The Oyama land law case, deportations and the Nisei record

Vol. 22, No. 19, May 11, 1946. 8 pages. View this issue

The Oyama case led the news. The California Supreme Court will hear the test of the state’s anti-alien land law on June 10, and county attorneys have filed briefs defending the law. Nearby stories covered escheat suits in Fresno, a fishing license denied to Torao Takahashi because of his Japanese ancestry, and the American Veterans Committee’s protest against the Justice Department’s rushed deportations. An editorial, “Unseemly Haste,” took up the same subject. Hodding Carter’s Pulitzer Prize for his “Go for Broke” editorial also ran on page 1.

Other pages followed Nisei soldiers and veterans: a Distinguished Unit Citation for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, General Joseph Stilwell’s talk at a San Francisco JACL dinner, and a Nisei basketball tour of northern Italy. Larry Tajiri wrote on the WRA, Bill Hosokawa and Mary Oyama contributed columns, and the Tule Lake center passed to the Bureau of Reclamation.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• California Supreme Court Will Hear Oyama Test Case in Alien Land Act June 10, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Supreme Court will hear the Oyama case testing the constitutionality of the anti-alien land law on June 10. Briefs upholding the law have been filed by county attorneys, while civil rights groups prepare briefs opposing it.
• AVC Protests Agency’s Haste in Deportation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California State Council of the American Veterans Committee challenged the Justice Department’s rushed deportation activities against persons of Japanese ancestry. It asked Attorney General Clark and Rep. Helen Gahagan Douglas for a stay pending court decisions.
• Returned Evacuee Files Suit Challenging Fishing Ban, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Torao Takahashi filed a petition for writ of mandamus against the California Fish and Game Commission after being denied a commercial fishing license solely due to his Japanese ancestry. The petition argues the law violates his constitutional rights despite his family’s military service.
• Escheat Suits Filed by State in Fresno Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The State filed two escheat suits in Fresno against Takei and Natsuye Iwamura and their children over Selma and Sanger properties. The complaint alleges the children held title but the parents, barred by the alien land law, actually controlled the land.
• Evacuees May Claim Proceeds from Sale of Stored Goods, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Former owners of property sold at auction by the War Relocation Authority on April 29 may request payment of proceeds by writing to the WRA or Department of Interior. Requests should describe the property and include WRA form 155 if available.
• WRA Tule Lake Center Transferred to Reclamation Bureau, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The War Relocation Authority’s Tule Lake center, where nearly 30,000 Japanese Americans were interned during the war, was transferred to the Bureau of Reclamation on May 4. Pending legislation would transfer the facilities to veterans’ use.
• Immigration Appeals Board Will Be Urged to Delay Deportations of Alien Group, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Attorney A. L. Wirin traveled to Washington to urge the Board of Immigration Appeals to halt deportations of Issei in hardship cases pending congressional action. The Department of Justice has ordered deportations stopped pending the Board’s decision.

Commentary

• Pulitzer Prize Given Editor for Editorial on Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hodding Carter, editor of the Delta Democrat Times, received the Pulitzer Prize for editorials on racial tolerance, including his ‘Go for Broke’ editorial about Japanese American soldiers. The editorial praised the 442nd Regimental Combat Team’s motto and spirit.
• Japanese American Loyalty in Talk at JACL Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 3. General Joseph Stilwell told a San Francisco JACL testimonial dinner that Japanese Americans proved their right to full American privileges through their willingness to fight and die. National JACL Secretary Mike Masaoka also paid tribute to home front supporters of the Nisei.
• Los Angeles Paper Exposes Organized Movement to Purge City Area of Non-Caucasians, by George Hanson, page 3. The interracial paper NOW reported an organized campaign to bar non-Caucasian residents from a square mile of Los Angeles near USC through restrictive covenants. Homes once occupied by Japanese Americans were targeted in the effort.
• Unseemly Haste, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns the Justice Department’s rushed roundup of Japanese aliens for deportation, noting most were legal visitors whose status was voided by war. It calls for treatment equal to European aliens in hardship cases.
• American Press, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the press for its role in informing the public about Japanese Americans and supporting the relocation program, citing the Pulitzer Prize awarded to Hodding Carter. It credits newspapers across the country with helping ease the return of evacuees.
• Facts vs. Myths, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial cites William Worden’s Saturday Evening Post article debunking myths about Japanese Americans, including claims about population growth, birth rates and economic competition. The statistics show these charges were unfounded.
• The WRA Won Its Fight, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The column praises the War Relocation Authority under Dillon Myer for resisting political pressure and carrying out a democratic relocation program. It recounts attacks by the Dies Committee and argues the agency’s record is remarkable.
• From the Frying Pan: Reflections on Pride in Ownership, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reflects on a friend’s pride in a new car as an example of the American spirit of ownership. He argues that such pride in possessions keeps the American way of life stronger than any authoritarian economic system.
• Back on the Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A returning veteran’s letter describes Nisei finding work and housing on the West Coast and expresses hope for community integration. He urges Nisei to join community activities and practice democracy.
• Planting Seeds, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. The column reflects on children’s fascination with planting seeds and the human instinct connected to harvesting. It ties this to the author’s sense that time gradually heals the wounds of evacuation.
• To You Overseas, by Mary Oyama, page 6. Mary Oyama writes to Nisei soldiers overseas urging them not to spread racial prejudice against Negroes and Filipinos abroad. She calls on them to honor the democratic ideals their comrades died for.

