Nisei in the Rome campaign, and a Pasadena offer of homes

Vol. 18, No. 22, June 24, 1944. 8 pages. View this issue

Japanese American soldiers on the Italian front and a promise of welcome on the home front shared the news in this eight-page issue. A Signal Corps radiophoto showed Nisei infantrymen of a Fifth Army division walking toward the front in the drive on Rome. Pasadena residents sent 150 letters to the War Department offering homes and job help to Japanese Americans if they are allowed to return to the West Coast. Larry Tajiri wrote on the Nisei across the border in Canada, and Saburo Kido and Joe Grant Masaoka contributed columns.

Other stories covered the closing of the Jerome camp, with arrivals at Amache and Heart Mountain, and the trial of 63 Heart Mountain draft resisters. Maj. Gen. Bonesteel was named to the Western Defense Command. Editorials took on a California exclusion initiative, and church groups and a Salt Lake newspaper called for the return of loyal evacuees. Ansel Adams’s Manzanar photographs were announced for publication.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• As Nisei Aided Liberation of Rome, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A U.S. Army Signal Corps radiophoto shows Japanese American infantrymen of a Fifth Army division advancing toward the front during the drive on Rome. The caption notes their important role in the Italian offensive.
• Maj. Gen. Bonesteel Named as Chief of Western Defense Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department announced that Maj. Gen. Charles Hartwell Bonesteel will succeed Lt. Gen. Delos C. Emmons as commander of the Western Defense Command. Emmons was shifted to an unannounced important command.
• Nisei Surgeon Now on Duty at Base in England, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lt. Norman Kobayashi, a former physician from Los Angeles and Gardena, wrote from England describing his billet in a friendly village. He is one of many Japanese American doctors serving overseas.
• First Nisei Volunteer from WRA Center Killed in Action Recently on Italian Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pvt. Yutaka Koizumi of San Francisco, a Topaz volunteer, was killed in action in Italy on May 23 during the Fifth Army’s march on Rome. He had trained at Camp Shelby and is believed to have been a replacement in the 100th Infantry Battalion.
• Nisei Soldier Will Be Decorated for Bravery in Action, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Reports from the Burma-India theater said Japanese American volunteer Sgt. Paul Sakauye is being recommended for a decoration for gallantry. He reportedly saved the life of a British officer under fire.
• Three Nisei Win Promotions to Rank of Second Lieutenant, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three members of the 100th Infantry Battalion received battlefield promotions to second lieutenant in Italy, according to a letter from Lt. Russell M. Otake. The others promoted were Kazuma Hisanaga and Chick Miyashiro.
• Nisei Rookies Feted by Company at Camp Shelby, by P.C. Staff, page 2. New recruits of Company C, 442nd Infantry, were honored with a party at Camp Shelby attended by battalion commander Lt. Col. Sherman L. Watts. The event featured food, entertainment, and performances by rookies.
• Nisei Soldiers Win New Caledonia Baseball Crown, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A letter to the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a Japanese American detachment in New Caledonia won the island baseball championship against larger Army and Navy units. The letter rebutted claims that Japanese Americans take little part in athletics.
• 109 Evacuees Inducted Into Army at Hunt, by P.C. Staff, page 8. For the first time at a war relocation center, Army induction ceremonies were held at the Minidoka WRA camp, with 109 Japanese American evacuees sworn into service. Seventeen draftees also took induction physicals that day.

