The 1950 JACL convention and the stalled Walter resolution

Vol. 31, No. 13, September 30, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

JACL delegates met in Chicago for the 11th biennial convention with naturalization for Issei on their minds. Sen. Pat McCarran let the Walter resolution veto go uncalled and promised a new bill when Congress returned in November. The convention discussed strategy, regional offices and evacuation claims, and elected Dr. Randolph M. Sakada national president over Min Yasui. Two editorials weighed what the veto meant, and I. H. Gordon described the confusing last week of the session.

The Korean War ran through the issue: two Hawaiian Nisei killed, Richard Atagi of Salt Lake City drafted, and Nisei linguists working in Korea, in a dispatch by Bill Hosokawa. Elmer R. Smith looked back at the JACL’s role in wartime relocation, and J. D. Spiro wrote about the film Go for Broke, about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Sports pages cover Wally Yonamine and Nancy Ito.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Further Action for Passage of Naturalization Bill Faces JACL Convention Delegates, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL delegates gathered in Chicago for their 11th biennial convention pledged to pursue naturalization rights for Issei after the Senate failed to act on the Walter resolution veto. Discussion centered on legislative strategy, regional office retention, and evacuation claims procedure.
• JACL Elects Dr. Sakada as New National President, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Randolph M. Sakada of Chicago was elected national JACL president, defeating Min Yasui by a wide margin. Frank Chuman, Tom Hayashi, Pat Okura, Dr. Roy Nishikawa, and Ina Sugihara were among other officers chosen in the biennial balloting.
• Death of Former Colorado Governor Recalls Wartime Stand, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National JACL sent a telegram to the widow of former Colorado Governor Ralph L. Carr, recalling that he was the only western governor in 1942 who did not oppose resettlement of Japanese American evacuees. Carr died Sept. 9 in Denver.
• National JACL Queen Will Be Honored at Coronation Ball, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The queen of the 11th biennial JACL convention will be crowned at the coronation ball in Chicago’s Stevens hotel. Seven district council representatives were candidates, chosen for beauty, intelligence, and poise.

National

• Sen. McCarran Tells Senate He Will Introduce New Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Pat McCarran declined to call up the Walter resolution veto and instead promised new naturalization legislation when Congress reconvenes in November. JACL ADC officials said they hoped the new bill would be completed in the final session of the 81st Congress.
• Canada Will Pay Evacuation Loss Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Canadian government approved payment of $1,722,929.16 to Japanese Canadians for property losses from the 1942 coastal evacuation. Payments to about 1,300 claimants will begin shortly after release forms are completed.
• Compare McCarran Measure to Former Alien, Sedition Acts, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Comparisons were drawn during Senate debate between the McCarran Subversive bill and the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts. The JACL ADC noted differences in judicial review and presidential deportation power between the two sets of laws.
• Move Surprises Walter Resolution Backers, by I. H. Gordon, page 3. Gordon recounts a confusing final week of the congressional session in which Sen. McCarran delayed and then unexpectedly brought up the Walter resolution veto, only to say the naturalization matter was separate from security provisions. The article concludes that hopes for the bill were dealt a serious setback.
• Los Angeles Labor Council Supports Test on Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Central Labor Council of Los Angeles County passed a resolution supporting the Masaoka brothers in their challenge to the California Alien Land Law before the State Supreme Court. The resolution condemns the law as unfair and discriminatory.

Community

• Madera’s Draftees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three Madera draftees, Mitsuo Gekko, George Morita, and Tom Naito, were honored at a sendoff party at the community hall on Sept. 24. The event marked their departure for military service.
• Sacramento Woman Takes Own Life, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mrs. Ichimi Kono, 52, was found hanging in her Sacramento home on Sept. 28, having been partially blind and ill for a year. Her son Tommy Kono, a weightlifting star, had been in York, Pa., training for national team tryouts.
• 35 Japanese Americans File for Offices in Hawaiian Territorial, County Elections, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 4. Thirty-five Nisei candidates filed for territorial and county offices in Hawaii’s biennial elections, including two for the territorial Senate. Fifteen are incumbents, and most must compete in the October 7 primary.
• Expert on Care of Oriental Paintings Leaves Art Gallery, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Yokichi Kinoshita, a specialist in mounting and repairing Oriental paintings, retired from the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington after 25 years and plans to return to Japan. He had been barred by law from U.S. citizenship despite residing in the country for 40 years.
• Long Beach JACL Opens Fall Season, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Long Beach JACL held its first fall meeting, where regional director Tats Kushida discussed the JACL’s future and Nobu Nakamura presented slides and an update on conditions in Asia. Plans to acquire a community center property were also discussed.
• Urban Redevelopment Plan Will Affect Nisei in Denver, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Denver’s urban redevelopment program to clear blighted areas along the South Platte river will affect about three-fourths of the city’s Japanese American population, according to JACL president Toshio Ando. The city plans to spend nearly $3.5 million through condemnation or purchase of property.

