Vol. 24, No. 18, May 10, 1947. 8 pages. View this issue
Equal rights in law and citizenship ran through this eight-page issue. Mike Masaoka asked the President’s Committee on Civil Rights to oppose California’s Alien Land Law, while Joe Grant Masaoka sought to testify against a $65,000 appropriation to enforce it. Elmer R. Smith argued that the racial tests used to bar Asian immigrants from naturalization rested on confused reasoning, and the Hawaii House asked Congress to remove those barriers. On the front page, Roger Baldwin reported that about half of the 10,000 American-born persons in Japan kept their U.S. citizenship, and many wanted to return.
The front page also told of William R. Ogie, a bomber pilot who stayed with his failing plane to steer it away from Columbus, Georgia. Larry Tajiri wrote on West Coast labor’s changing attitude toward Japanese Americans, and Roku Sugahara and Bill Hosokawa contributed columns. Other items covered Yuriko Amemiya’s role in Martha Graham’s Night Journey and a British Empire Medal for Second Lt. Henry H. Kuwabara.
What’s in this issue
Incarceration & Redress
- Dies in Air Crash, by P.C. Staff, page 1. William R. Ogie, a Japanese American Air Force bomber pilot from Great Falls, Montana, died in a plane crash near Columbus, Georgia, on April 1. He stayed with his plane to steer it away from the city after forcing other passengers to bail out.
- JACL Official Will Testify Against Alien Land Law Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL-ADC representative Joe Grant Masaoka sought to testify against a $65,000 special appropriation for enforcing the California Alien Land Law included in the state budget bill. He argued the law is discriminatory and was repudiated by California voters.
National
- U.S. Authorities in Japan Process Requests of Stranded Nisei to Return to America, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Roger Baldwin reported that about half of the 10,000 American-born persons in Japan retained U.S. citizenship and many want to return. He explained the processing of applications, the status of renunciants, and the difficulties faced by GI brides.
- Masaoka Asks Federal Action in Opposing Constitutionality of California Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka, JACL-ADC legislative director, urged the President’s Committee on Civil Rights to protect the civil and property rights of Japanese Americans. He asked the committee to recommend that the government oppose the California Alien Land Law before the Supreme Court and to repeal the naturalization ineligibility clause.
Arts & Entertainment
- Yuriko Amemiya Dances in Premiere of Graham Work, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yuriko Amemiya performed in the world premiere of Martha Graham’s new production Night Journey in Boston on May 3. The work is inspired by the Oedipus and Jocasta theme and features sets designed by Isamu Noguchi.
Military & Veterans
- Nisei Veterans Seek California VFW Support, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sacramento Nisei VFW Post 8985 will submit resolutions at the California VFW convention supporting naturalization equality and amending the Alien Land Law. The post also donated $98.25 to the JACL-ADC naturalization campaign.
- Nisei Officer Given British Empire Award, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Second Lt. Henry H. Kuwabara of Salt Lake City received the British Empire Medal for translating and obtaining enemy information in Burma. His work involved interrogating prisoners and translating captured documents under fire.
Community
- JACL to Sponsor Oratorical Meet in Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Salt Lake chapter of the JACL will hold a Utah Nisei oratorical contest on June 20 with four assigned subject options. Contestants must submit typed speeches by June 2.
- Deputation Team to Attend Meeting in Orange County, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A JACL deputation team will attend an Issei-Nisei meeting sponsored by the Orange County JACL on May 16. The chapter was rated the most active in the Pacific Southwest area last year.
- CIO Leader Will Speak to Chicago JACL Members, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Willard S. Townsend, CIO labor leader, will speak to the Chicago JACL on trade unionism in Japan at its May 22 meeting. Townsend recently spent two months in Japan as a delegate investigating U.S. occupation policy.
- Canada Buddhists May Affiliate with Groups in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Toronto Young Buddhists society may affiliate with Young Buddhists’ associations in the United States following a meeting with the Chicago Bussei. Delegates from Toronto, Hamilton and Montreal are expected at the Eastern Young Buddhists league conference in New York.
- West Coast Labor Buries Its Past, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri traces organized labor’s history of anti-Japanese agitation on the West Coast and its shift toward racial inclusion. He highlights the ILWU’s integration of Japanese American members and its defense of returning evacuees.
- Philadelphia JACL Honors Rev. Burgoyne, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The newly organized Philadelphia JACL chapter held a dinner reception honoring Rev. and Mrs. W. Sherman Burgoyne of Hood River, Oregon. Rev. Burgoyne gave an address on his work in Hood River, and officers were elected at the chapter’s first meeting.
- Hawaii House Urges Change in Naturalization, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Hawaii House of Representatives unanimously passed resolutions asking Congress to remove racial barriers to naturalization. A second resolution extends naturalization rights to parents of servicemen who were not disloyal to the United States.
- Japanese Americans Contribute Supplies for Nippon Needy, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The American Friends Service Committee reported that a seventh LARA shipment of relief supplies sailed for Yokohama, with a large part contributed by Japanese Americans. The shipment totaled 252,848 pounds valued at $86,825.
- Aiso Will Resume Law Practice in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 8. John F. Aiso, former army lieutenant colonel who served on MacArthur’s staff in Japan, resumed his law practice in Los Angeles with John Maeno. He had previously organized the army’s first Japanese language training program.
Commentary
- Race and Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial drawing on Will Maslow’s argument that laws can shape racial attitudes and that effective civil rights statutes need enforcement agencies. It cites the national FEPC as proof that legislation can work against discrimination.
- Ex-Senator Shortridge, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial responds to former senator Samuel Shortridge, who boasted in a recent interview of authoring the Japanese exclusion amendment. It contrasts his racist politics with the changed thinking of the postwar era.
- Asiatic Exclusion, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the Asiatic Exclusion law’s white supremacist basis fuels discriminatory state laws against Japanese Americans. It quotes George W. Harris calling for repeal of the exclusion act for diplomatic and economic reasons.
- The Kaisha Men Are Sadder and Wiser, by Roku Sugahara, page 5. The column recalls the prewar Japanese trading company executives (kaisha men) in New York and their lavish lifestyles. It contrasts their vanished world with the rising Nisei professionals now establishing themselves in the city.
- From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reflects on Joe Oyama’s praise of New York and admits his own provincial preference for smaller places. He also shares a letter from a Caucasian ex-POW about the difficulty and necessity of building friendships with Nisei.
In-Depth
- Race Prejudice in Naturalization, by Elmer R. Smith, page 6. Smith argues that the racial criteria used to bar Japanese and other Asian immigrants from naturalization rest on confused and unscientific reasoning. He contends that removing these restrictions would serve both democratic principles and American foreign policy.
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