National

• 150 Letters From Pasadena Promise Jobs, Housing for Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. One hundred and fifty Pasadena residents wrote to the War Department offering temporary homes and employment help to Japanese Americans when they may return to the West Coast. Organizers with Friends of the American Way say the response shows goodwill that could succeed in other communities.
• No Civilian Sabotage at Pearl Harbor, Says Hawaii Editor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Riley Allen, editor of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, told officials in Washington there was not a single case of civilian sabotage in Hawaii during the Pearl Harbor attack. He sought to clear up misunderstandings about the behavior of Hawaii’s civilian population.
• Maryland Board Opposes Use of Evacuees in State Work, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Maryland’s Board of Public Works decided against employing citizens of Japanese ancestry in state hospitals and child care institutions. Governor O’Conor said the board considered such employment unwise.
• Expert on Community Adjustment Joins New York WRA Staff, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Martin Sherry, an expert in community adjustment, joined the WRA Middle Atlantic staff to help resettlers with health, welfare, education, housing and employment. He will work in New York, Rochester, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington.
• California Race-Baiters Promote New Racket, Paper Charges, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The People’s World said the Japanese Exclusion Association’s proposed California initiative would bar anyone of Asian ancestry ineligible for naturalization from owning land and watercraft. The paper called the petition a vicious racist proposal.
• Washington State VFW Would Relocate Nisei on Islands, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Washington State encampment of Veterans of Foreign Wars adopted a resolution calling for transfer of all persons of Japanese ancestry to islands under army supervision. The resolution was sponsored by a Tacoma post.
• Dominion Officials Back Bill to Disfranchise Nisei Group in Canada for Duration of War, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A bill sponsored by State Secretary McLarty would disfranchise all citizens of Japanese ancestry in Canada during wartime elections. The bill received its first reading in the House of Commons on June 8.
• Full Freedom for Nisei Asked by Church Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The General Synod of the Reformed Church asked for full freedom in the United States for loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry. Copies of the resolution were sent to the President and to the Secretaries of War and the Interior.
• No Justification for Proposal Barring Vote, Says Nisei Paper, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The New Canadian editorialized that the McLarty bill to disfranchise Japanese Canadians would have gravely disturbing effects. It found no justification for the proposal and called for a national organization of Japanese Canadians.
• Tehama Farmers Pass Anti-Evacuee Proposals, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Tehama County Farm Bureau adopted six resolutions targeting Japanese Americans, including army control of all persons of Japanese ancestry until the war ends. The resolutions also called for deportation of aliens and disloyal citizens.

Incarceration & Redress

• 27 Called to Active Duty at Rohwer, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Twenty-seven evacuee men from the Rohwer center, members of the enlisted reserve, were called to active duty and reported to Camp Robinson. They are the first Rohwer group called since the reinstatement of selective service.
• Hammer Attacks on Two Aliens at Tule Reported, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two Japanese aliens at the Tule Lake segregation center were attacked with a hammer on June 21, with one described as critical. A former Stockton resident was arrested in connection with the attacks.
• WRA to Close Jerome Camp Within Month, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Transfers of 550 residents of the Jerome relocation center to four other centers will be completed by July 1, the WRA announced. This is the first closing of a WRA center, and officials said no immediate plans exist to close others.
• Federal Judge Takes Cases of Draft Delinquents Under Advisement as Arguments End, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Judge T. Blake Kennedy took under advisement the trial of 63 Heart Mountain residents charged with failing to report for preinduction examinations. Defense attorney Samuel Menin argued the defendants were awaiting resolution of constitutional rights violated by evacuation.
• North Baptists Urge Return of Nisei to Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Northern Baptist Convention meeting in Atlantic City called for loyal Americans of Japanese origin to be granted the right to return to their homes. It also condemned racist attitudes and commended the WRA’s humane handling of evacuation.
• Report Suicide of Nisei Bride in Colorado, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kimi Takaki, a Pueblo high school girl of Japanese ancestry, died after taking poison, apparently despondent over a possible annulment of her marriage to a Chinese American soldier. Her parents had opposed the marriage.
• Find Body of Amache Suicide, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The body of Tomoki Ogata, 61, a Granada relocation center evacuee, was found hanging near the Arkansas River, and officials ruled it a suicide. He had returned to Amache after a failed railroad job in Montana.
• Salt Lake Newspaper Asks Return of Evacuees to Coast, Closing of Relocation Camps, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Salt Lake Telegram editorialized that no military justification remains for excluding loyal Japanese Americans from the Pacific coast. It urged closing the relocation centers and letting evacuees return home.
• Four Workers Ousted in Farm Labor Dispute, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Four evacuee workers employed by the Cache County Farm Labor corporation were returned to their relocation center after refusing to work at prevailing farm wage rates. The workers had attempted collective bargaining for higher beet thinning wages.
• Heart Mountain Camp Greets New Arrivals, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Four hundred ninety-nine evacuees transferred from Jerome arrived at the Heart Mountain siding on June 15 and were greeted by 3,000 residents. Among them were several octogenarians.
• Evacuee at Rohwer Gets Permission to Return to Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eugene Sakasegawa, the first Rohwer resident to relocate to Hawaii, received permission from the 12th Naval District after a year of negotiations. He will leave Rohwer for San Francisco.
• Rights of Loyal Evacuees Backed by Utah Church Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Utah Conference of Congregational Churches urged gradual restoration of the right to return to the west coast for loyal evacuees. The conference also approved army furlough permits and resumed selective service for Japanese Americans.

