Resettlement and wounded Nisei veterans, July 1945

Vol. 21, No. 1, July 7, 1945. 8 pages. View this issue

Resettlement was the main subject of this eight-page issue. Minidoka led the WRA centers, with 80.1 per cent of its population gone since January 2, and WRA official John H. Provinse said fear of violence weighed more than money on those still in camps. On the front page, more than 500 combat veterans at Baxter General Hospital petitioned a Spokane VFW post to reconsider its rejection of wounded Nisei soldier Richard Naito. Cartoonist Bill Mauldin praised Nisei troops in Italy. Bill Hosokawa’s column looked at how 442nd veterans would find acceptance at home.

Pages 1 to 3 and 6 carry news of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Battalion: men returning under the Army point system, with hometowns and decorations, and Bronze Star and Silver Star awards. Page 4 holds five editorials, including one on the OPA study of Japanese-style food prices, and page 5 has Elmer R. Smith’s review of a book on race.

What’s in this issue

National

• Minidoka Leads WRA Centers in Resettlement, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Minidoka led WRA relocation centers in resettlement rate, with 80.1 per cent of its population having left since January 2. Figures for other centers such as Granada, Rohwer, Heart Mountain and Tule Lake were also reported.
• Physical Safety Major Concern, Says Provinse, by P.C. Staff, page 1. WRA official John H. Provinse told a Chicago conference that fear of physical violence is a bigger deterrent than economic concerns for evacuees still in camps. He said the WRA intends to close all relocation centers except Tule Lake.
• Capital Paper Rebukes Racists, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Washington Post praised a Stars and Stripes editorial on Japanese American soldiers and urged California law enforcement and Army authorities to act against terrorism targeting Americans of Japanese ancestry. The Post said racism is no prettier at home than abroad.
• Plan Relocation of 200 Persons in Pittsburgh, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The WRA leased the vacant Gusky orphanage in Pittsburgh as temporary quarters for about 200 evacuees. About 15 Japanese Americans were already employed in the area.
• Pittsburgh Group Protests Plan on Resettlement, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A crowd of 250 citizens disrupted a WRA meeting to protest temporary resettlement of evacuees in their neighborhood. WRA representatives stressed the evacuees’ constitutional protections.
• Colorado OPA Studies Prices of Japanese-Style Foods, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The OPA in Denver began studying production costs of Japanese-style foods after complaints from Hawaii about rising prices. The foods were popular with Japanese Americans and are now produced by a small Denver-area industry.
• WRA Asks Bids to Move Property Back to Owners, by P.C. Staff, page 3. WRA staff member Thomas G. White called for bids to finish moving evacuee belongings from storage back to owners by year’s end. The government estimates the cost at $300,000.
• Public Attitude Toward Nisei Better, Says Lee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. WRA relocation chief Rex Lee said public attitudes toward Japanese Americans are improving and that hostility exists only in spots. He added that slightly under 50 per cent of evacuees leaving camps are returning to the West Coast.
• Evacuee Faces Trial for False Claim of Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sacramento authorities will seek to bring an alien of Japanese ancestry from New York for trial on charges of falsely claiming American citizenship while at Tule Lake. It is the first such case in the area since Pearl Harbor.
• Hostess Nisei Girl Acts for Race Relations Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Mary Sabusawa served as hostess and research assistant for a summer institute on race relations held at the University of Chicago. She is a recent Antioch College graduate who formerly lived in Long Beach.

