Nisei soldiers abroad and terror against returning families, May 1945

Vol. 20, No. 21, May 26, 1945. 8 pages. View this issue

News of the war and of the return to the West Coast filled this eight-page issue. The Office of War Information casualty lists reported 17 Japanese American soldiers killed and sixteen wounded in Italy, and a story described townspeople of Carrara greeting the 442nd Regimental Combat Team as liberators. At home, ILWU officials, including president Harry Bridges, took on members in Stockton who refused to work with Japanese Americans. Seattle’s mayor ordered police to protect returning families, and WRA Director Dillon Myer said the camps would close by January 2, 1946. Editorials and Bill Hosokawa’s column weighed the response.

Elsewhere, Marquis W. Childs wrote on the War Department’s concern over California violence, and Quakers painted over slogans on a Seattle home. Memorial services in Ann Arbor honored Nisei servicemen, and twenty soldiers at Fort Snelling gave blood for a stranger’s father. Sports and art notes close the issue.

What’s in this issue

National

• Japanese Americans Die, Wounded in Recent Combat on European Fronts, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Office of War Information reported the death of 17 American soldiers, the wounding of sixteen more, and two Japanese Americans missing in action on the Western front in Italy. Families of the soldiers have been notified.
• “Forthright Move” By Harry Bridges Hailed by Ickes, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Interior Secretary Ickes sent a telegram praising ILWU president Harry Bridges for his forthright action against discrimination against Japanese Americans by Stockton ILWU members. Ickes called the action an effective move in the interests of democracy.
• Harry Bridges Supports Move To Stamp Out Discrimination Among Members in Stockton, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Local 6 of the ILWU suspended its Stockton unit after members refused to work with Japanese Americans, and Richard Lynden warned members they would be individually suspended without signed pledges. ILWU president Harry Bridges supported the action and pledged full protection for Nisei workers.
• ILWU Officials Fight Racism With House-to-House Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 1. ILWU international officers conducted a house-to-house campaign in Stockton, presenting anti-discrimination pledge cards to members who had refused to work with Japanese Americans. Accompanying them were state, WRA, and Fair Employment Committee officials.
• Nisei Workers Join Teamsters Union In Philadelphia, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Teamsters Local 985 in Philadelphia admitted Japanese American workers to membership and pledged equal treatment regardless of race. The local’s president announced that Japanese Americans would be accorded full rights.

Military & Veterans

• Canada Nisei Inducted Into Armed Forces Visit New York, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Six Japanese Canadian servicemen in Canadian Army uniform visited New York City on furlough, signaling a reversal of Canada’s policy of excluding Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry from its armed forces. The six, all originally evacuated from British Columbia, toured Radio City, the Stage Door Canteen, and Japanese American community events.
• First Nisei Soldier Wins Discharge On Point System, by P.C. Staff, page 1. S/Sgt. Minoru Masukane, believed to be the first Nisei discharged through the point system, returned to Poston after 25 months in the South Pacific. He holds three Asiatic Pacific campaign medals and three battle stars.
• Nisei Soldier Liberated, Now in German City, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pfc. George Funai, a prisoner of war in Germany, was liberated and wrote to his sister in Ogden that he was living well in Munich awaiting transport out of Germany. His parents are former residents of Bothell, Washington.
• Japanese American Soldiers Greeted as Liberators by Townspeople of Marble City, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Townspeople of Carrara, Italy, greeted forward elements of the 442nd Combat Team as liberators, strewing flowers in their path after the unit took the mountains overlooking the city. Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Pursall was welcomed by city officials and partisan leaders.
• Three Nisei Freed From Prison Camps By U.S. Troops, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Office of War Information reported three Nisei soldier prisoners of war liberated from German camps, including 2nd Lt. Jimmie Kanaya, Pvt. Sunao Nakagawa, and Pvt. Hiroshi Hamada. Kanaya had been missing in action in France in October 1944 before being reported a prisoner in February.
• Nisei Chaplain Gets Caught In No Man’s Land in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Captain Hiro Higuchi, chaplain of the 442nd, was trapped between German and Allied forces during a counterattack at Gragnana after sheltering in a cave. He survived the night and was relieved when his own men drove the Germans back.
• Casualties Report, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific Citizen compiled reports of Nisei soldier casualties including one killed in action, one who died in service, and several wounded in Italy. The roundup also noted a soldier liberated from a German prisoner of war camp.
• Reveal Nisei Combat Team Broke Six Month Stalemate in Appennine Front in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. German prisoners captured by the 442nd Combat Team testified to the unit’s fighting reputation and expressed surprise at its presence in Italy. The unit’s surprise attacks broke a six-month stalemate on the Apennine front.
• Report Hawaii Nisei Union Leader Cleared, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The ILWU’s Dispatcher reported that Yoshito Watanabe, a Hawaiian Nisei union leader, was cleared of military intelligence persecution through union efforts. Watanabe had been barred from longshoring after being wrongly suspected of spying.
• WRA Pamphlet Tells of Nisei in Pacific War, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The WRA issued a pamphlet describing Nisei participation in Pacific fighting, including Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and recounting earlier exploits. The publication also noted that a Nisei aerial gunner, T/Sgt. Ben Kuroki, had flown in B-29 raids on Tokyo.
• Native Sons Ask For Ban Against Return of Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Native Sons of the Golden West sent resolutions to President Truman and California congressmen calling for continued exclusion of Japanese Americans from the West Coast. The resolutions also commended California peace officers for protecting property during the Nisei return.
• Hold Memorial Rites for Nisei Battle Dead, by Scott T. Miyakawa, page 6. Memorial services in Ann Arbor, Michigan honored ten Japanese American servicemen who died and 190 others in uniform. Secretary Ickes and Army Colonel Reginald Miller spoke, affirming that Nisei heroism proves Americanism is not defined by ancestry.
• Commander of Nisei Regiment Made Full Colonel in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Lieutenant Colonel Virgil R. Miller, commander of the 442nd Combat Team, was promoted to full colonel in a ceremony on the Fifth Army front in Italy. The promotion recognized his outstanding combat leadership during the spring offensive.
• Nisei Sergeant Asks Passage Of California FEPC Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 7. S/Sgt. Paul Sakai, a veteran of North Africa and D-Day, testified before the California Assembly ways and means committee supporting a state Fair Employment Practices bill. He argued the law was necessary so returning veterans would have a fair chance at economic opportunity.
• Twenty Nisei Soldiers Give Blood to Save Father of GI, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Twenty Japanese American soldiers from Fort Snelling volunteered blood at the University of Minnesota hospital to save the father of a serviceman they had never met. The farmer, Victor Colsen, was suffering severe bleeding, and his son was on emergency furlough to be with him.
• Three Nisei Soldiers Win Boxing Titles, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Three Japanese American soldiers won individual titles at the Central Pacific Base Command boxing championships, and their Engineer Construction Service team took the team title. The team scored 70 points, well ahead of the Army Air Forces’ 42.
• Sgt. Rodney Higashi Joined Army in Michigan, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Staff Sgt. Rodney Higashi, a gunner from Kapaa, Kauai and Grosse Pointe, Michigan, has flown more than 150 combat missions against Japan in the Pacific. He was inducted in 1941 and served with the Fifth Air Force after training in Florida.

