Vol. 27, No. 13, September 25, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue
Citizenship rights for Issei and other resident aliens led the news. The New Mexico department of the American Legion endorsed the equality in naturalization bill, and Harry Yanaga planned to press for the resolution at the national convention in Miami. Witnesses from the JACL, VFW and ACLU urged a Senate subcommittee to remove race restrictions from naturalization law. Edward J. Ennis planned an October trip to confer on evacuation claims, and federal prosecutors announced treason charges against Iva Toguri d’Aquino, with eight witnesses flown in from Tokyo.
Page 2 holds the story of Keetley, Utah, a wartime farming settlement, and a Tule Lake renunciant’s court request to regain her citizenship. Larry Tajiri wrote on films about Nisei and on Chinese detention in San Francisco. Yo Tajiri reported on Japanese wives of U.S. soldiers preparing for life in America. Club 100 elected new officers, and Dillon S. Myer met Denver Nisei.
What’s in this issue
National
- New Mexico Legion Endorses Equality in Naturalization Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The New Mexico department of the American Legion endorsed the equality in naturalization bill sponsored by the Anti-Discrimination Committee. Delegates plan to seek national Legion endorsement at the Miami convention, with Harry Yanaga attending to press for the resolution.
- Ennis to Visit West Coast to Confer on Evacuation Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Edward J. Ennis, special ADC counsel for evacuation claims, will visit Los Angeles, San Francisco, Monterey and Chicago in October to meet attorneys and representatives. He will also advise JACL chapters on local techniques for facilitating claims processing.
- Treason Charges to Greet Mrs. d’Aquino Upon Arrival in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal prosecutors announced that treason charges over alleged Radio Tokyo broadcasts will be filed against Iva Toguri d’Aquino upon her arrival in San Francisco. Special assistants from the Attorney General’s office will help present the case to a grand jury.
- Eight Witnesses Arrive from Tokyo to Testify at Hearing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eight persons of Japanese ancestry flown from Tokyo arrived in San Francisco to testify before a federal grand jury in the Tokyo Rose case. They came voluntarily and include former Rafu Shimpo editor George Nakamoto.
- Hollywood Studio Produces ‘The Nisei Story’ for Army Use in Eastern Asia, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Army civil affairs division produced a documentary, The Nisei Story, for distribution in the Far East. JACL members and sites in Southern California are featured in the film.
- Witnesses Urge Legislation Removing Racial Restrictions From Naturalization Statutes, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Representatives of the JACL, VFW, ACLU and Council for Civic Unity urged a Senate subcommittee to remove race restrictions from naturalization law. Witnesses also criticized conditions at the San Francisco alien detention quarters.
Incarceration & Redress
- The Keetley Story: Story of War-Born Community of Evacuees Told in Scrapbook, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A scrapbook kept by George A. Fisher documents Keetley, Utah, a wartime settlement of Japanese Americans who left the WRA camps for independent farming. The record traces early hostility, growing community acceptance, and the colony’s decline after evacuation orders were lifted.
- Tule Renunciant Seeks to Regain U.S. Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Yukiko Nakanishi, now in Hiroshima, asked a federal court in Los Angeles to restore the citizenship she renounced at Tule Lake. Her attorney argues the renunciation resulted from coercion in the camp atmosphere.
Military & Veterans
- Cpl. Kokubu Laid to Rest in Arlington Cemetery, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Cpl. Jimmie T. Kokubu, a 442nd combat team soldier, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with military and Buddhist services. Japanese American organizations sent representatives to honor him.
- Club 100 Chooses New Officers at Annual Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Richard K. Mizuta was elected president of Club 100, the veterans organization of the first Nisei infantrymen in combat. Other officers were chosen at the Honolulu convention.
Commentary
- A Demagogic Proposal, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial opposes a proposal for blanket indemnification of evacuees, arguing it would jeopardize the evacuation claims program passed by Congress. The JACL ADC notes the present law is a major achievement despite its limits.
- Suicide in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial recounts the suicide of a Chinese woman held at the San Francisco immigration building and the hunger strike that followed. It criticizes long detentions and callous official attitudes toward Chinese detainees.
- Minority Week Bookshelf and Notes, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri’s column reviews a book on Harriet Tubman and comments on Chinese detention, racial segregation in Virginia, and the new New York admissions law. It also notes the appointment of Ralph Bunche as Palestine mediator.
- Making Films About Nisei, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Tajiri recalls Nisei Parade, the only feature-length Nisei film, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of making films about the Nisei experience. He suggests the evacuation story deserves a major screen treatment.
- A President Comes to Town, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A columnist recalls seeing presidents over the years, from Harding to Truman, and reflects on his own voting history. He concludes with thoughts on the coming campaign.
- Good Intentions, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A UN economic and social council draft resolution would forbid mixed marriages based on race or religion. The resolution was approved 14-3 by delegates, with final language to be decided later.
Community
- Practical Democracy: Japanese Wives of U.S. GIs Prepare for Life in America, by Yo Tajiri, page 5. Japanese wives of American servicemen in Tokyo attend classes organized by Christian Women’s Association members to prepare for life in the United States. The women discuss their hopes, concerns, and the adjustments ahead.
- Strandee Wins Right to Return for Test Case, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The State Department overruled a consular refusal and allowed Nisei strandee William S. Ishikawa to return to Honolulu to testify. The action supports a suit filed by attorneys A. L. Wirin and Wilfred Tsukiyama.
- Japanese Americans Seek Removal of Immigration Department Restrictions on Alien Fishermen, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Mike Masaoka and others met with the U.S. immigration commissioner, who indicated alien Japanese fishermen would soon be treated like other alien fishermen. The commissioner promised immediate work on exit and re-entry permit problems.
- Former WRA Head Meets Denver Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dillon S. Myer met with Denver Nisei and Issei at an informal dinner and reflected on the evacuation and relocation program. He predicted early congressional approval of the Judd naturalization bill.
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