Evacuee claims, citizenship for Issei and land law repeal in 1947

Vol. 24, No. 11, March 22, 1947. 8 pages. View this issue

Payment for wartime property losses led the news in this eight-page issue. Interior Secretary Julius Krug wrote to Senate and House leaders urging a bill to create an Evacuation Claims Commission. Mike Masaoka of the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee asked a House subcommittee to remove race-based limits from naturalization law, citing Issei parents of decorated veterans. Utah Governor Herbert Maw signed a bill repealing the state’s 1943 Alien Land law. Columns by Elmer R. Smith and Togo W. Tanaka looked at tensions in Seattle, the history of land laws and crime in Little Tokyo.

Other pages followed Nisei veterans and soldiers. Takaji Goto, who lost both legs in France, testified for FEPC legislation in Illinois, and Col. William P. Yarborough praised the 100th Battalion and 442nd Combat Team. Readers will also find a report on about 800 residents of the Winona trailer camp in Burbank facing another move, and sports coverage of Wat Misaka’s play for Utah in the National Invitational Tournament.

What’s in this issue

National

• Secretary Krug Urges Payment of Evacuee Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Interior Secretary Julius Krug sent letters to Senate and House leaders urging passage of a bill creating an Evacuation Claims Commission to compensate Japanese American evacuees for property losses. Krug argued that compensation is a matter of fairness and good conscience for citizens who bore wartime burdens with patience and loyalty.
• Evacuation Property Losses Discussed by Canadian Official, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Andrew Brewin, legal counsel of the Cooperative Committee on Japanese Canadians, discussed procedures in Toronto for investigating property losses suffered by Japanese Canadians during their 1942 evacuation. The group pledged to help claimants prepare compensation requests.
• Citizenship for Issei Urged by Masaoka at Hearing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka of the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee urged Congress to remove race-based restrictions from naturalization law before a House subcommittee. He cited the hardships of Issei parents of decorated veterans, who face alien land law restrictions and ineligibility for citizenship.
• Fifty Return From Japan on Gen. Gordon, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fifty stranded Nisei cleared by U.S. occupation authorities arrived in San Francisco aboard the General Gordon after being unable to return during the war. The group included orphaned children and several adults who described difficulties Nisei men faced in obtaining clearance.
• Roger Baldwin Leaves on Tour of Far Eastern Nations, by Everett James Starr, page 2. ACLU director Roger Baldwin departed on a three-month tour of Japan and Korea at a reception in New York, serving also as a special JACL representative. His goal is to advise political and educational leaders and help build foundations for democratic governments in the Far East.

Military & Veterans

• Army Official Calls Nisei World’s Best Infantrymen, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Col. William P. Yarborough, provost marshal of American forces in Vienna, praised Nisei soldiers of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Combat Team as the finest infantrymen in the world. He said they earned their way through the war and deserve recognition as heroes.
• Nisei Amputee Vet Testifies for FEPC Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Takaji Goto, a 442nd veteran who lost both legs in France, testified before the Illinois General Assembly in support of FEPC legislation. He stated simply that everyone should have equal rights in the nation.
• Officer Denies Report of GIs in Altercation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Col. Robert K. McDonough denied that any altercation occurred between Japanese American civilians and soldiers at a Seattle dance, stating there was no fight. Col. James Hagen urged the men to conduct themselves as gentlemen.
• Nisei Girl Serves With WAC on Assignment in Austria, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Mary Yumagiwa, a WAC buck sergeant from Bellevue, Washington, serves as chief clerk in the adjutant general’s office in Austria. She said she enjoys Army life and has experienced no race-based trouble since joining.

