The closing of the Winona camp and the fight over wartime claims

Vol. 25, No. 9, September 6, 1947. 8 pages. View this issue

The closing of the Winona camp in Chicago led the news. It had housed about 1,000 returned Japanese American evacuees for 18 months, and residents were being moved to a trailer site several miles away. Other front-page items covered a federal judge’s Sept. 8 deadline for releasing internees held at Crystal City, Texas, and the JACL joining Chicago civic groups behind a 10-point program on race tensions. Editorials by Larry Tajiri took up the Evacuation Claims bill, a labor dispute at Mendota and the ACLU’s annual report on civil liberties.

Columns by Bill Hosokawa, a poem by Iwao Kawakami and a review of his collection The Parents and Other Poems fill the middle pages. Japanese Canadians formed a national citizens association in Toronto, and Peter F. Yamada reported on it. The sports pages follow Wally Yonamine, Hawaii’s baseball team at Wichita and Nisei bowling in Los Angeles.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Winona Camp Evacuees Closes; 1,000 Housed in Trailer Project Amid Emergency, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Winona camp in Chicago, which housed about 1,000 returned Japanese American evacuees for 18 months, is being closed this week. Residents are being moved to a new trailer housing site several miles away as the property owner needs the land for industrial use.
• Federal Judge Sets Sept. 8 Deadline for Release of Crystal City Internees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A federal judge ordered the government to release by Sept. 8 persons of Japanese ancestry held at Crystal City, Texas, under relaxed internment at Lordsburg, N.M. The ACLU reported the order affects 319 internees who had filed habeas corpus petitions.
• Civil Liberties Union Cites Challenge of Racial Prejudice in Annual Report on U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 2. The ACLU annual report noted an unexpected degree of adjustment by Japanese Americans after wartime evacuation and a decline in prejudice, while racial discrimination remained the most extensive challenge to civil rights. The report reviewed pending court cases including the alien land law and renunciation cases, and the evacuation claims bill.
• ADC Officials Discuss Claims Bill at Justice Department, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Justice Department official J.E. O’Loughlin discussed the Evacuation Claims bill with JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee staff, noting it would be the first compensation for wartime internment in U.S. history. Past restitution to interned enemy aliens of World War I was also reviewed.
• Sannosuke Madokoro Sues Over Lost Goods, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sannosuke Madokoro filed a $2,500 damages suit against immigration and army officials after his baggage was lost during deportation in 1945. His case concerns whether a visit to Mexico constitutes a new entry under immigration law and will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Urge Payment for Canadian Evacuee Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Toronto legal counsel Andrew Brewin proposed that Japanese Canadian evacuees receive compensation for damages similar to a U.S. Senate bill for indemnification. He urged amendments to the Canadian order-in-council establishing the inquiry commission.
• Survivor of L.A. Explosion to Join Husband in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fusako Shibuya, who survived an electroplating plant explosion in Los Angeles, was granted an award after a hearing before the Accident Commission. She will join her husband, a former master sergeant on MacArthur’s staff in Tokyo.
• CIO Farm Union Ousts Local President for Refusal to Admit Nisei to Membership, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The CIO Fresh Fruit, Vegetable and Agricultural Workers Union Local 78 ousted its president M.J. Gillette for denying membership to Japanese American workers at the Mendota Ensher ranch. The union’s action came amid a court injunction hearing on picketing at the ranch.
• Intermarriage Ban Will Be Tested in California Court, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The California Supreme Court held open a challenge to the state’s racial intermarriage ban in a case involving a white woman and a Negro man refused a marriage license. Oral arguments were scheduled for October 6 in Los Angeles.

JACL

• Japanese American Citizens League Joins Civic Groups to Urge 10-Point Program on Race Tensions, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL joined Chicago civic organizations in urging a 10-point program for controlling racial tensions, arising from the Fernwood Veterans housing incident. The statement was commended by Mayor Kennelly for his support of non-discriminatory public housing.
• Scotty Tsuchiya Resigns Post With JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Scotty Tsuchiya resigned from the JACL national staff, where he had opened the Los Angeles regional office in 1945 and aided hundreds of evacuees. JACL president Hito Okada expressed deep regret at his departure.
• The National JACL, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial welcomes JACL expansion projects in Colorado and traces the organization’s wartime survival through its prewar peak of 20,000 members. It emphasizes the need for mass membership to address evacuation claims, Issei citizenship, and alien land laws.

Military & Veterans

• Utah VFW Delegation Urges Naturalization Rights for Issei at National Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Utah delegation introduced a resolution at the VFW national encampment in Cleveland asking the organization to endorse naturalization privileges for resident Japanese aliens. The resolution cited the war service of the 442nd and other Japanese American GIs and their parents’ willingness to sacrifice their sons.

