims if loss of citizenship was not voluntary.

Obituaries

• Mrs. Anne Otake Dies in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mrs. Anne Otake, recording secretary of the Chicago JACL chapter, died November 12 in Chicago. She had been very active in the local chapter since moving from Los Angeles several years earlier.

National

• Start Investigation Into Issei’s Death, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Coroner Roy Brooks of Tulare County opened an investigation into the death of Iwakichi Watanabe, 69, who died in a Tulare hospital on November 10. A doctor indicated the death may have resulted from a skull fracture.
• Nisei GI Cited for War Heroism, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pfc. Masukichi Takara of Hawaii, a member of the 84th Infantry Regiment, was awarded a Bronze Star with V for heroism in combat. The award was announced in Tokyo the previous week.
• Sen. McCarran Reports ‘Assurance’ on Citizenship Bill, Says Masaoka, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL ADC regional director Joe Grant Masaoka told the Northern California-Western Nevada JACL district council that Sen. Pat McCarran gave personal assurance he would seek passage of a bill opening naturalization to resident aliens ineligible for citizenship. The district council also voted support for San Francisco’s hosting of the 1952 national JACL convention.
• Strandees Who Voted in 1946 Japan Elections Win Back Citizenship by Court Decree, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Four Nisei regained American citizenship in Los Angeles federal court after Judge Charles C. Cavanah ruled Japan was not a foreign state under occupation and that their Japanese election voting and army service were involuntary. The Nisei were represented by A. L. Wirin and Fred Okrand.

Community

• Twelve Japanese Americans To Serve in Isle Legislature; Okino Election Called Surprise, by By LAWRENCE NAKATSUKA, page 1. Twelve Nisei were elected to Hawaii’s territorial legislature, the same number as the previous session, with three senators and nine representatives. Tom Okino’s election to the Senate was a surprise, as he polled the highest vote in Hawaii county after being passed over for a judgeship.
• Nisei Organize for ICU Campaign in Chicago Area, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Chicago Japanese Americans organized to raise $10,000 for Japan International Christian University, with the Rev. George Nishimoto named general chairman. The campaign will run from January 12 through February 28 with a door-to-door canvass.
• Mayor of Portland Assures Welcome to Japanese Bride, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Portland Mayor Dorothy McCullough Lee assured Cpl. Wilbur A. Haworth that his Japanese fiancée would be welcomed in the city. She explained that the marriage must take place before February 18 under the Soldier Brides Act.
• Utah Congressional Members Thank Nisei for Election Support, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sen. Elbert D. Thomas, who lost his seat, and Reps. Reva Beck Bosone and Walter K. Granger, who were reelected, sent messages of appreciation to the Utah Nisei Committee that campaigned for them. Mrs. Bosone praised the committee for combating a vicious smear campaign.
• Nine North California Nisei Enter Training, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nine Nisei from Northern California were among 214 Northern Californians who left November 11 for basic army training at Fort Ord. The group included men from Sacramento, Yuba, and Sutter counties.
• New York Pushes ADC Fund Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The New York JACL renewed efforts to raise its $4,000 ADC quota, still needing $1,600 by the end of November. Team captains and volunteers have been canvassing Japanese Americans and others for donations.
• Mike Masaoka Pays Tribute to Issei Backers of JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka presented recognition certificates to some ninety JACL-ADC supporters, half of them Issei leaders, at a special dinner in Los Angeles on November 12. He praised their pioneer spirit and sacrifice in advancing the status of Japanese Americans.
• Nisei is Youngest Student at Utah, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Alice Chagako Aramaki, a 16-year-old French major, is the youngest student on the University of Utah campus. A native of Los Angeles, she has lived in Salt Lake City for three years.
• Flower Grower Files Suit Against City of San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Alice M. Koyano of Mountain View filed a $3,800 suit against San Francisco over damages from removal of her carnation plants. The plants were moved when the property was to be excavated for the new Hetch Hetchy pipeline.
• Will Raise Xmas Cheer Funds, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eighty-three Los Angeles Nisei organizations will hold an all-Nisei Thanksgiving charity ball on November 23 to raise funds for the Christmas Cheer fund. The fund aims for a $1,000 goal to aid needy families with food and toys.
• Honor War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The San Benito County JACL sponsored the second annual Nisei Veterans Memorial Service at the local hall in San Juan Bautista on October 29. The service honored Nisei war dead.
• Los Angeles Area Veterans Organize New Council, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Several Nisei veterans groups in the Los Angeles area formed the first Los Angeles Nisei Veterans Council to coordinate activities. George Waki was named first chairman, with chairmanship to rotate.
• Plans Reopening of Children’s Home in Los Angeles Area, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The board of the former Shonien institution, now the Japanese Children’s Home of Southern California, planned its reopening at a November 9 meeting. The home is expected to be in operation within a year.
• Japanese Americans Perform at Jewish Community Center, by P.C. Staff, page 6. More than 200 people attended a Japanese American program at the Soto-Michigan Jewish community center during UN intercultural week in Los Angeles. Performances included dance, music, judo, flower arrangement, and art exhibits.
• Yasui Named as Advisor on Job Problems, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Minoru Yasui, a Denver JACL and ADC official, was named to the minority groups advisory committee of the Colorado State Employment Service. The committee will address employment problems affecting minority groups in Colorado.
• National Urban League May Expand Denver Activities to Aid Nisei in Job Placements, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The National Urban League plans to expand its Denver office to serve Japanese Americans and Spanish-speaking residents alongside Negroes. The chapter would need a budget of $30,000 to $40,000 to hire additional staff for the expanded program.
• Kageyama Wins Back Salary After One-Man Demonstration, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Honolulu supervisor Richard M. Kageyama was authorized to receive $1,750 in back salary after a one-man protest stalled board meetings. His pay had been withheld after he admitted briefly being a Communist Party member.

