April 1944: Nisei casualties in Italy and the Korematsu and Endo cases

Vol. 18, No. 14, April 8, 1944. 8 pages. View this issue

News of the war and of the incarceration shared the front page. The War Department reported one Japanese American killed and 13 wounded in Italy, presumably men of the 100th Infantry Battalion, and the paper printed their names. A Washington Post editorial urged that loyal Japanese Americans be treated as war refugees, with the pending Korematsu and Endo cases in view. At the Heart Mountain relocation center, 41 men were arrested for failing to report for pre-induction physicals. Larry Tajiri, Joe Grant Masaoka and JACL president Saburo Kido wrote columns.

Elsewhere in the eight pages are a Rep. Walter Judd insertion in the Congressional Record, essays by Topaz seventh-graders on their removal, and reports of local protests against returning evacuees. Letters came from soldiers and from Yoshio Tanimoto of Hilo. Sports pages followed Dick Miyagawa at Wisconsin and Wat Misaka’s Utah team.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• War Department Announces One Nisei Killed, 13 Hurt in Recent Action in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department reported one Japanese American killed and 13 wounded in action in Italy, presumably members of the 100th Infantry Battalion. Names of the casualties and their next of kin in Hawaii were listed.
• Japanese American Soldier Gets Two German Tanks, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A soldier of the 100th Infantry Battalion destroyed two German tanks in the Cassino area with bazooka rockets during a solo infiltration mission. His comrades painted the tanks on his helmet to celebrate the feat.
• First Nisei Girl From Wyoming Enlists in WAC, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mary K. Arakawa of Cheyenne became the first Japanese American girl from Wyoming to enlist in the WAC. She had previously worked as a nurse’s aide at the Heart Mountain relocation center.
• Sergeant’s Son Gives Money to Junior Red Cross, by P.C. Staff, page 2. David Sakura, son of T/Sgt. Chester Sakura, donated his birthday money to the Junior Red Cross at his Huntsville school. His father is training at Fort Benning’s Officer’s Candidate School.
• Promote Two Western Nisei at Camp Shelby, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Technical Sergeant Albert Koby and Corporal Joe Iwaoka were appointed Warrant Officers, Junior Grade, in the 442nd Infantry Regiment. The article details their service backgrounds and family members.
• Rev. Aki Gets Commission as Combat Team Chaplain, by P.C. Staff, page 2. First Lieutenant George Aki became the first mainland Japanese American commissioned as a chaplain in the U.S. Army and reported to the Japanese American Combat Team. He had been serving at the Jerome relocation center.
• Camp Shelby’s Nisei GIs Will Sponsor Easter Egg Hunt for Children at Jerome, Rohwer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Members of the Japanese American Combat Team planned an Easter egg hunt and party for children at the Jerome and Rohwer relocation centers to express gratitude for hospitality. Voluntary contributions funded the event.
• Spanish War Veteran Backs Draft for Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tatsuo Takano, a 67-year-old naturalized Spanish-American War veteran, urged Nisei to bear arms with patriotism equal to other Americans. He had served on the battleship Maine and later operated a pharmacy in Seattle.
• Shelby Soldier, by Tak Shirai, page 6. Pvt. Tak Shirai, writing from Camp Shelby, argues that Selective Service inclusion of Nisei is a step toward full acceptance as Americans. He urges those at home to keep faith in America.

Incarceration & Redress

• Japanese Americans Should Be Considered War Refugees, Says Washington Post Editorial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Washington Post editorially urged that loyal Japanese Americans be treated as war refugees and that relocation centers be voluntary shelters rather than places of detention. The editorial addressed the pending Korematsu and Endo cases before the Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit.
• Al Arrested for Resisting Draft at Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Twenty-three and later 41 Japanese Americans at the Heart Mountain relocation center were arrested for failing to report for pre-induction physicals. Most of those arrested were reportedly members of the evacuee Fair Play Committee.
• Fujii Pleads Not Guilty to Wartime Violation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. George S. Fujii, a Poston resident, pleaded not guilty to violating the Wartime Sedition Act for allegedly inciting draft-age Japanese Americans to resist induction. His trial was set for June 6.
• Center Residents May Receive Soldier Dependency Benefits, by P.C. Staff, page 2. WRA Director Dillon Myer announced that families of Nisei soldiers living in relocation centers are eligible for servicemen’s dependency benefits. Allotments for wives and children depend on dependency, while parents and siblings must show substantial dependence.
• Children at Topaz Camp Write of Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A collection of essays by twelve-year-old students in a Topaz seventh-grade class recounts their experiences from Pearl Harbor through evacuation to Tanforan and Topaz. The children describe fear, school taunts, and separation from pets and homes.

