Covenants, Tokyo Rose trial and Issei citizenship, 1949

Vol. 28, No. 18, May 7, 1949. 8 pages. View this issue

Civil rights ran through this eight-page issue. The Supreme Court declined to hear a Maryland case, leaving in place its ruling that courts cannot enforce race restrictive covenants. Attorney Wayne Collins charged that government agents were intimidating possible witnesses in the treason trial of Iva Toguri d’Aquino. Judge Louis Goodman refused to delay restoring citizenship to about 5,200 Tule Lake renunciants. Mike Masaoka spoke in Minneapolis on the cost of discrimination, and Adlai Stevenson backed the Judd naturalization bill.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about his son’s boxing exhibition, and Togo Tanaka recommended Toshio Mori’s Yokohama, California. Edward J. Ennis wrote the final installment of the evacuation claims questions and answers. Sports pages followed George Abo’s hitting for Fresno State and a perfect bowling game by Fuzzy Shimada. Chapter news came from Montana, Snake River and Wyoming.

What’s in this issue

National

• Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case, Affirms Ban on Enforcement of Race Restrictive Covenants, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Supreme Court declined to hear a new Maryland case involving Negro couples who bought property covered by restrictive covenants, leaving in place its prior ruling that such covenants cannot be enforced by courts. The Maryland court had enforced the covenant, but the Supreme Court refused to review the decision.
• Attorney in Tokyo Rose Case Charges Intimidation by Army, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Attorney Wayne Collins charged that American government agents were intimidating possible witnesses for the treason trial of Iva Toguri d’Aquino. He said military officials in Japan denied defense counsel access to prison records.
• California Democrat Group Elects Wada to Steering Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kiyoshi Wada of San Francisco was elected to the steering committee of the California Young Democrats at a Fresno political workshop. He advocated legislation outlawing racial discrimination in services and employment.
• Few Toronto Resettlers Expect to Return to West Coast Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Most of Toronto’s 4,000 Japanese Canadian residents do not plan to return to British Columbia after wartime restrictions were lifted. Several resettlers said they felt accepted and established in Toronto.
• Gov. Stevenson Supports Issei Citizenship Move, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson expressed support for the Judd bill, H.R. 199, which would provide equality in naturalization and immigration. He planned to write senators urging early Senate action.
• High Cost of Racial Bigotry Told by Masaoka in Minneapolis, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL-ADC director Mike Masaoka told a Minnesota welfare conference that discrimination costs the nation $15 to $30 billion annually. He called for national fair employment practices legislation.
• Two War-Stranded Nisei Seek American Passports Through Suits in U.S. Court in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two Nisei who lived in Japan during the war filed suits in Honolulu federal court seeking American passports. Judge J. Frank McLaughlin denied the government’s motion to dismiss one of the suits.
• Midwest Newspaper Supports Removal of Naturalization Bars, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Kansas City Star editorial called naturalization discrimination against Japanese, Koreans and Pacific islanders humiliating and unwarranted. It urged the Senate to pass the Judd naturalization bill.
• Rep. Judd Will Be Main Speaker at Eastern District Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Representative Walter Judd will speak about his naturalization bill at the JACL Eastern District Council convention in New York June 10-12. Mike Masaoka will be honored at the testimonial dinner.
• Discrimination Found in Seattle Area by Survey, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A University of Washington study found employment discrimination against Negroes, Orientals and other minorities in the Seattle area. Employers and unions gave various excuses for not hiring minority workers.