Obituaries

• Nisei Soldier Killed in Japan Jeep Accident, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pfc. Tokiwo Murakami of Montebello, California, died April 22 from internal injuries sustained in a jeep accident in Japan. He was survived by his parents, two sisters and two brothers.
• Nisei Found Dead in Garage Home, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mark S. Fujii, 25, was found dead in a converted garage dwelling in Glendale, California, apparently from a self-inflicted stab wound. He had gone to work at a restaurant adjacent to his home five days earlier.

Military & Veterans

• Seventh Citation Given Nisei Combat Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team received a presidential Distinguished Unit Citation for its role spearheading the final Italian offensive in April 1945. The War Department said the unit turned a diversionary attack into a full-scale offensive that helped destroy German forces in Italy.
• MIS Language School Will Be Moved to Presidio at Monterey, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Military Intelligence Service Language School, which trained more than 8,000 linguists mostly Japanese Americans, will move to the Presidio at Monterey in June. The school remains necessary for training personnel for occupation duties in Japan.
• Gen. Bradley Will Urge Use of Minority Group Personnel by Veterans Administration, by P.C. Staff, page 2. General Omar Bradley agreed to urge regional administrators to appoint minority group personnel as training and field contact officers in the Veterans Administration. The commitment followed a conference organized by the American Council on Race Relations, in which the National JACL participated.
• Colorado Nisei Cited for Rescue at Trapped Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Staff Sergeant Tashi Uyeno of Fort Lupton, Colorado received the Silver Star for facilitating the rescue of a trapped platoon near Casala, Italy. Despite being wounded, he set up a machine gun in exposed terrain and pinned down a large enemy force.
• Mother Receives Son’s Medal, by P.C. Staff, page 3. General Joseph Stilwell presented the posthumous Bronze Star to Mrs. Kumakichi Tahara in honor of her son Pfc. Cooper Tahara, who died defending his company’s flank in France. The award was presented at a San Francisco JACL dinner.
• Air Borne Veterans Group Raps Discrimination Against Nisei by Ex-GI Organizations, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Air Borne Veterans of the United States unanimously opposed discrimination against qualified Nisei veterans seeking membership. The action followed the Spokane VFW’s refusal of membership to Japanese American combat veterans.
• Ben Kuroki’s Story Told in Article in See Magazine, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Millard Lampell’s article in See magazine profiles Nisei tailgunner Ben Kuroki and describes how racial bigotry affects veterans of many backgrounds. It argues that the war fought against racism should produce equal opportunity at home.
• Navy Veteran Seeks Resumption of Pension Pay, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Hoichi Narasaki, a navy veteran who lived in Japan for years, applied to resume his pension payments after the freezing of Japanese assets. He is awaiting settlement of the reparations program.
• Role of Japanese American Linguists in Pacific Campaign Described by Army Officer, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Lt. Col. John Anderton credited Nisei linguists with outstanding intelligence work and reported no disloyalty or court-martials among his 800 men. He quoted General Willoughby’s view that the war would have lasted two more years without them.