Community

• 500 Evacuees from Denson Reach Amache, by P.C. Staff, page 1. More than 500 evacuees from the Jerome relocation center arrived at the Granada camp at Amache, Colorado, by train on June 21. The transfer followed the closing of Jerome.
• 32 Councilmen Elected at Topaz, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Thirty-two new councilmen were elected to represent Topaz residents in the fourth term of the Community Council. Four are citizens and the rest are issei.
• Thunderstorm Hits Crops on Farm at Heart Mountain, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A 30-minute hail and thunderstorm on June 14 caused complete loss of 52 acres of truck crops and heavy damage to other vegetables at Heart Mountain. Agricultural chief Glen Hartman reported the loss.
• Ex-Topaz Girl Graduates at Cornell College, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Masako Amemiya, formerly of San Francisco and Topaz, received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, on June 4.
• Nisei Participates in Song Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mitsumori, a girl of Japanese ancestry, was among 300 child singers in the University of Michigan May Festival program Songs of the Two Americas. She was one of the participants from Philadelphia.
• Methodist Relocation Service Unit Will Visit Hunt Center, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Methodist church relocation service unit met with former Minidoka and Pacific Northwest residents in Chicago before spending six weeks assisting the religious and recreational program at the Hunt center.
• Boise Valley JACL Honors Graduates, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Boise Valley JACL honored 1944 graduates at a dance in Caldwell. Tom Arima of the University of Idaho, who ranked in the top of his class, was among those recognized.
• Penn Revises Policy Toward Nisei Student, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The University of Pennsylvania reversed its decision to bar honor student Naomi Nakano from accepting a graduate scholarship. The reversal followed protests from individuals and organizations and clarification of government regulations.
• Nisei Girl Student Heads Co-op House at Wisconsin, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Ruby Kubota, a 19-year-old nisei freshman from Metaline Falls, Washington, was elected president of the Groves Women’s Co-operative House at the University of Wisconsin. Her guest editorial praised co-operative living as promoting interracial understanding.

Sports

• Nisei Weight-Lifter Garners National AAU Championships, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Time Magazine reported that Emerick Ishikawa of York, Pa., won major honors at the National AAU weight-lifting championships. He set records in the 123-pound class, lifting 220 pounds in the two-hand clean and jerk.

Arts & Entertainment

• Evacuee’s Camera Study Shown at Chicago Salon, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A camera study titled Rain by Shuji Kimura, formerly of Auburn, Washington, was included in the Third Chicago International Salon of Photography. Kimura now lives in Chicago.
• Manzanar Photos by Ansel Adams to Be Published, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Photographs taken at Manzanar by Ansel Adams will be published in book form by U.S. Camera. The photographs will also be exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in September before touring the west and middle west.

Commentary

• Author of The Magnificent Obsession Rapped For Racist Talk at Nebraska, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Nebraskan criticized novelist Lloyd C. Douglas for denouncing Japanese ancestry persons as birds of a feather in his baccalaureate address. The student paper argued citizens should be judged individually.
• Nisei Across the Border, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri compares the wartime predicament of Japanese Canadians with that of Japanese Americans, noting the greater threat of deportation in Canada. He argues that the McLarty disfranchisement bill and British Columbia race-baiting threaten Canadian nisei citizenship.
• Racist Ghouls, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Editorial remarks reprinted from the People’s World condemn the Japanese Exclusion Association’s initiative as racist and comparable to Hitler’s policies. The column also criticizes the propaganda tactics of Hearst and related campaigners.
• The Race-Baiting of Larry Smith, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes radio commentator Larry Smith for slandering loyal Japanese Americans while promoting War Bond sales. It argues his claims that Japanese Americans should return to Japan reveal unfair and misinformed views.
• Timely Topics: Evacuee Volunteers Aid Farm Production, by Saburo Kido, page 6. Kido argues that evacuee farm workers help the war food effort but need careful placement and protection from hostile communities. He urges the WRA to ensure community acceptance and fair treatment for workers sent to farms.
• Joe Grant Masaoka’s Column: Joy, Pain, Heartache Fill Week at Denver JACL Office, by Joe Grant Masaoka, page 7. Masaoka recounts the week at the Denver JACL office, including the departure of secretary Sue Noma and stories of evacuees seeking work and reunion. He also notes race-baiting visitors and a nisei student’s experience of prejudice.
• Vernon Kennedy Speaks on Japanese Americans at Inter-Racial Meeting, by Vernon R. Kennedy, page 7. Kennedy told an Illinois inter-racial conference that resettled Japanese Americans contribute economically and socially to the state. He cited employer reports praising their reliability and skills.

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