Community

• Kent Ministers Ask Harmony on Return of Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ministers of nine Kent, Washington churches passed a resolution asking that loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry be allowed to return to their homes in harmony with the Western Defense Command’s action. The resolution reflected community support for peaceful resettlement.
• Women’s League Asks Assistance for Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom passed a resolution at its 30th annual meeting asking Congress for compensation to Japanese Americans who suffered property losses in the evacuation. The resolution proposed a simple request-for-aid process to avoid humiliation.
• Six-Star Mother Is Honored in Twin Falls, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. T. R. Sakuma of Twin Falls, mother of six servicemen, was honored at a Mother’s Day program sponsored by the War Mothers of America. Her sons served in the Army in the Pacific and Italy, including one wounded in the 442nd’s Italian campaign.
• WRA Urged to Break Down Anti-Nisei Feeling of Workers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A San Jose cannery refused to hire a Nisei applicant for inside work, prompting the War Manpower Commission to instruct the WRA to begin an educational campaign against prejudice toward Japanese American workers. The campaign aimed to break down opposition to employing Japanese Americans in the area.
• Seattle’s Mayor Orders Protection For Nisei Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Seattle Mayor William Devin directed police to vigorously pursue cases of violence and threats against Japanese Americans returning to the city. The order followed threatening letters and intimidation aimed at homes of returning Nisei families.
• Canadian Nisei Mill Workers Join CIO Union, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese Canadian workers at the Bessette Lumber Mill in Kamloops, B.C. joined the International Woodworkers of America, CIO, and comprised 95 percent of the mill’s workforce. The union organizing drive was completed in two days and would continue at other mills employing Japanese Canadians.
• Gunmen Attack Two Homes in Fresno District, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Night-riding attackers fired shots at two homes of returned evacuees in the Selma district of Fresno County, the 18th and 19th such attacks against Japanese Americans reestablishing themselves in California. No one was injured, though family members were in danger in one incident.
• Defendant in Arson Case Fined $1000, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Harold S. Burton, a 22-year-old farm worker, pleaded guilty to second degree arson for burning homes of evacuees on Vashon Island and was fined $1000. Burton said he believed the fires would prevent Japanese Americans from returning to the island.
• Poston Students Win Prizes in National Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ruth Tanaka and Kaizo Kubo, students at Parker Valley High School in Poston, won prizes in a national contest. Tanaka earned fourth prize for her entry.
• Tells Experiences In Relocation Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Marian Yamabe, a freshman at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, spoke to a church society about her experiences in a war relocation center. She had relocated to the Midwest after graduating from high school there.
• First Nisei WAC Stationed in Utah, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Pvt. Atsuko Mori became the first Nisei WAC stationed in Utah, assigned to Dugway Proving Grounds near Wendover. She visited her family in Magna during her stay.
• 750 Evacuees Return Home to Valley Region, by P.C. Staff, page 8. WRA officials in the San Joaquin Valley reported that 750 evacuees have returned to Kern, Tulare, Kings, Fresno, and Madera counties. Most returnees are property owners, mostly citizens, with some alien parents returning with families.