Military & Veterans

• Two Hawaiian Nisei Killed in Korea War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Defense Department notifications reported the deaths of Pvt. Toshiharu Yoshikawa and Pfc. Donald Miyajima, bringing Hawaii’s Japanese American war dead in Korea to seven. Four other Nisei soldiers were reported wounded.
• Salt Lake Nisei First Utahn to Be Drafted, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Richard Atagi, a 23-year-old Salt Lake City Nisei, became the first Utah man drafted for the Korean war and was processed at Fort Douglas. He was part of a group of 66 Utah inductees who left for Fort Riley on Sept. 20.
• Paints Poster for WAC Recruiting Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Army artist Sgt. Yukio Tashiro was selected to paint a WAC recruiting poster featuring 1951 fashion creations. Tashiro, a Los Angeles native and recruiting service member since 1948, has also served overseas as an artist and interpreter.
• Army in Japan Drops Ban on GI Marriages, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Far East Command lifted its ban on marriages between U.S. military members and Japanese nationals after Congress passed a law allowing GIs to bring Japanese spouses to the United States if married before Feb. 18, 1951. About 1,000 such marriages had reportedly already taken place.
• Congress Passes Bill for Fiancee of Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A bill to admit Eiko Murata of Nagasaki, fiancee of Set. Donald Garrett, passed Congress and was sent to the President. Garrett met Murata while stationed in Japan and must marry her within three months of her arrival.
• Nisei Linguists Play Important Role in Battle for Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nisei interrogators, many veterans of Pacific interrogation work, are gathering intelligence from North Korean prisoners in Korea, according to a dispatch by Bill Hosokawa. Their bilingual skills were credited with providing valuable battlefield information.
• Recall Role of JACL During Wartime Relocation Period, by Elmer R. Smith, page 6. Smith analyzes the JACL’s position during the evacuation and relocation of Japanese Americans, describing the factors that fueled anti-JACL sentiment in the camps. He argues the organization’s confidential work with WRA produced positive programs despite criticism.
• GIs Query Washington JACL Office on Soldier Brides Act, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The JACL ADC Washington office has been flooded with inquiries from servicemen about the Soldier Brides Act, which allows GIs to bring Asiatic spouses to the U.S. if married before February 1951. Officials said proxy and telephone marriages are not recognized, and many questions remain unresolved.

In-Depth

• University President Dr. Yuasa Will Head New Christian School in Japan, by Ernest Maass, page 2. Dr. Hachiro Yuasa was elected president of the new International Christian University in Japan, a school intended to foster democracy, liberal arts education, and international cooperation. The article describes fundraising efforts and the university’s planned graduate schools and faculty.

Commentary

• Do Private Clubs Have Right To Practice Discrimination?, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 2. Nakatsuka recalls the 1945 Outrigger Canoe Club incident in which swimmer Keo Nakama was denied guest privileges because of his race. He questions whether a newly forming Japanese businessmen’s club and other private clubs should be allowed to practice racial exclusion.
• JACL and the Long View, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial traces the JACL’s wartime policy of cooperation with government, including its 1942 call for extending selective service to Nisei, and argues that the organization’s long-term perspective has guided its postwar legislative work. It urges continued focus on civil liberties and naturalization rights.
• Future of the Walter Resolution, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial explains how the Walter resolution, which would have eliminated race as a naturalization qualification, was vetoed due to attached security amendments. It argues the measure may be effectively dead and urges the JACL convention to plan how to bring naturalization legislation before Congress again.
• Minority Week Editorials: Up Front and Peacemaker, by P.C. Staff, page 5. These editorial notes praise Dr. Ralph Bunche’s Nobel Peace Prize and note that Negro replacement soldiers in Korea were serving alongside white troops regardless of skin color. They reflect on racial equality as demonstrated through military service and achievement.
• Between Carbons, by Al T. Miyadi, page 5. Miyadi reflects on a vacation trip to San Francisco, describing the city’s character, columnist Herb Caen’s move to the Examiner, and the rising cost of living. He also mentions a sale of a magazine advertisement to Joe Masaoka and the price of gasoline on the drive north.

Obituaries

• Pioneer Mormon Dies in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Tomizo Hasunuma, believed to be the first Japanese convert to Mormonism, died in Honolulu at age 86. He had worked as a veterinarian and immigration interpreter after coming to Hawaii in 1898.

Sports

• Hawaii Nisei Star Enrolls at Coast School, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Kenneth Kimura, a Waipahu High School athlete, enrolled at Southern Oregon College of Education on a four-year scholarship and is playing football. The column also briefly reports on other Nisei high school athletes across California, Oregon, and Utah.
• Nishimi Scores for McClatchy’s Lions, by P.C. Staff, page 6. John Nishimi scored a touchdown as C. K. McClatchy’s Lions of Sacramento defeated Christian Brothers 28-2, and other Nisei players were noted in Bay Area and Los Angeles high school football. The report includes several local team updates.
• New Era Marked in National Bowling, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The American Bowling Congress ended its racially restrictive membership rules after Seattle sportswriters exposed a Nisei team’s exclusion from the Boeing league. The change was hailed as an important advance against sports discrimination.
• Wally Yonamine Will Go To Spring Camp With Seals, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Wally Yonamine, who led first-year Pioneer League players with a .336 batting average for the Salt Lake Bees, is expected to get a chance with the San Francisco Seals next spring. The Seals have first call on his services.
• Nancy Ito Named to All-American Softball Squad, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Nancy Ito, a 17-year-old shortstop for the Denver Industrial Bank team, was named to the All-American team at the National Softball Congress women’s world tournament in Phoenix. Her fielding and hitting drew praise from baseball experts.

Arts & Entertainment

• Go for Broke in Hollywood Race Films Cycle, by J. D. Spiro, page 7. MGM’s film Go for Broke, about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, is set to begin production with Van Johnson and several 442nd veterans in the cast. The story follows a Texas lieutenant whose anti-Japanese feelings give way to admiration for his Nisei squad.

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