Community

• Red Cross Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Members of the Livingston-Merced JACL collected $107.25 for the Red Cross community drive. The contributions were turned over to chapter leaders.
• Nisei Veteran Hits Jackpot on Radio Show, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sgt. Isac Kusuda, a Nisei veteran of the Pacific war, won $768 on the NBC quiz show Take It or Leave It. He answered all $128 questions and correctly identified the mystery sound as popcorn popping.
• Nisei Serves on U.S. Grand Jury in Utah, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mrs. May F. Watanabe of Salt Lake City became the first Nisei to serve on a Federal grand jury in Utah. She had previously served as a juror in California before evacuation.
• Long Beach Youth Killed by Automobile, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Gordon M. Nonoshita, 8, was killed when struck by an automobile driven by Yoshio Akiyama on a Long Beach housing project road. Akiyama was not held by authorities.
• Snake River Chapter Enters Float in Blossom Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Snake River JACL chapter entered a float in the Payette Blossom Festival and considered building a baseball diamond. The chapter also voted to donate half the cost of a caretaker’s home at Community hall.
• Hilo Veterans Plan Living Memorial to Nisei War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The 442nd Veterans club in Hilo presented a $459 check to the YMCA to fund summer camp vacations for 30 underprivileged boys. The club also plans benefit performances to support its youth program.
• Five Los Angeles Nisei Join Sponsors of Wallace Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Five Nisei are among the sponsors of a Henry Wallace peace rally at Gilmore Stadium on May 13. Sponsors include veteran Chris Ishii and labor official Frank Kanno.
• Montana Chapter Names First Cabinet, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Tom Koyama was named the first president of the newly organized Montana JACL chapter at a May 1 meeting. Thirty-eight persons signed up for membership.
• Mother of Nisei Atom Victim Testifies in Honolulu Trial, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mrs. Riye Onishi testified in an alien property case over ownership of $75,000 in family corporation stock. Her daughter Hatsui died from atomic bomb burns at Hiroshima in 1945.
• Buddhists Crown New Queen, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Terrie Yoshikawa was crowned Miss Bussei of 1949 at the Western Young Buddhist League coronation ball in Fresno. The conference drew more than 1,000 delegates.
• Dr. Ryo Munekata Will Head West Young Buddhist Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Ryo Munekata of Los Angeles was elected president of the Western Young Buddhist League at a Fresno convention. Rev. Takashi Tsuji urged parents to provide religious training at home.
• Auxiliarettes Hold Second Annual Benefit Concert, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Los Angeles Auxiliarettes held their second annual benefit concert at St. Mary’s Episcopal church featuring local Nisei and Issei musicians. Proceeds supported the group’s charitable work.
• Japanese Offer to Help Build Friendship House in Hiroshima, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Floyd Schmoe of Seattle received letters from Japanese officials offering help with his planned Hiroshima house to replace one destroyed by the atomic bomb. The project was approved by Quaker groups and will be given to a family that lost its home.
• JACL Invites Nisei to File for Scholarship, Bids to Annual Citizenship Encampment, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The National JACL invited Nisei aged 17 to 23 to apply for scholarships to the Encampment for Citizenship at Fieldston School near New York City. The six-week program emphasizes democratic leadership training.
• Stockton JACL Asks Nisei Support of City Blood Center, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Stockton JACL chapter endorsed the regional blood bank and urged residents to donate. Chapter president Jack Matsumoto said the center helped more than a dozen Japanese American families in the past year.
• Blue Baby Operation Fails in Honolulu, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Eight-year-old Mae Akio Funada died after an open-heart operation at Kuakini hospital in Honolulu. A similar operation on a 20-year-old in December had succeeded.
• Nisei, White, Negro Families Plan Cooperative Project for Housing in South Palo Alto, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Twenty-five families of mixed races are developing an interracial housing unit in South Palo Alto sponsored by the Palo Alto Fair Play Committee. Construction on the first home was expected to begin within weeks.
• Schedule Public Discussion of Slum Clearance Proposal, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A public meeting on whether San Francisco’s Western Addition redevelopment will include discrimination was scheduled for May 10. The redevelopment agency had declined to approve an anti-discrimination ordinance.
• Osaka Youth Who Aided POW Will Go to Wyoming School, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Haruo Kasai, a Japanese boy who shared his school lunches with an American POW, will attend high school in Worland, Wyoming. The former prisoner Henry Schmidt is sponsoring his education.
• Civic Unity Council Challenges Redevelopment Group’s Failure to Approve Anti-Bias Ordinance, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency refused to approve an ordinance banning discrimination in its redevelopment program. The Council for Civic Unity and NAACP strongly criticized the decision.
• Ex-GI Photographer Shigeto Mazawa Wins Prize Awards with Handy Camera, by Jobo Nakamura, page 6. Shigeto Mazawa, a former Army sergeant and Chicago photographer, has won several national photography awards. He is compiling a pictorial history of Nisei resettlement in Chicago.
• U.S. Now Home for War Bride, From Allied, Enemy Nations, by I. H. Gordon, page 6. Over 110,000 war brides, grooms and children from around the world were admitted to the United States under GI bride acts. Most came from Europe, with China and Japan among major sources of Asian spouses.
• Sesame Club Picnic, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Sesame Club of Reedley planned a May 29 picnic at Roeding park with games and prizes. An afghan will be raffled at the event.
• Hawaii Repeals Anti-Alien Ban in Fishing Law, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Following the Supreme Court Takahashi decision, Hawaii’s legislature passed a bill removing anti-alien restrictions from fishing laws and equalizing fees. The bill was sent to Governor Stainback.
• Personality Queen, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Southwest Los Angeles JACL will select a personality queen at its spring benefit dance on May 14. The winner will be the chapter’s candidate for Nisei Week queen.
• Noted Blind Nisei Veteran Visits Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Yoshinao Omiya, a blind veteran of the 100th Infantry Battalion, visited the Chicago JACCL meeting en route to get a new guide dog. He was accompanied by attendant Yuki Hori.
• Announce Officers for Monterey, Sacramento JACLs, by P.C. Staff, page 7. National headquarters announced the cabinet officers for the Monterey and Sacramento JACL chapters. Henry Tanaka will lead Monterey and Mitsuru Nishio will lead Sacramento.
• Fresno Group Opposes Road Rerouting Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Fresno Japanese Americans began a protest campaign against a state highway project that would demolish the Buddhist temple and Japanese American businesses in West Fresno. A petition was launched at the Western Young Buddhist League convention.
• 400 Applications for Visits to Japan Under New Program Approved by Gen. MacArthur, by P.C. Staff, page 8. GHQ approved 400 of 600 applications for 60-day visits to Japan by Nisei and Japanese nationals. Visitors must bring their own food or purchase American foodstuffs for their stay.
• Madame Butterfly Comes to Tea, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Chicago JACL hosted a reception honoring soprano Hizi Koyke of the San Carlo Opera company at International House. Ballerina Dorothy Maruki also attended.
• Wyoming Chapter Sets Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dr. Minol Ota, president of the Northern Wyoming JACL, called a May 8 meeting in Worland to complete the membership campaign and plan the summer program.
• Nisei Sought for Jobs at Tooele Depot, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Tooele sub-depot of the Ogden arsenal is offering permanent government jobs to 450 to 700 Japanese Americans. Housing and benefits including 26 days annual leave are available.

