The 1949 Midwest JACL convention and the Tokyo Rose trial

Vol. 29, No. 13, September 24, 1949. 8 pages. View this issue

The first Midwest JACL district convention, held in Cleveland, filled much of this eight-page issue. Lin Andow reported on the two days of meetings, where about 200 members heard Mike Masaoka and Mabel Sato of Milwaukee was named queen. Delegates reelected Noboru Honda as chairman and named Dr. Randolph M. Sakada and Henry Tani as candidates for national JACL president. The front page also followed the trial of Iva Toguri d’Aquino, as the government’s final arguments ended before the case went to the jury.

Elsewhere, American officers of Japanese ancestry were barred from British Commonwealth rest hotels in Japan, and the editorial page answered. Togo Tanaka wrote on opposition to Colonel Karl Bendetsen. Other pages cover evacuation claims filing, the Fujii land law case, Jeanne Kanno as Portland’s first Nisei teacher, and Bill Hosokawa’s column.

What’s in this issue

National

• Japan Barred from British Occupation Force Rest Hotels, page 1. British Commonwealth Occupation Force rest hotels in Japan have barred American officers of Japanese ancestry under the extension of the White Australia policy. U.S. military officials accepted the BCOF terms, while MacArthur’s headquarters stressed that no race ban is practiced at American installations.
• Ask Evacuees Take Care in Filing Forms, page 1. The Justice Department’s Evacuation Claims Division asked claimants to carefully complete and sign claims forms. Many forms had been received unsigned, and claimants were urged to follow instructions closely.
• “Tokyo Rose” Treason Case Will Go to Jury as De Wolfe Presents Final U.S. Arguments, page 1. Prosecutor Tom De Wolfe completed the government’s final arguments urging conviction of Iva Toguri d’Aquino on eight counts of treason. The jury was set to receive instructions and begin deliberations after the weekend.
• Witness Mistakes Reporter for Member of Toguri Family, page 1. During rebuttal testimony in the Tokyo Rose trial, witness Rafael Velasquez misidentified Nisei reporter Michi Oka Onuma as Inez Toguri. The mistake drew laughter in the courtroom.
• JACL Deplores Gov. Dewey’s Action in Peekskill Inquiry, page 3. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee joined eleven national organizations in criticizing Gov. Dewey’s appointment of the Westchester district attorney to investigate the Peekskill riots. The groups argued the appointment lacked safeguards for an objective inquiry.
• Jeanne Kanno Will Be First Nisei to Teach in Portland Schools, page 3. Jeanne Kanno was assigned to teach art and social studies at Kennedy grade school in Portland, becoming the first Nisei teacher in the city’s public school system. A Michigan Teachers College graduate, she spent the war at Minidoka relocation center.
• JACL Credited with Success in Nisei Effort to Win Equality Before Law, Says ACLU Report, page 3. The American Civil Liberties Union’s 29th annual report credited JACL efforts for advances including court decisions on alien land law and citizenship. The report also covered the drive to repeal the Oriental Exclusion Act and civil rights issues facing Mexican Americans.

Community

• Nisei Honeymoon Couple Escapes in Noronic Tragedy, page 1. Mr. and Mrs. John Takeshima of Detroit, on their honeymoon cruise aboard the Noronic, escaped the fire that killed more than 120 people on Sept. 1. They were believed to have returned to Detroit after the disaster.
• Convention in Cleveland: 200 Members Attend First Midwest JACL District Meet, by Lin Andow, page 2. The first biennial Midwest JACL District Convention in Cleveland drew delegates from eight chapters for two days of events. Highlights included a mixer, sightseeing tour, general assembly with keynote by Mike Masaoka, banquet, and queen contest won by Mabel Sato of Milwaukee.
• Cincinnati Chapter to Host 1950 MDC Meeting, page 3. The Cincinnati JACL chapter was uncontested in its bid to host the 1950 Midwest District Council business meeting. The meeting will be held about three months before the national JACL convention in Chicago.
• Nisei Among Trio Rearrested in Modesto, page 3. Roy J. Sugimoto and two others were rearrested in Modesto on charges of conspiring to commit a felony after an earlier receiving stolen goods charge was dropped. The case followed incidents in the Highway Village area involving a Negro family.
• Congress Aided Their Entry, page 3. Twin girls Yoshiko and Teigo Higo arrived in Seattle from Japan to join their mother, Mrs. David B. Carpenter, after a special act of Congress allowed their entry. The girls had been left behind when immigration restrictions blocked the family’s earlier move.
• Community Cooperation Sought for Evacuee Filing Program, page 3. Chicago JACL and ADC co-chairmen requested community cooperation for a free evacuation claims filing program starting Sept. 27. The service was offered for claims of $2,500 or less at two Chicago locations on specified evenings.
• Seattle Reviews Housing Bias After University Area Incident, by Cletus Ralph Hayes, page 5. Two University of Washington professors, one Chinese American and one Japanese American, were denied purchase of homes in Seattle’s University district because of their race. Mayor Devin condemned the discrimination, and residents said many neighbors were willing to sell to non-whites.
• Alien Property Office Extends Deadline for Filing Debt Claims, page 8. The Office of Alien Property extended the deadline for filing debt claims against three vested Japanese banks to November 15, 1949. Mike Masaoka urged eligible creditors to file, noting many Issei had not filed earlier due to confusion or fear.
• New Idaho Falls JACL Building, page 8. The Idaho Falls JACL chapter held an open house for its newly remodeled hall on Sept. 24. The building includes an auditorium seating about 200, a kitchen, and a four-room caretaker apartment.
• Mainland Nisei Women in Honolulu Install New Club Officials, page 8. The Hui O’Malihinis, an organization of mainland Nisei women in Honolulu, installed new officers at its September meeting. New members were also initiated at the event.