National

• Justice Department Refused to Prosecute Number of Nisei for Violations, Says Biddle, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Attorney General Francis Biddle disclosed that the Justice Department declined to prosecute many persons of Japanese ancestry accused of violating exclusion and restriction orders in 1943. The department report also noted declining numbers of Japanese aliens held in internment camps.
• Majority of Eligible Nisei Voters on Mainland Expected to Use Absentee Ballots, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL urged Japanese Americans of voting age to check their qualifications for the 1944 presidential election, noting most would vote by absentee ballot. The statement estimated over 100,000 Nisei were potential voters.
• Japanese American Loyalty Told Members of House by Congressman From Minnesota, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rep. Walter Judd inserted into the Congressional Record an article by Mike Hosokawa defending Japanese American loyalty. Judd argued that individuals should be judged on their own merits rather than ancestry.
• Rep. Judd Inserts Article by Hosokawa in Congressional Record, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rep. Walter Judd of Minnesota placed a Hosokawa essay in the Congressional Record praising Japanese American loyalty. Judd argued that no race or nation holds a monopoly on virtue.
• Evacuee Farmers Eligible for FSA Loans, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Farm Security Administration announced that American citizen evacuees who relocate are eligible for farm loans on the same terms as other citizens. Loans require County Committee approval based on character, loyalty, and integrity.
• Box Elder County Group Wants ‘White’ Land Ownership, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A meeting of Box Elder County citizens in Tremonton adopted resolutions urging retention of cultivated land in white hands and asking landowners not to sell to persons of Japanese ancestry. The resolutions followed a committee report on Japanese American land ownership.
• Salt Lake City Mayor Denies Advocacy of Restricted Area for Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mayor Glade denied any plan to create a restricted residential district for Japanese Americans in Salt Lake City. He said false letters urging property sales were likely meant to spark panic selling.
• Native Sons Plan National Campaign Against Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Walter H. Odemar, chairman of the Native Sons of the Golden West’s Japanese legislation committee, predicted the campaign to block Japanese American return to California would spread nationally. The campaign was announced in Santa Barbara.
• Dillon Myer Raps New Jersey Protest Against Evacuees as Opposing National Interest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. WRA Director Dillon Myer criticized protests in Warren County, New Jersey against a Japanese American farm worker as based on prejudice rather than reason. He argued driving loyal workers from farm jobs was against national interest.
• New Jersey Assembly Acts on Protest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The New Jersey Assembly approved a resolution asking the WRA to obtain municipal consent before assigning Japanese American workers. The resolution followed protests over a worker placed on a Great Meadows farm.
• Urge Repeal of Oriental Exclusion Act, by P.C. Staff, page 6. An Interracial Youth conference in Northampton, Massachusetts recommended repeal of remaining Oriental exclusion laws and prompt relocation of evacuees into jobs and communities. Other recommendations included abolishing the poll tax and establishing a permanent fair employment commission.

Community

• Make Idle Lands Into Gardens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Evacuee farmers in ten war relocation centers converted 10,000 acres of idle land into gardens that supplied the centers’ vegetables. The gardens produced 41,000,000 pounds of vegetables in 1943, according to WRA Director Dillon Myer.
• Chicago Nisei Donate Blood to Red Cross Bank, by P.C. Staff, page 1. More than a dozen Japanese Americans living at the Chicago YMCA hotel donated blood to the Red Cross in Chicago. Several promised to donate every ten weeks.
• Anniston USO Clubs Extend Invitation to Nisei Soldiers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Anniston, Alabama USO clubs invited Japanese American soldiers training at Fort McClellan to use their facilities. Council members praised the soldiers as citizens deserving courtesy and respect.
• L.A. Councilman Hits Leave for Nisei Workers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Los Angeles Councilman C. F. McCloskey pushed for legally cancelling leaves of absence granted to Japanese American city employees after Pearl Harbor. The Council voted unanimously to ask the City Attorney whether the leaves could be cancelled.
• Nisei Students from Drake Take Part in Sac City Panel, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three Japanese American students from Drake University spoke on a panel titled ‘The Japanese Americans as Americans’ in Sac City, Iowa. The discussion was sponsored by local religious and civic organizations.
• Granada to Hold Co-op Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 2. An all-center co-op enterprises conference was scheduled at Granada for April 3 to 5. The Federation of Center Business Enterprises was formed for a six-month trial period.
• Idaho Farmers Told Evacuee Labor Supply Smaller This Season, by P.C. Staff, page 2. WRA official John Robertson announced that the number of evacuee farm laborers available in eastern Idaho would drop by about 50 percent this year. The shortage is attributed to the drafting of eligible evacuees for military service.
• Mas Yamashita Will Head Idaho Section of Boise Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Idaho section of the Boise Valley JACL elected Mas Yamashita as president after splitting from the Oregon section. Other officers and committee appointments were also named.
• Two Volunteers Among Inductees at Granada, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two volunteers, Masao Igasaki Jr. and Richard Shigeru Watada, were among twenty Granada youths inducted into the U.S. Army. Two others who joined from outside the center were also inducted.
• Rain Storm Halts Rohwer Activities, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A severe ten-hour rainstorm partially flooded several blocks at the Rohwer center on March 28. Nearly five inches of rain fell, closing all schools and halting most activities.
• Evacuee Workers Approved for Cache County’s Farms, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The War Food Administration approved Cache County’s request for 300 evacuee workers to staff a mobile farm labor camp near Amalga. The workers will assist with sugar beet thinning and other farm work.
• Evacuee Girl Dances With Famous Martha Graham Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Yuriko Amemiya, a former Gila River resident, performed with the Martha Graham dance company in New York in a documentary dance. She was recently awarded a full scholarship by Miss Graham.
• Santa Marians Protest Return of Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A petition signed by 1,120 residents of Santa Maria, California protested the return of Japanese Americans to the valley. The protest coincided with a visit by John Lechner, who spoke at an American Legion-sponsored meeting.
• Blind Teacher Holds Classes at Manzanar, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Clive Greenley, a blind teacher at Manzanar, teaches public speaking to children with the help of his seeing eye dog. He volunteered to help prepare young evacuees for life after the war.

