Returning war dead, and a Supreme Court ruling on housing covenants

Vol. 26, No. 19, May 8, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue

Two subjects ran through this eight-page issue. The first was the return of Nisei soldiers killed overseas: twenty-five were being brought home on the Army ship Lawrence Victory, and the paper covered reburials in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and San Bruno, along with the 442nd Combat Team veteran Takiji Goto. The second was the Supreme Court’s ruling that courts cannot enforce racial housing covenants, which saved the Jack Ikawa family of Fresno from eviction. Tosuke Yamasaki wrote on what the ruling meant for Japanese Americans, and an editorial warned that real estate interests might find other means.

The Judd bill to end racial limits on naturalization drew much of the rest of the paper: Yamasaki reported on witnesses at the House hearings, Senator William Langer introduced a companion measure, and Utah officials voiced support. Columns by Jobo Nakamura, on a spring day in Chicago, and on JACL staff in Washington, round out the pages.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Remains of 25 Nisei Soldiers Will Be Returned on Board Army’s Lawrence Victory, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Twenty-five Nisei war dead from the battlefields of France are being returned to the United States aboard the Army funeral ship Lawrence Victory. Half of the soldiers are from California, with others from several states and Washington, D.C.
• A Nisei GI Comes Home, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. George Gushiken, who died in France in 1944, was returned home for reburial as the first American of Japanese descent brought back. His mother wept over the casket at the train as final services were held in Los Angeles.
• Nisei Veteran Named Month’s Hero by DAV, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Takiji Goto, a 442nd Combat Team veteran who lost both legs and a finger in Italy, was named Hero of the Month by the Disabled American Veterans in Chicago. He became an expert watch repairman and is expecting his first baby.
• Ex-Sergeant Sakai Elected to Head Nisei VFW Post, by P.C. Staff, page 3. William Sakai, former first sergeant of Company K, 442nd Combat Team, was elected commander of Sacramento VFW Post 8985. Other officers were also installed.
• Prominent Utah Officials Back Issei Naturalization Proposal, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Utah Governor Herbert Maw and Salt Lake City Mayor Earl Glade support Issei naturalization, with VFW and AVC endorsing the Judd bill. Numerous civic and religious organizations also sent letters of support.
• Nisei Soldier Laid to Rest in Utah Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Pfc. Kazuo Mitani, killed in action in France in January 1945, was buried in Salt Lake City with full military honors from the Sugarhouse VFW post. Rev. C. Terakawa and Rev. Kenneth Nakajo led services.
• Pvt. Shoji Reburied in San Bruno Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Pvt. Shoji, a Nisei soldier returned from overseas, was buried at the San Bruno national cemetery in simple ceremonies. Chaplain Alfred Ostensen and Rev. June Pumphrey led services attended by some 70 persons.

National

• Supreme Court Verdict Saves Nisei from Ouster, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Supreme Court ruling that racial restrictive covenants are unenforceable saved the Jack Ikawa family in Fresno from eviction from their home. Their attorney filed suit to set aside the lower court judgment enforcing the covenant.
• Sacramento’s Native Sons to Fight Judd Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Sacramento Parlor of the Native Sons of the Golden West vowed to oppose all congressional bills granting citizenship to foreign-born Japanese. A protest is being sent to the California congressional delegation, House Judiciary committee, and county boards of supervisors.
• Democrats Pick Ouye as One of Isle Delegates, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaii Territorial Representative Thomas Ouye was named one of six uninstructed delegates to the Democratic national convention in Philadelphia. The other delegates include Honolulu Mayor John A. Wilson.
• Nisei Girl Flown to Texas City to Help Fight Polio, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Denver nurse Ruth Tanaka was among six polio nurses flown to Edinburg, Texas, to aid victims of an outbreak. Thirty cases were hospitalized there, ten of them in iron lungs.
• Supreme Tribunal Says Courts Cannot Be Used to Enforce Discrimination in Housing, by Tosuke Yamasaki, page 1. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that courts cannot enforce racially restrictive housing covenants, a decision expected to greatly affect Japanese Americans seeking housing after evacuation. The ruling, though based on Negro cases, extends protection to all non-Caucasian minorities.
• Judd Says Hearings Provided Proof U.S. Ready to Ban Bias From Naturalization Statute, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Representative Walter Judd told the House that the April hearings on H.R. 5004 proved Americans are ready to remove racial discrimination from naturalization law. He cited unanimous resolutions from San Francisco and Los Angeles supervisors in support.
• Senate Gets Companion to Judd Measure, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Senator William Langer introduced a Senate version of the Judd naturalization bill without the clarifying amendments sought by State and Justice departments. The House Judiciary subcommittee failed to act on the Judd bill due to lack of a quorum.
• Supreme Court Rules Racial Housing Bans Unenforceable, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Supreme Court ruled six to nothing that racial covenants cannot be enforced by courts, based on the Fourteenth Amendment. The JACL had filed briefs documenting how covenants affected Japanese American veterans and returning evacuees.
• Noted Witnesses Urge Early Passage of Judd Proposal Amending Naturalization Law, by Tosuke Yamasaki, page 5. Witnesses including Edward Ennis and Richard Walsh testified in support of H.R. 5004 at House subcommittee hearings. Ennis argued the Nisei wartime record justified equal naturalization rights, while the American Legion alone opposed the bill.