Military & Veterans

• Seek to Organize First Chapter of Disabled Veterans, page 1. A movement to organize the first Nisei chapter of the Disabled American Veterans was launched in Los Angeles under Frank Fujino, a 442nd veteran. The group would be the first of its kind in the United States.

JACL

• National Director of JACL Visits Washington Office, page 1. JACL national director Masao Satow and Mike Masaoka met with Justice Department representatives and Congressmen on legislation and evacuation claims. Satow expressed optimism about passage of naturalization legislation for Japanese aliens.
• National Board’s Proposals Approved by Midwest Chapters, page 2. Midwest District Council delegates unanimously approved recommendations from the national JACL board meeting in Los Angeles. The convention also amended the MDC constitution and raised membership dues from ten to twenty cents.
• Reelect Honda as Chairman, Midwest JACL, page 2. Noboru Honda of Chicago was reelected chairman of the Midwest District Council at the first biennial convention. Other officers and committee chairmen for the 1949-1951 term were also installed.
• Tani, Dr. Sakada Named as Candidates for Top JACL Posts, page 2. The Midwest District Council nominations committee named Dr. Randolph M. Sakada and Henry Tani as candidates for national JACL president. Several other Midwest candidates were also named for national offices.
• JACL Joint Conference Will File Brief in Fujii Land Case, page 7. The Joint Conference of five JACL affiliate organizations decided to file an amicus brief in the Fujii alien land law case and sponsor additional test cases. The conference argued that the California Alien Land Law still discriminates against Nisei citizens, especially veterans.

Commentary

• The BCOF and the ‘White Man’s Burden’, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes the British Commonwealth Occupation Force for enforcing a whites-only policy at its Japan rest hotels with the knowledge of American officials. It calls on the U.S. Department of Defense to refuse guest privileges at BCOF installations until all U.S. Army members are deemed acceptable.
• JACL and Civic Unity Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes JACL chapters joining the California Federation for Civic Unity as a sign that Nisei are broadening their concern beyond their own minority. It argues the JACL’s responsibilities extend to all ancestries.
• Nisei Makes the Dictionary, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes that Nisei, Issei and Kibei appear in Random House’s American College Dictionary and traces how the word Nisei gained popularity in the Japanese American press. It explains the term’s broader modern meaning.
• Sen. Butler Shows Prejudice, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column reports that Senator Hugh Butler revealed anti-Nisei prejudice in a discussion with Admiral Ramsey about Hawaii statehood. It argues his stated reasons conceal personal bias that the wartime record of Nisei soldiers refutes.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This column collects brief items about Nisei in New York and elsewhere, including a television design credit, a teaching appointment in Brooklyn, and reactions to the Tokyo Rose trial and Noronic disaster. It also mentions a former Los Angeles official’s prejudice.
• The Opposition to Bendetsen: Priest Says Officer Acted Like ‘Little Hitler’ Toward Nisei, by Togo Tanaka, page 5. Togo Tanaka reports opposition to Colonel Karl Bendetsen’s possible appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Army, citing his role in the wartime evacuation. He quotes Father Hugh Lavery’s account of Bendetsen’s racial attitudes and false wartime statements about Nisei.

Arts & Entertainment

• A Few Literary Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column reviews recent books and radio plays, including Merle Miller’s The Sure Thing and Millard Lampell’s The Hero, and notes Ralph Martin’s book on the Nisei GI. It also critiques John O’Hara’s A Rage to Live as lacking pace and sharpness.
• Putting the Kids to Bed, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Bill Hosokawa describes his evening putting his children to bed while his wife attends a show. He reflects on the household routine and gratitude for family life.

Sports

• Nisei Will See World’s Series as Guest of Cleveland Paper, page 6. Larry Shimamura, catcher-manager of the Cleveland Nisei team, was named one of five outstanding sandlot players to be guests of the Cleveland Press at the 1949 World Series. The award honored his play and community involvement.
• Cleveland Entries Dominate Sports Contests at Convention, page 6. Cleveland participants won most trophies in the bowling, golf, tennis and bridge events held during the Midwest JACL convention. Winners were announced at the closing session.
• Chicago Netters Split Matches With Cleveland, page 6. Rain halted the intercity Nisei tennis matches between Chicago and Cleveland after 10 of 18 scheduled matches. The teams each won five matches and the meet was declared a draw.
• Name Co-Champs as Rain Halts JACL Tourney, page 6. Rain forced cancellation of final JACL Midwest convention tennis events. Mitch Hashiguchi of Cleveland and Henry Yui of Chicago were declared co-champions in men’s singles.

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