Military & Veterans

• Ewa Community Building Honors Nisei War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A community memorial building in Ewa, Hawaii, honoring ten Nisei soldiers who died in World War II was dedicated. The $52,000 building includes six bowling alleys.
• Ex-Kamikaze Pilot Hopes Nisei Wife Will Join Him in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 3. Robert Nishiyama, a former Japanese kamikaze pilot studying at Lafayette College on a memorial scholarship, hopes to bring his Nisei wife and daughter to the United States. Immigration rules currently prevent the family from joining him.

Incarceration & Redress

• Judge Goodman Refuses U.S. Request to Delay Granting Citizen Rights to Renunciants, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal Judge Louis Goodman denied a government request to stay his judgment restoring citizenship to about 5,200 Tule Lake renunciants. He agreed the renunciants may exercise civil rights while the government appeals.
• Evacuation Claims Questions and Answers Part 25, by Edward J. Ennis, page 7. The final installment of JACL questions and answers on evacuation claims covers appropriations, hearings, and Justice Department procedure. The series is available through local JACL chapters.

Obituaries

• Final Rites Held for Riuichi Terazawa in South Salt Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Riuichi Terazawa, 37, a Mount Olympus JACL member, died of a heart ailment in a Salt Lake City hospital. He was survived by his widow, parents, and sisters.

Commentary

• Race Relations in America, 1949, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes increased national awareness of minority rights in 1948 and early 1949, citing AFL conferences, President Truman’s civil rights proposals, and Pentagon racial equality directives. It concludes that pressures for nondiscrimination are growing.
• Governor Stainback Revives the Japanese Menace, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Hawaii Governor Ingram Stainback has opposed statehood by invoking the Japanese menace and Communist threat. The editorial argues his claims are baseless given Nisei wartime loyalty and small Communist membership.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A collection of brief notes on Nisei achievements in ballet, opera, film, and sports, along with reports on Hawaii politics and racism. Items include Dorothy Maruki’s South American tour and Sessue Hayakawa’s golf and art activities.
• Minority Week, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A column on racial discrimination covering Eddie Moore’s debut in minor league baseball, a Washington church exchange rejected by Presbyterians, and Jackie Robinson’s continuing career. It also reports on housing discrimination and college admissions bias.
• Father-and-Son Night, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa describes attending his son Mike’s boxing exhibition at Stevens school and reflects on the value of contact sports for boys. He reflects on his son’s growth and the lessons of physical competition.
• How Not to Bring Up Your Children and Reading Crazy Like a Fox, by Togo Tanaka, page 6. Togo Tanaka humorously describes his young daughter demanding stories and the family’s omnivorous reading habits. He recommends Toshio Mori’s book Yokohama, California as an enjoyable read.
• Honolulu Girl Plans Recital in New York, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Midori Omine, a Nisei soprano from Honolulu, will give a May 16 recital at Carnegie recital hall. She previously sang on KGMB in Honolulu.

Sports

• George Abo Batting Booms for Fresno State, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Fresno State outfielder George Abo is hitting .478 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and is a leading batting contender. His timely hitting has helped the Bulldogs stay near the top of the league.
• PC Perfect Game Rolled by Nisei Bowler in San Carlos League, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Fuzzy Shimada of San Jose became the first Japanese American to bowl a 300 game in league play at San Carlos Bowl. He received a $100 bonus and $50 cash award from the alley management.
• Yone Miyashiro and Jim Izumi in Boxing Results, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Brief sports notes covering Nisei athletes across several sports, including Yoshio Yamada’s sprint results, Henry Aihara’s broad jump at USC, and Jim Tsuda’s high jump record. The notes also report on other Nisei competitors.

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