Incarceration & Redress

• Quakers Visit Seattle Home, Paint Out Marks of Vandals, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Seven members of the American Friends Service Committee painted over anti-Japanese slogans and repaired the Nagaishi family’s neglected home in Seattle after their return from a relocation center. The Quakers aimed to show friendship and encourage neighbors to help.
• War Department ‘Concerned’ Over Terrorism, Says Childs, by Marquis W. Childs, page 2. Washington columnist Marquis Childs wrote that the War Department is deeply concerned about recent California outbreaks against Japanese American citizens. He noted that the department had fixed the policy of detaining citizens over Justice Department opposition, a decision now troubling civilian leaders.
• ILWU Paper Terms Anti-Nisei Actions Fascist Race Hate, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The ILWU newspaper The Dispatcher condemned anti-Japanese American hatred in California as fascist race hatred, comparing it to the doctrines of Hitler. The paper, edited by Morris Watson, called on the union to resist such prejudice.
• Three California Legislators Oppose WRA’s ‘Propaganda’, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Three California congressmen asked the House appropriations committee to deny WRA funds for circulating pamphlets they called propaganda favoring the Japanese people. They objected particularly to the pamphlet ‘Nisei in Uniform’ describing a Japanese American combat unit.
• Council Asks Army To Assist WRA in Resettling Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The American Council on Race Relations asked federal agencies, including the Army, to cooperate fully with the WRA in resettling Japanese Americans on the West Coast. Council member Galarza argued that failing to protect returning evacuees would set a dangerous precedent for all minorities.
• First Petition Filed in Estate of Nisei Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Louise Hayashi of Perkins, California filed the first Sacramento County petition for letters of administration in the estate of a Japanese American soldier killed in action. Her brother, Pfc. Torao Hayashi, was killed in the Vosges mountains in October 1944.
• WRA Program Will Continue Despite Terrorism, Says Myer, by P.C. Staff, page 8. WRA Director Dillon Myer stated the agency’s resettlement program will continue despite violence against returning evacuees on the West Coast. He announced that the relocation camps would close by January 2, 1946, as scheduled.
• WRA Plan to Close Relocation Camps Affirmed by Myer, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dillon Myer told a Philadelphia audience that closing the relocation centers by January 2, 1946 is a good thing, since they were temporary expedients rather than a fair path to permanent resettlement. He also said the evacuation had produced a mutual discovery between evacuees and Americans.

Commentary

• Weasel Words, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns two bills introduced by California Senator Hugh Burns that would strip property rights and require oaths from Japanese Americans based on alleged dual citizenship. The writer argues the bills target all Americans of Japanese ancestry despite the Nisei’s record of single citizenship and military service.
• Racism Repudiated, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial contrasts the lack of law enforcement action against terrorism targeting Japanese Americans with the swift action taken by the ILWU against discrimination in its Stockton unit. It praises the union’s constitution and leadership for upholding equal rights.
• Nisei and Post-War Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial discusses proposals to use Japanese Americans in democratic reconstruction of Japan, noting Orson Welles’ endorsement. It argues that Nisei are more concerned with security in America than with politics in Japan, though they may serve as linguists and occupation workers.
• The Wrong Way, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reprints a Fresno Bee piece and rejects any justification for anti-Japanese American actions on the Pacific Coast. Its brief text argues against racial violence in the strongest terms.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa contrasts the military-run evacuation with the hesitant, uncoordinated return of evacuees to the West Coast. He argues that a firm, orderly return with government protection would have deterred racist harassment and affirmed justice for returning families.
• Letter-Box: Open Letter To Dr. Shevin, by Sgt. Frederick S. Tani, page 5. Sgt. Frederick S. Tani writes an open letter praising Dr. Shevin for resigning from Jackson Park Hospital after refusing to accept Miss Murayama’s exclusion because of Japanese ancestry. He argues that American principles must be upheld at home as well as abroad.
• CCF Candidate Upholds Rights of Nisei in Canada, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Owen L. Jones, a CCF candidate in Vernon, B.C., said he had yet to see a Canadian-born Japanese who was disloyal. He accused political rivals of making the treatment of Japanese Canadians the central election issue.

Arts & Entertainment

• Exhibition of Nisei, Issei Art Opens at New Jersey College, by P.C. Staff, page 6. An art exhibit of works by Nisei and Issei painters opened at the New Jersey College for Women, featuring artists from relocation centers and well-known Eastern artists. Yasuo Kuniyoshi and other prominent figures lent their support, and organizations planned to move it to New York City.

Sports

• Nakama Wins Two Places on College All-America Team, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Kiyoshi Nakama, captain of Ohio State’s NCAA champion swim team, was named to the college all-America swimming team in two events. He ranked first nationally in the 440-yard and 1500-meter freestyle.

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