Commentary

• Prof. Smith Hits Hypocrites in Public Life, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Professor Elmer R. Smith of the University of Utah criticized public officials and organizations advocating discrimination against Japanese Americans. He challenged the AFL and Utah Trades Journal to produce factual evidence for their claims.
• Nisei USA: California Politics, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri argues that California politicians have long exploited anti-Japanese prejudice, and that the 1944 Senate race is reviving the same tactics. He criticizes several candidates for past anti-Japanese American positions.
• The Uno Brothers Are Fighting for Democracy, by P.C. Staff, page 5. An editorial digest examines the case of Kazumaro Uno, an American-educated Japanese officer, and his three brothers serving in the U.S. Army. The piece argues the conflict reflects ideals rather than race.
• Americans All, by P.C. Staff, page 5. An editorial digest reprints a Des Moines Tribune story of a Japanese American girl welcomed by her new classmates. The Tribune presented it as evidence of faith in American democracy.
• Take It From One Who Knows, by P.C. Staff, page 5. An editorial digest excerpts the Des Moines Register’s rebuttal to a war hero’s claim that Japanese American soldiers enjoyed killing white men. The Register argues personal acquaintance dispels such myths.
• Joe Grant Masaoka’s Column: Many Have Maintained Their Faith in Nisei Despite Attacks of the Ignorant and Bigoted, by Joe Grant Masaoka, page 6. Masaoka recounts individuals who defended Japanese Americans despite community hostility, including a Phoenix JACL advisor and a Denver YWCA director. He also warns that draft resistance undermines supporters’ efforts.
• Letter-Box: Oldest Nisei, by Yoshio Tanimoto, page 6. Yoshio Tanimoto of Hilo writes to express pride in being one of the oldest American-born citizens of Japanese ancestry and praises the paper’s work. He notes his oldest son is third generation.
• Letter-Box: Combat Soldier, by Sgt. Kaz Yoshihata, page 6. Sgt. Kaz Yoshihata describes the harsh conditions of combat in the Southwest Pacific and the unity of soldiers from diverse backgrounds. He frames the fight as a defense of democracy and simple human values.
• Just Incidentally, by Dale Oka, page 7. Dale Oka describes coworkers in a Detroit war plant who treat him as a fellow American despite rumors and hostility. He contrasts their fairness with the fear propaganda of Ray Richards and Randy Hearst.
• Ann Nisei’s Column: So Your Husband’s in the Army!, by Ann Nisei, page 7. Ann Nisei offers advice to Nisei wives whose husbands have entered the army, urging them not to follow to camp and to stay busy with work and friends. She also counsels caution about dating while their husbands are away.

JACL

• The National JACL and Its Finances, by Saburo Kido, page 6. JACL president Saburo Kido reports the organization’s 1943 deficit of over $8,000 and warns that 1944 may force radical cuts. He describes the sacrifices of the original staff and the organization’s early wartime advocacy.

Sports

• Dick Miyagawa Elected Captain at Wisconsin, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dick Miyagawa, a Hawaii-born evacuee and former San Jose State NCAA champion, was elected honorary captain of the University of Wisconsin’s 1944 boxing team. He was deeply moved by the honor.
• Ogden Proud of Home-Town Nisei Member of Utah Team, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Ogden residents celebrated Wat Misaka, a member of the University of Utah’s national championship basketball team. The article details his local background and family, including his mother who runs a barber shop.

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