Nisei soldiers in Italy and the fight over returning home, 1945

Vol. 20, No. 16, April 21, 1945. 8 pages. View this issue

Japanese American troops in Italy led the news in this 8-page issue. Captain Harry Kawano of the 442nd Regiment told the NBC Army Hour how the unit took Massa and Carrara along the Ligurian coast. Richard Mowrer wrote about the Italian Partisans who fought beside them, and Thomas L. Stokes reported that the Nisei had put the Italian campaign back on front pages. Medals, rescues under fire and a soldier killed in Germany filled the military pages.

At home, the paper followed the return of Japanese Americans to the West Coast. Anti-Japanese groups organized in Sacramento and Oregon, while a Monterey County judge, the football coach Alonzo Stagg and the Merced mayor spoke for fair treatment. Larry Tajiri wrote on race-baiting and on fascism in America. Memorial services for President Franklin D. Roosevelt were held at Manzanar and the other centers.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Japanese Americans Advance on Italian Front Against Heavy Opposition from Germans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Captain Harry Kawano of the 442nd Regiment reported on the Army Hour that Japanese American troops were advancing along the Ligurian coast of Italy against heavy German fire. He credited the unit’s capture of Massa and Carrara to air support and praised the regiment’s combat record.
• Nisei Explots Put Italy War in News, Says Stokes, by Thomas L. Stokes, page 1. Columnist Thomas L. Stokes reported from the Italian front that the combat exploits of the 442nd had returned the Italian campaign to newspaper front pages. He noted the front had been stalemated before the Nisei unit’s recent actions.
• Silver Star Given to Nisei Hero of Battle in France, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Staff Sgt. Richard K. Ajifu of Honolulu received a Silver Star for gallantry in action in France on October 20. The award was presented at William Beaumont General Hospital in El Paso, where he is a patient.
• Italian Partisans Aid Nisei Troops in Carrara Capture, by Richard Mowrer, page 1. Des Moines Register correspondent Richard Mowrer reported that Japanese American infantrymen and Italian Partisans led by a priest captured Massa and Carrara in the Fifth Army offensive. He described the Partisans’ guiding, mine clearing and attacks on German positions alongside the Nisei.
• Nisei Soldier Killed in Action Inside Germany, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tech. 3rd Grade Stanley T. Ichiki of Rohwer was killed in action in Germany on March 29, his parents were informed. He had never been in a relocation center and is survived by three sisters and a brother.
• New York Nisei Saves Life of Wounded Rifleman in France, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sergeant Yeiichi Kuwayama of the 442nd Medical Detachment was severely wounded while rescuing a wounded rifleman near Hill 617 in France. He dragged the injured man to safety despite his own head wounds and received the Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
• Kauai Soldier Saves Life of Nisei Comrade, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Private First Class David K. Morita of Kauai, Hawaii, carried a wounded comrade to safety under enemy fire in the Vosges Mountains. He dragged the soldier to cover, administered first aid and carried him to the aid station.
• Nisei Lieutenant Returns from 31 Months in Pacific Theater, by P.C. Staff, page 2. First Lieut. Phil Ishio, a former University of Utah student, returned home on leave after 31 months of Pacific service with Army intelligence. He said Pearl Harbor made no difference in the Army’s treatment of Nisei soldiers, who had equal promotion chances.
• Sergeant Races Through Fire to Man Machine-Gun, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Technical Sergeant David Tsuruda of Covina, California, ran through enemy fire to a abandoned machine gun near Bruyeres and laid down fire that stopped a German assault. His actions forced the enemy to withdraw.
• Soldiers Sent Abroad Have Surpasses Them in Loyalty, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The New York Times editorial praised the Nisei soldiers, calling them among the most distinguished soldiers sent abroad. It noted their combat record in Italy and France and urged that they be remembered and rewarded after the war.
• Hawaiian Nisei Wins Commission, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Takao Hedani, a staff sergeant in the 442nd Combat Team from Honolulu, was commissioned a second lieutenant. He had volunteered for service in March 1942.
• California Nisei Saves Lives of Three Wounded, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Staff Sergeant Masaharu Okumura of Camarillo, California, left his covered position under fire to aid three wounded men during a patrol in the Vosges Mountains. He dressed their wounds and moved them to protected positions.
• Wounded Veterans Get Purple Hearts, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Pvt. Tito O’Kamoto of Glendale, California, and Staff Sgt. Masao Tamayai of Honolulu received Purple Hearts for wounds suffered in action. The awards were presented in ceremonies at a hospital.