Sports

• Nisei Basketball Team Plays Series in Northern Italy, by John Ito, page 2. The 442nd Combat Team basketball squad toured northern Italy, winning most games against Army opponents in Udine, Cividale, Trieste and Gorizia. The team also enjoyed a rest stay at Cortina, where the players skied and sightseed.

Community

• Denver Nisei Win Honors, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Roy Isao Iritani and Henry Shibata Akubo, two Denver Nisei, were honored for ranking in the upper 10 percent of their classes at Colorado A and M College in Fort Collins.
• San Jose WRA Office Closes After Aiding 6400 Returnees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The San Jose district office of the War Relocation Authority closed May 4 after helping approximately 6400 returnees resume life in the area. Farm workers will now be placed through the USES and a Progressive Growers office.
• WRA Official Hails Palo Alto Aid to Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. James Edmiston, WRA district relocation supervisor, praised Palo Alto for helping returning evacuees reestablish themselves, crediting local newspapers and churches. He thanked city government, Stanford University and citizens for their support.
• Tokyo Rose May Escape Trial, Reports Chicago Sun Writer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Iva Toguri, known as Tokyo Rose, may avoid prosecution as Allied officials reportedly feel they would have difficulty making charges stick. Correspondent Gayn reported that a magazine contract with her was canceled after she had been paid for an exclusive article.
• Nisei Student Will Participate in Youth Week, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Frank Matsumoto, a Chicago Nisei high school student, was selected to serve as city treasurer for one day during Youth Week, May 13 to 18. Two Negro youths were also named to city positions in the program.
• Canada Eases Ban Against Land Purchase, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Canadian restrictions preventing Japanese Canadians from purchasing land have been considerably eased, especially in eastern Canada. The easing follows the government’s gradual lifting of wartime restrictions on persons of Japanese origin.
• Washington News-Letter: Ben Kuroki Keeps Plugging On His 59th Mission, by John Kitasako, page 5. Ben Kuroki has become a widely sought speaker against prejudice, having addressed audiences from grade schools to national conventions. The article recounts memorable speaking engagements, including a Commonwealth Club address and a White Plains classroom visit.
• Triumph of Justice, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Brooklyn Eagle editorial praises the Brooklyn hostel, which served 1600 Japanese Americans during the war, as a triumph of justice. It notes the hostel’s closing reflects successful resettlement of its residents.
• Mochizuki Elected Editor at Bingham, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Isamu Mochizuki was elected editor of the school publication at Bingham high school in Utah. The election was held last week.
• Canadian Mill Union Denies Discrimination Charge, by P.C. Staff, page 6. IWA president Harold Pritchett rejected a charge by a British Columbia sawmill operator that the CIO union was targeting Japanese Canadian mill workers for organizing. Pritchett said the union does not discriminate against anyone.
• Seattle Committee Seeks State Action for Fair Employment, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A new Washington State fair employment practices committee, including three Nisei members, will push for anti-discrimination legislation modeled on New York’s law. The committee seeks to prohibit employment discrimination based on race, creed or color.
• Denver JACL Members Urged to Hear Minorities Champion, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Denver JACL urged members to hear Claude Williams, a noted minorities champion, speak at First Baptist Church on May 17. Williams was in Denver May 15 to 18 for a series of talks.
• Brighton Nisei Wins County Spelling Bee, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Lorina Hatasaka, 12, of Brighton, Colorado, won the Adams County spelling bee and represented the county in a state spelldown in Denver. She beat 34 other spellers in the county contest.
• Nisei Veteran Passes CPA Test, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Shigeji Takeda, a Nisei veteran with a UCLA degree, was one of 27 successful candidates out of 300 on the Illinois CPA examination. He is pursuing a master’s degree at Northwestern University.

JACL

• Masao Satow Will Take Part in Social Work Panel, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Masao Satow, the National JACL’s eastern representative, will present the organization’s views on interracial and cultural tensions on a panel at the National Conference on Social Work in Buffalo. He previously represented JACL at the final meeting of the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Student Gives Recital in Boise, by P.C. Staff, page 2. June Oda, a Nisei voice student, presented a graduation recital at Boise Junior College in preparation for receiving a degree in music in June.
• Hizi Koyke Returns to Madame Butterfly, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Hizi Koyke returned to the operatic stage in the title role of Madame Butterfly with the San Carlo Opera Company in San Francisco. The New York Times praised her expressive and persuasive interpretation.

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