Arts & Entertainment

• Girl from Seattle Will Play Title Role in Greek Tragedy, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sansei Eileen Yacko Nakamura will play the title role in Hunter College’s production of Antigone, an adaptation of Sophocles by Lewis Galentiere based on Jean Anouilh. The performances are scheduled for November 30 and December 1 and 2.

Commentary

• Civil Rights by Ballot, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors analyze Portland precinct voting on a rejected civil rights ordinance, finding support strongest in wealthy and educated areas and opposition in economically competitive neighborhoods. Despite defeat, the more than 60,000 affirmative votes suggest the measure could pass if resubmitted.
• Hawaiian Election Note, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Hawaii Governor Ingram Stainback’s attempt to use Mike Masaoka’s name to win Japanese American votes for his candidate William Cobb backfired when Cobb lost to Delegate Joseph Farrington. The editors note Masaoka and the JACL ADC endorsed no candidates.
• Claims and Red Tape, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column criticizes the slow pace of the evacuation claims program, which has spent $250,000 to approve only about $25,000 in payments. It argues bureaucratic rules of evidence and underfunding are obstructing the program and proposes a lump-sum payment alternative.
• Changing Times, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column notes Dalip Singh Saund’s election as justice of the peace in Imperial County, making him the first Hindu American citizen there, and describes the evolving treatment of Asian Americans. It also covers other civil rights milestones.
• Betrayal on the West Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The editorial recalls the emotional toll of the 1942 evacuation and the internal JACL conflicts that followed, including threats against JACL leaders in camps. It reflects on how the wartime divisions were eventually set aside after 1945.
• In Retrospect… Issei Failures, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The writer argues that a few Issei who sympathized with Japan led to the evacuation of the entire Japanese American community. The Nisei, though not responsible for the Issei’s actions, accepted the outcome without protest.
• The Kids Grow Up, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa describes returning home to Denver after three months abroad and finding his children changed. He reflects on the familiar and unfamiliar sights of the city upon his return.
• Home by Air from Tokyo, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa describes the air route from Tokyo to the mainland via Wake Island and Honolulu, which has cut the trans-Pacific trip to two days. He also reflects on how Honolulu has changed since 1938.
• Seeds of Treason, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The column recommends the book Seeds of Treason by Lasky and Toledano, which describes how Alger Hiss and Whittaker Chambers were drawn into Communist activity. It warns Nisei to recognize the same recruitment tactics targeting minority groups.

In-Depth

• JACL Opened New Offices to Aid Relocation Evacuees, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. As relocation expanded, JACL offices in Salt Lake City, Washington, and key cities like Denver, Chicago, and New York were overwhelmed with requests. The JACL became a general service organization for Japanese Americans during relocation.

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