Incarceration & Redress

• Army Officials Investigate San Jose Fire, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Military Intelligence officials investigated a fire at property owned by Tetusiko Okida in San Jose, which the fire marshal said was not incendiary. Army representatives also sought information about a smashed window at a building owned by Tosh Taketa.
• Judge Dismisses Suit to Quiet Title to Property Claimed by Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A suit to quiet title to property held by Masao Nakata, a Nisei serving in the U.S. Army, was filed in Contra Costa Superior Court by the State of California. The property had escheated to the state under the Alien Land Law.
• Centralization of Relocation Activities on Coast Announced by Dillon Myer, by P.C. Staff, page 7. WRA director Dillon Myer announced that the San Francisco regional office would function directly under Washington, consolidating California relocation activity. He reported that some 40,000 evacuees had left relocation centers and that new district offices were opening in southern California cities.

Community

• Issei Evacuee Goes Back to Alaska, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Frank Yasuda, 76, left the Hunt relocation center to return to Alaska, where he had worked as an interpreter for Smithsonian explorers. An Alaskan mountain is named in his honor and he was the first to bring Eskimo settlers to the Yukon region.
• Hold Special Memorial Rites in Honor of Late President, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Evacuees at the eight relocation centers held memorial services for President Franklin D. Roosevelt over the weekend. At Manzanar more than 1000 people attended, including American Legionnaires and Nisei soldiers on furlough.
• Apartment-Hostel in Rochester Will Assist Relocation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A furnished family apartment hostel opened in Rochester, New York, to help resettling families find housing. Two families have already stayed there while locating permanent homes.
• Aoki, Issei, Opening New York Business With AFL Union Aid, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Issei tailor Aoki, formerly of San Francisco and the Central Utah Relocation Center, opened a tailoring and cleaning shop in New York with help from a local AFL union. He said the city has room for more Issei tailors and cleaners.
• Washington Office to Extend Activity, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Baltimore relocation office closed and its services were transferred to the Washington, D.C. field office. A Baltimore church made a study available as a meeting place for resettlers.
• U of Washington Group May Hold Forums on Nisei Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 2. University of Washington students in an informal discussion group considered holding public forums on racial questions, with initial focus on the return of Japanese Americans to the West Coast. Members discussed the Remember Pearl Harbor League’s Seattle meeting and its emotional appeal.
• Sacramento Y Plans Housing for Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Sacramento YMCA set aside a recreation room as a dormitory for Japanese Americans without other lodging during stopovers. The arrangement was made by the Pacific Coast Committee on American Principles and Fair Play and the American Council on Race Relations.
• Report Relocation on Increase at Heart Mountain, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Relocation activity at Heart Mountain rose 63 percent in March over January, with 416 families interviewed. In the most recent week, 107 residents left the center.
• A. Stagg, Noted Grid Coach, Asks Fair Play for Nisei Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Football coach Alonzo Stagg led a Stockton meeting of 200 people that adopted a resolution calling for fair play for returning Japanese Americans. Speakers including a CIO representative and a Legion commander supported equal partnership for all groups.
• Los Angeles Area Evacuees Invited to Open House, by P.C. Staff, page 8. An open house for evacuees and Japanese Americans returning to Los Angeles will be held April 20 at the International Institute. A steering committee organized the event to provide social and other services.
• Fort Snelling Team Wins Red Cross Tilt, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A Fort Snelling Japanese American basketball team defeated the East Range All-Stars 48-49 in a Red Cross benefit game in Virginia, Minnesota. Wat Misaka, formerly of the University of Utah, scored 14 points.
• Buddhist Temple in California Offers Services to Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The board of directors of the Nishi Hongwanji temple in Los Angeles decided at a Salt Lake City meeting to offer its facilities to returning evacuees. The custodian of the Betsuin, Rev. Julius A. Goldwater, resigned, which the board accepted with regret.
• Report Japanese Canadians Recruited for British War Jobs, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Prime Minister Mackenzie King told the Canadian House of Commons that Canadians of Japanese ancestry had been recruited for war purposes at the request of Britain and other Commonwealth governments. Japanese Canadians were still denied military service.
• Merced Mayor Plans Civic Action on Race Relations, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Merced Mayor Wilbur McMurray announced plans to study San Francisco’s civic efforts against racial discrimination after recent violence against Japanese Americans. He also planned to consult county leaders about forming a local committee.