Community

• Army, Community Act to Provide Recreation for GIs After Seattle Incident, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Seattle community representatives stressed the need for military and civilian action to provide recreational facilities for Hawaiian Nisei soldiers at Fort Lewis following a tense dance incident. Officials noted that a small group of soldiers and local veterans had caused friction for months.
• Gov. Maw Signs Bill Repealing Utah’s State Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Utah Governor Herbert Maw signed a bill repealing the 1943 Alien Land law that targeted Japanese ancestry agricultural ownership. The repeal passed nearly unanimously, with legislators citing Japanese American contributions to the war and the state economy.
• Portland Veterans Oppose Formation of Segregated Post, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Twenty-five Nisei veterans in Portland formed a club opposing a segregated veterans post and urging members to join existing national veterans chapters. The group also backed a monument at Arlington Cemetery and a Nisei veterans clubhouse in Honolulu.
• Chicago JACL Official Backs Bill for FEPC, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Tats Kushida, JACL Midwest representative, testified in Springfield on behalf of Illinois FEPC legislation, stating the JACL endorsed FEPC nationally and locally. Veteran Tak Goto also attended as a delegate of the Disabled American Veterans.
• Cite Tanabe for Effort Toward Intergroup Harmony in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Council for Civic Unity honored JACL representative Eiji Tanabe and Rev. Harold Kingsley for promoting race relations in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo. Tanabe said world peace requires people to stop living segregated by race, nation, and faith.
• Another Evacuation Faces Residents of Federal Trailer Housing Unit in California, by P.C. Staff, page 3. About 800 Japanese Americans at the Winona trailer camp in Burbank face another forced move after the National Housing Administration announced the unit will close June 30. Many residents, including over half who are school-age children, will be displaced again.
• Glendale Council Lukewarm to Housing Proposal for Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Glendale city council showed little enthusiasm for a federal proposal to set aside a city-owned tract to house 800 Winona trailer camp evacuees. Officials argued the federal government bore responsibility for resettling those it had moved.
• Nisei Veteran Ahead on Mound, Defeats Seals, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Nisei veteran Saburo Moriguchi pitched the Hawaiian Red Sox to a surprise 8-to-4 win over the San Francisco Seals in an exhibition game. He pitched six innings allowing only four hits.

Commentary

• Background for Seattle, by Elmer R. Smith, page 4. Elmer Smith argues that tensions between Seattle Nisei and Hawaiian Nisei soldiers stem from inadequate recreational facilities, competition over dates, and personal conflicts. He insists most members of both groups are good Americans and blames a small number of individuals on each side.
• Kotonks and Buddhaheads, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial examines how mainland and Hawaiian Nisei developed mutual understanding through shared wartime service in the 442nd, drawing on Andrew Lind’s research. It notes differences in community environment that shaped attitudes but argues common experiences bridged earlier misunderstandings.
• Price of Segregation, by Togo W. Tanaka, page 4. Togo Tanaka criticizes Little Tokyo businessmen for hiring Japanese American patrolmen to address crime framed as a racial issue rather than a community problem. He argues racial segregation and restrictive housing covenants underlie the crime and urges broader community solidarity.
• Racism and Land Laws, by Elmer R. Smith, page 6. Elmer Smith traces the history of racial and economic discrimination on the Pacific Coast that culminated in alien land laws targeting persons of Japanese ancestry. He documents early anti-Japanese agitation by labor groups, the Native Sons of the Golden West, and newspapers.

Sports

• Misaka Stars as Utah Cagers Enter Finals of NIT, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Wat Misaka’s defensive play helped underdog Utah upset West Virginia and Duquesne in the National Invitational Tournament. Utah advanced to the championship final against Kentucky.
• Nisei Boxers Enter NCAA Championships, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dick Miyagawa and Rocky Konoshima, Nisei boxers at the University of Wisconsin, lead their undefeated team heading into the NCAA tournament. Both were recent contenders after strong victories over Minnesota.
• Three 442nd Veterans Swim for Hawaii U., by P.C. Staff, page 7. Three Nisei veterans of the 442nd, Charley Oda, Bob Iwamoto and Johnny Tsukano, will represent the University of Hawaii swim team at the NCAA championships in Seattle. The team faces strong competition from Ohio State.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.