Community

• Seabrook Issei Live, Work for Citizenship Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Over 265 Issei at Seabrook, New Jersey filed first citizenship papers in a year-long program organized by the local JACL chapter. The community’s enthusiasm reflects Issei desire to become American citizens.
• Velma Yemoto Will Work with Victims on Hiroshima Blast, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fresno laboratory technician Velma Yemoto resigned to accept a position with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in Japan. She will work with victims of the Hiroshima atomic bomb blast.
• Father-and-Son Night, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A school father-and-son night featured youngsters in boxing matches, with the principal emphasizing sportsmanship over winning. The editorial hopes young Mike will be a good winner rather than a grinning loser.
• Ishikawa Stresses Disabilities Facing Issei as Ineligible Aliens, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Sam Ishikawa of the JACL ADC addressed the National Conference of Social Work, outlining legal disabilities imposed on Japanese and other ineligible aliens. He urged support for the Judd bill as strengthening America at home and abroad.
• San Francisco Senator Says Alien Land Law Issue Not Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Senator Gerald O’Gara reported on the San Francisco Council for Civic Unity board meeting, describing efforts to pressure Attorney General Howser over escheat cases under the Alien Land Law. He warned that the new Legislature must be watched for measures harming minorities.

Incarceration & Redress

• Japanese Nationals Facing Deportation Win Reprieve as Result of Eisler Case Ruling, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Federal Judge Goldsborough ruled that aliens cannot legally be deported under current Immigration Service procedures, giving temporary relief to Japanese nationals facing deportation. The ruling may hold up roughly 400 Japanese alien cases pending court decision.

Commentary

• Restrictive Covenants, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns racially restrictive covenants that segregate Americans and praises the Supreme Court ruling making them unenforceable by courts. It warns that real estate interests may find other means to maintain all-white neighborhoods.
• Restored to Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises Judge Goodman’s ruling restoring citizenship to 2300 Japanese Americans who renounced it at Tule Lake. It notes that duress during internment explains the renunciations.
• Mayor Bowron, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron for pledging that Nisei loyalty will never again be questioned in the city. It notes Bowron’s earlier role in advocating mass evacuation.
• From the Frying Pan: Mr. Satow Goes to Washington, by P.C. Staff, page 6. National JACL secretary Masao Satow reports on the intensive preparation of the Washington staff for hearings on naturalization and evacuation claims. The column praises the dedication of staff working for minimal pay against long odds.
• On a Spring Day It Is A Joy to Be Alive, by Jobo Nakamura, page 6. Columnist Jobo Nakamura describes a spring day in Chicago and reunions with former Tule Lake and Sacramento acquaintances. He profiles Nisei doctors, a photographer, and a dancer building new lives in the city.
• Mr. Satow, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A continuation of the Satow Washington column notes that JACL staff members pour their effort into their jobs for little pay. The piece laments the public’s ignorance of the difficulties faced by advocates in Washington.

JACL

• JACL to Take Part in Rites for War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Washington JACL will lay a floral wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day alongside veterans’ organizations. Flowers are donated by the Japanese American Flower Market of Southern California.

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