Military & Veterans

• 500 Combat Veterans Sign Petition Against Prejudice, by P.C. Staff, page 1. More than 500 combat veterans at Baxter General Hospital asked the Spokane VFW post to reconsider its rejection of wounded Nisei soldier Richard Naito’s membership application. The post officers cited a by-law barring reconsideration of rejected applications for a year.
• Rohwer Soldier Reported Hurt in Pacific Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Staff Sgt. Yukio Tamura of Rohwer was wounded in June in the Pacific, the first Rohwer casualty reported from that area. The report was based on War Department information received by his family.
• Bill Mauldin Says Nisei GIs Did More Than Any Others, by P.C. Staff, page 1. GI cartoonist Bill Mauldin said discriminatory activities against Japanese Americans on the West Coast make him sick. He praised Nisei troops in Italy for their combat record and said no one who has not served has a right to mistreat veterans.
• Many West Coast Nisei Troops Will Return Home from Italy Under Army Redeployment Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Some 205 enlisted men of the 442nd Infantry Regiment left Italy for redeployment to the United States under the Army point system. The article lists the men’s decorations and hometowns.
• Pfc. Nobori Awarded Bronze Star Medal, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Pfc. Teruo Nobori of Berkeley received the Bronze Star for valorous conduct with the 442nd Combat Team. He had volunteered from the Topaz camp.
• Silver Star Medal Posthumously Given to Rohwer Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Silver Star awarded posthumously to Pfc. Joe M. Nishimoto of Fresno was presented to his family at Camp Robinson. He was killed while serving with the Japanese American Combat Team in Europe.
• Sgt. Takiguchi Saves Life of Wounded GI, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Staff Sgt. Bob N. Takiguchi of Seattle received the Bronze Star for crawling under fire to aid a wounded comrade in France. He had been evacuated to Minidoka before volunteering for the 442nd.
• Many Veterans of Famed 100th Battalion Return by Air to U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 2. Veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion were flown from Italy to Miami Army Airfield and then sent by rail to Camp Blanding. Pfc. Irving M. Akahoshi, a Distinguished Service Cross recipient, was among those arriving.
• Government Agencies Will Act Against Boycotts on Evacuee Businesses, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dillon Myer said the WRA and Justice Department’s Anti-Trust Division will act against boycotts targeting returning evacuees. He called any efforts to hamper food products through normal trade channels sabotage.
• 38 Members of 442nd Infantry Return Under Point System, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Thirty-eight men of the 442nd with high adjusted service ratings were sent to a redeployment depot for return to the States. Most are from Hawaii and were members of the original 100th Battalion.
• 36 Wounded Veterans Return From Europe, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Thirty-six Japanese American combat veterans from Hawaii, members of the 442nd, arrived in Boston aboard the George W. Goethals. Tech. Sgt. Masaji Yamagata spoke for the group about their honors and their eagerness to return home.
• Nisei Veteran of 86th Division Visits Poston, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Pfc. Yoshiro Sanhonaga, a Nisei veteran of the 86th Blackhawk Division, is visiting his parents in Poston on furlough. He will train in Oklahoma before deploying to the Pacific.
• 205 Nisei Veterans of 442nd Infantry Will Return to U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 2. This continuation lists the hometowns, residences and decorations of the enlisted men returning from the 442nd. Many were awarded Purple Hearts and other honors.
• Direct Commissions Given Nisei Americans in China, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Two Nisei volunteers, Second Lieuts. Koji Ariyoshi and Clarke Kawakami, received direct commissions in China. The article reports the news received that week.
• Hails Record of Nisei Troops, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Red Cross worker and former tennis champion Mary K. Browne praised the 442nd’s achievements during a visit to the regiment in Italy. She said the unit has made history and that its record will help address the West Coast Japanese American problem.
• Nisei WACs Go on Duty at Camp Kilmer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Three WACs of Japanese ancestry were assigned to duty at Camp Kilmer, N.J., alongside 533 other women soldiers. The article names Pfc. Kay Nishiguchi, Pfc. Miyoko Sadahiro and Pvt. Toshiko Nakasato.
• Poston Family Hears Son Over Sunday Army Hour, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The family of Sgt. Masaru Abe of Poston heard his interview on the Army Hour broadcast from Italy. He discussed guarding German prisoners and other aspects of his service with the 442nd.
• Captain Nakadate Wins Bronze Star for Service in Germany, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Capt. Katsumi Nakadate, a Japanese American medical officer, received the Bronze Star for treating men during a glider landing in Germany despite his own wound. His citation praised his devotion to duty while in pain.
• Former U of W Nisei Awarded Silver Star, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Corporal Victor S. Izui, a former University of Washington pharmacy student, received the Silver Star for carrying wounded comrades to safety under fire in France. He served as a medical aid man in the 442nd.
• California Nisei Gl Awarded Bronze Star, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Pfc. Yoshio Uyechi received the Bronze Star for silencing an enemy machine gun and killing two snipers in Italy. His brother Tetsuo also served with the 442nd.
• Pvt. Ted Ikemoto Earns Paratroops’ Wings and Boots, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Pvt. Ted T. Ikemoto of Rohwer completed four weeks of jump training and earned the Army paratroopers’ wings and boots. The report is brief and covers only his training completion.
• Nisei Troops ”Tops,” Says Commander in Letter to PC, by Col. Virgil R. Miller, page 7. Col. Virgil R. Miller, commander of the 442nd, wrote that the Japanese American regiment is top-rated in the Mediterranean theater. He said the Nisei are also proving themselves as garrison soldiers.

