Vol. 31, No. 2, July 15, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue
JACL business and the claims for wartime losses filled the front page. More than 10,000 JACL members were about to receive mail ballots, with candidates named for first, second and third vice-president, among them Frank Chuman, William Enomoto, Tom Hayashi and Joe Saito. The Senate set aside $1,300,000 for Justice Department evacuation claims, and Mike Masaoka urged a larger administrative budget because the elderly Issei had limited time left. Lawrence Nakatsuka reported on Nisei veterans of the 442nd and 100th Battalion winning office in Hawaiian territorial politics.
Elsewhere in the eight pages, Larry Tajiri wrote about Bill Hosokawa’s anthology Rocky Mountain Empire, and Hosokawa’s own column reviewed two books. Peter Ohtaki began a three-part profile of Toyohiko Kagawa. Elmer R. Smith’s history column covered JACL’s preparations in 1941. Other stories included a new Japanese garden in Salt Lake City and a California court brief on the land law.
What’s in this issue
JACL
- Kageyama Holds Own in Fight to Retain Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Honolulu Supervisor Richard Kageyama appears to be surviving a grand jury perjury probe and a citizens’ impeachment petition, which has gathered limited public support. Meanwhile he continues seeking goodwill, including a House Un-American Activities Committee commendation for his testimony on Communism in Hawaii.
- Recognitions Group Cites George Chida for JACL Honors, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL Recognitions Committee named George Chida of Cleveland as its tenth leadership award nominee. The committee cited his long record of service in JACL, YMCA, church, and neighborhood activities, including his leadership of the Cleveland chapter.
Incarceration & Redress
- Senate Cuts Evacuation Claims Appropriation to $1,300,000, Boosts Administrative Budget, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate approved $1,300,000 for Justice Department evacuation claims, including $300,000 for administration, which JACL ADC’s Mike Masaoka said is an improvement over the House. Masaoka urged a larger administrative budget so claims can be adjudicated quickly, since the elderly Issei have limited time left.
- Hearst Paper Asks Evacuation for Communists, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The San Francisco Examiner editorialized that the government should treat Communists the way Japanese were treated on the Pacific coast after Pearl Harbor, holding them in remote detention centers. The article reports this suggestion and the community’s reaction to the comparison.
National
- JACL Supports President’s Proposal for Reorganization, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Although the House rejected President’s Reorganization Plan No. 27, JACL ADC legislative director Mike Masaoka told a Senate committee the JACL supports elevating the Federal Security Agency into a Department of Health, Education and Security. He argued the change would reflect the importance of welfare services to minority groups and improve efficiency.
Military & Veterans
- Nisei War Veterans Doing Well in Hawaiian Territorial Politics, by By Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 2. Nisei World War II veterans are making strong showings in Hawaiian territorial politics, with many winning office on the strength of their 442nd and 100th Battalion service. The article surveys veteran legislators, convention delegates, and party officials, and predicts a large Nisei candidate field in the fall elections.
- Paul Higaki, Nisei Trombonist, Honored by Hampton Band, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Francisco Nisei trombonist Paul Higaki was honored at a testimonial night at the Golden Gate Theater marking his first anniversary with Lionel Hampton’s band. Local Nisei groups and a Legion post presented him with a plaque recognizing his achievement in music.
- Nisei Officer Kills Suspect in Gun Battle, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Los Angeles police officer Stanley T. Uno, a war veteran and the city’s first Nisei patrolman, shot and killed a wanted criminal suspect during a gun battle. The suspect had reportedly drawn a gun and threatened Uno’s partner.
Community
- Name Rep. Kido ‘Second Choice’ for Governor, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Hawaii Representative Mitsuyuki Kido was named among nine Democrats recommended as second choice by the ‘standpat’ faction for appointment as territorial governor. He is the only Nisei mentioned as a remote possibility for the post.
- Cleveland JACL Backs Bigger Budget for Community Work, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Cleveland JACL joined other groups in supporting a request to raise the Community Relations Board budget from $17,000 to $30,000. Panelists stressed the need for research, public education, and better staff for fair employment enforcement.
- State of California Asks Court to Set Aside Lower Tribunal’s Verdict Outlawing Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 3. California filed a brief asking the State Supreme Court to reverse a Los Angeles Superior Court ruling that Mrs. Haruye Masaoka could hold land in her name through her citizen sons. The state argues the land law applies to aliens ineligible for citizenship, not by race, and challenges the admission of the sons’ loyalty evidence.
- Japanese Garden Dedicated at Salt Lake Peace Project, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Japanese garden with stone lanterns, ponds, and a drum bridge was dedicated in Salt Lake City’s International Peace Gardens at Jordan Park before 500 people. Mayor Earl Glade and parks officials praised the Japanese American community for its contribution to the city’s parks project.
- Visit to Kuroki Home in Nebraska, by V.V. McNutt, page 8. The Westwood Hills Press editor praises Ben Kuroki’s entry into newspaper work as editor of the York Republican, recalling Kuroki’s combat record and his wartime fight to serve in the Pacific. He describes a 1945 visit to the Kuroki family farm in Nebraska.
Arts & Entertainment
- Uyemura Wins Top Prize in Ceramics, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ken Uyemura of Stamford, Connecticut, won first prize in the ceramics division of the American Craftsmen’s Educational Council’s first annual competitive exhibition. His three entries were on display at Amerika House in New York City.
Commentary
- Their Deaths Must Have Meaning, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the American deaths in Korea must have meaning, emphasizing that the invasion was an act of aggression the United Nations was founded to oppose. It notes Nisei language specialists are being sent to Korea and hopes the conflict will not become the start of a larger war.
- Six by Bill Hosokawa, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Six of Bill Hosokawa’s Denver Post magazine stories are collected in the anthology Rocky Mountain Empire, which Doubleday published this week. The column notes his background, including his wartime editing of the Heart Mountain Sentinel, and mentions his latest Empire story on Ben Kuroki at the York Republican.
- Cousin Willie the Manager, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A humorous column recounts the narrator’s cousin Willie, who has become campaign manager for a contestant in the Los Angeles Nisei Week queen contest and is pressing relatives for votes through purchases. The narrator finds the scheme amusing and declines to participate.
- From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reviews J. Saunders Redding’s book on the Negro in America and Brad Smith’s Americans from Japan, finding the latter a useful account. He then discusses Edwin Reischauer’s analysis of Japanese character, particularly the role of shame before society in place of religious guilt.
- Do You Know? Recall JACL Took Steps to Prepare for War Crisis, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. This installment recounts the JACL’s preparations in 1941 as tensions rose, including appointing a national publicity director and a full-time secretary, issuing a Declaration of Policy, and cooperating with defense agencies. It describes how the organization sought fair employment and cooperated with alien registration.
In-Depth
- Asiatic Apostle: Toyohiko Kagawa, by Peter Ohtaki, page 4. This first of three profiles introduces Dr. Toyohiko Kagawa, the Japanese Christian evangelist, author, and social reformer whose work in the slums, earthquake relief, and cooperative economics made him famous. The article traces his education, his imprisonment during the war, and his evangelistic tours, including in the United States.
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