National

• Canada’s Native Sons Seek Deportation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Native Sons of British Columbia passed resolutions at their Grand Post convention calling for the removal of persons of Japanese ancestry from Canada after the war. The resolutions asked that they be resettled in a South Pacific area under international mandate or Allied control.
• Anti-Evacuee Group Seeks Organization in Sacramento, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Anti-Japanese groups from several California towns planned to form a statewide organization opposing the return of persons of Japanese ancestry, meeting in Sacramento on April 23. Delegates were urged to treat returning evacuees roughly, while others argued the opposition should be framed as national security.
• Anti-Evacuee Group Meets in Oregon, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Berry growers in Washington County, Oregon, took initial steps to form an anti-Japanese chapter at a Good Friday mass meeting. Seattle attorney George H. Crandall urged permanent exclusion of persons of Japanese ancestry from American territory.
• Judge Sees Rights of Nisei Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Judge Henry G. Jorgenson of Monterey County spoke against efforts to deny returning Japanese Americans their rights while admitting 34 residents to citizenship. He argued that Nisei soldiers who fought for the country have a right to return to California.
• California Legion Executives Uphold Action of Official in Censuring Hollywood Post, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The California American Legion executive board upheld District Commander P. A. Horton’s takeover of a Hollywood post that had condemned the Hood River post for removing Nisei names from an honor roll. The board struck the proposed censure of Horton from the fact-finding report.
• California Legislative Group Urges Relocation Centers Be Kept Open for War’s Duration, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Tenney Committee of the California Legislature recommended keeping relocation centers open until the war’s end for evacuees who wish to stay. It also urged that loyal Japanese Americans be allowed to take their places in communities of their choosing.

Commentary

• Occupation: Race-Baiting, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial condemns Arthur J. Ritchie and the Oregon Property Owners’ Protective League for profiting from anti-Japanese agitation, citing Time magazine’s account. It argues the campaign is a paying proposition built on hatred.
• Nisei Canucks, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes Prime Minister King’s admission that Japanese Canadians were being recruited for British Commonwealth war purposes. It argues British Columbia opposition had kept Nisei Canadians out of uniform and in second-class status.
• Dave Back of Labor, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes Teamsters leader Dave Beck for freezing Japanese Americans out of Northwest and Los Angeles produce markets and opposing their return. It contrasts his stance with CIO and progressive AFL unions.
• Crocodile Tears, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial mocks Radio Tokyo for exploiting Ku Klux Klan-style attacks against Japanese Americans in its propaganda. It argues the attacks damage American moral leadership ahead of the San Francisco conference.
• On Fascism in America, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The column argues that racist agitation against Japanese Americans on the West Coast reflects fascist methods also seen in Nazi race theory. It quotes a War Department orientation text warning soldiers about fascism at home.
• Letter from James R. Young: Program for Nisei, by James R. Young, page 6. Former Hearst correspondent James R. Young argues that Japanese Americans and alien Japanese should remain away from the West Coast until military security is assured. He proposes restrictions on Japanese religious, cultural and press activity if they return.
• Economic Rivalry Said Cause of Recent Nebraska Incident, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Miss Prudence Ross of the WRA said a petition opposing Japanese American farm workers in Buffalo County, Nebraska, was driven by petty jealousy and economic rivalry. The petition was withdrawn after a public meeting where local farmers were informed of the facts.
• Evacuee Student Graduates College Course in 30 Months, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Haruo Ishimaru, a Gila River evacuee from Los Angeles, will complete his Yankton College studies in 30 months, the shortest time in the college’s history. He is also a prominent forensics speaker who won several debate honors.

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