Community

• Poston Center’s Cottonwood Bowl Destroyed by Fire, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Cottonwood Bowl at Camp II in Poston was burned to the ground on June 26. Fire Chief Harry Frum said the origin is unknown, possibly careless smokers, and damages have not been estimated.
• 400 Leave Newell for Internment Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Four hundred men from the Tule Lake WRA center left by special train for an alien enemy internment camp under Justice Department jurisdiction. This brings the total sent to such camps since December to 1,416.
• Believe Monterey Fish Industry Will Reemploy Evacuee Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. About 500 Japanese ancestry members of the Monterey Fish Cannery Workers union remain in good standing and are expected to be welcomed back. Housing shortages are the main obstacle to their return.
• Nisei Army Nurse Tells of Work Among Soldier Patients, by P.C. Staff, page 3. First Lieutenant Yaye Togasaki, a Nisei Army nurse at Mason General Hospital, was home on leave in Berkeley. She described her path into the Army Nurse Corps and the acceptance she found among patients and colleagues.
• Report First Nisei Birth Since 1942 Evacuation in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A baby girl born to Tsuneyo Kawa, wife of Taro Kawa, was reported as the first Nisei birth in Los Angeles since the 1942 evacuation. The family returned to Los Angeles from the Gila River center and reopened their fish market.
• Nisei Union Members in Army Back ILWU Stand in Stockton, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Two Nisei staff sergeants serving in China wrote to the ILWU defending a Japanese American worker in Stockton. They argued the fight is for principles of equal rights regardless of race, creed or color.
• Skilled Gardeners Welcomed by Home-Owners in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Returned evacuee gardeners are being welcomed back by homeowners in several West Los Angeles districts. Only one incident, involving broken windows, was reported among the 30 tenants.
• Cannery Union Backs Rights of Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Local 78 of the United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing and Allied Workers of America unanimously passed a resolution supporting returning evacuees’ right to lawful employment. The union pledged to help loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry enjoy democratic rights.
• Tooele Cited as Outstanding Example of Acceptance of Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Federal housing project at TOD Park near the Tooele Ordnance Depot was cited for accepting Japanese American families from relocation centers. The Japanese Americans work at the depot and participate in community events.
• Unity of Filipino, Nisei Union Men in Hawaii Told by Official, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Louis Goldblatt of the ILWU praised Local 6 for suspending members who discriminated against a Japanese American worker in Stockton. He noted that Filipino and Japanese American longshoremen work together in Hawaii.
• Returned Evacuees Attend Meeting of Hood River Group, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Returned evacuees met with neighbors of the League for Liberty and Justice in Hood River on June 29. Speakers shared their experiences and WRA representatives showed the film A Challenge to Democracy.

Commentary

• Journey West, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial contrasts the grim arrival of evacuees at relocation centers three years earlier with today’s hopeful return trains heading home. It notes evacuees are rebuilding farms and businesses despite threats and predicts the West Coast Japanese American population will not return to pre-war levels.
• Study by the OPA, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes the OPA’s study of prices for Japanese and Oriental-style foods, which may show whether prices reflect real costs or excessive charging. It notes older evacuees who depend on these foods are especially affected.
• Misinterpreted, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial clarifies that 700 returned evacuees on California relief rolls do not indicate indigence. Instead, the state’s social welfare facilities were used by the WRA to help evacuees resettle.
• Behind the WRA Program, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial summarizes WRA director Dillon Myer’s argument that closing the centers this year avoids further institutionalizing evacuees. It contends that keeping camps open would damage evacuee initiative and encourage West Coast nativists.
• Some Notes on Investigations, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes congressional committees such as Rankin’s House panel and California’s Tenney committee for targeting liberals and minorities rather than terrorists against Japanese Americans. It also notes the growing Nisei awareness of FEPC and civil rights fights.
• From the Frying Pan: When the Nisei Soldier Comes Home, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa writes that the 442nd veterans face a new fight for acceptance at home after their wartime service. He describes how the men are being given job contacts and reference letters to counter bigotry and outrages against Nisei veterans.
• Book Review: Dr. Montagu’s Work Enlightens Reader on Problems of Race, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Reviewer Elmer R. Smith compares M. F. Ashley Montagu’s Man’s Most Dangerous Myth with Stuart Landry’s The Cult of Equality. He finds Montagu scientifically rigorous and Landry’s book built on misquotations and racialist propaganda.

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