Community

• Nisei Doctor Named to Denver City Medical Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. George Ogura was named assistant medical examiner in Denver under a new city medical setup that eliminated the office of coroner. He will serve until the position is filled by Dr. Angelo Lapi.
• Yori Wada Appointed Deputy Registrar in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yori Wada was appointed a full-time deputy registrar for the November San Francisco municipal elections, following a suggestion by the Golden Gate chapter of the American Veterans Committee. Chapter chairman Ken Baba announced the appointment.
• Japanese Racial Group Shows Gain in Hawaii Totals, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese racial group in Hawaii showed the second-largest increase in the territory’s population according to a recent board of health report. The Caucasian group showed the greatest increase.
• Hawaii Queens Go Sightseeing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaii’s 442nd veterans club carnival queens, Blanche Jikaku and Jane Udo, visited Los Angeles on a sightseeing trip, touring Paramount studio and attending a luncheon at 20th Century Fox. The trip was funded to support a memorial clubhouse fundraising effort in Honolulu.
• Meet the Halls—Address, Somewhere in Europe, by Esther L’Ecluse, page 2. Larry and Ruth Hall, former Salt Lake City journalists well known in Nisei circles, plan an eight-month European trip to write freelance articles on political and economic conditions. Larry previously wrote on relocation for newspapers and worked with JACL headquarters.
• Japanese Canadian Bride Arrives in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mrs. Frank Kawagoe, a Japanese Canadian, became the first foreign-born bride of a Japanese ancestry American serviceman to enter the U.S. under the amended GI Brides Act. The couple will make their home in Long Beach, California.
• Bataan Hero Crowns Queen, by Ben Terashima, page 3. Bataan Death March survivor Garry James Anloff Jr. presented the JACL Centennial Queen trophy to Mardya Yasuda at the Salt Lake chapter’s Labor Day dance. Miss Yasuda was the candidate of the LDS Fireside group.
• Nisei to Reopen Student Clubhouse in Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Japanese students clubhouse at the University of Washington will reopen this month for the first time since evacuation. It will operate on a cooperative basis with vacancies filled by application order.

National

• Japanese Canadians Organize National Body to Fight for Rights as Dominion Citizens, by Peter F. Yamada, page 1. Delegates from Japanese Canadian organizations met in Toronto to form the Japanese Canadian Citizens Association, modeled on the JACL. The new body will pursue evacuation property loss claims, with JACL representative Mike Masaoka addressing the conference.

Commentary

• Grounds Used to Roar Here, by Colorado Times, page 2. A humorous reflection on Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, site of the first atomic reactor, now slated for demolition. The writer contrasts its past as a football stadium with its role in the Manhattan Project.
• State of the Union, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial reviews an ACLU annual report finding civil liberties sharply worsened in the year ending July 1947 as national unity faded. It warns that restrictions on minority rights persist and that groups must stay vigilant.
• Dispute at Mendota, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial condemns Local 78 of the FTA union for discriminating against Japanese American workers at the Ensher ranch, which management exploited in an anti-labor move. It contrasts this with the ILWU’s stronger anti-discrimination stance.
• Home of the Brave, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column describes a Chinese American GI’s wife and child held by San Francisco immigration authorities for months, prompting an ACLU protest that led to relaxed visitor rules. It frames the case as a contrast to ordinary American experience.
• Encampment, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A University of Utah student’s account of an interracial citizenship encampment at Pieldston College reflects on the experience of living with Negro girls. The JACL will offer scholarships for Nisei to attend the yearly event.
• Color Blind—a National Disease, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column reviews Margaret Halsey’s book Color Blind, drawing on its observations about prejudice and the psychology of inferiority. It recommends the book as a handbook on interracial relations.
• MPF—A Good 3c Meal, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column promotes MPF, a multi-purpose food developed at Caltech that provides relief nutrition for about three cents per meal. It explains how readers can donate or send MPF directly to individuals in Japan.
• Epitaph, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A short commentary reflects on the death of Senator Theodore Bilbo, noting his inflammatory rhetoric. The piece observes that his public influence had been diminishing before his passing.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa profiles T. John Fujii, a Nisei INS employee and romantic who was caught in Singapore by the war and later returned to Japan. The column describes his married life and the peace he has found in Japan.
• Legion Comes to Town, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes the national American Legion convention parade in New York, noting the dominance of older veterans and the scarcity of Nisei participants. He observes that younger veterans were less interested in the festivities.
• Memories of Camp Life, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Commentary reprinted from the Progressive News recalls Gila camp dances fondly, and the editors wryly suggest a society to perpetuate camp memories through pilgrimages to old campsites.
• The Mother, by Iwao Kawakami, page 5. A poem by Iwao Kawakami portraying his mother’s final illness and the memories of her years of labor and sacrifice. The poem moves between her dying moments and recollections of her strength.
• A Chicago Sketch: Knock on Any Bar Door, by Jobo Nakamura, page 6. Jobo Nakamura recounts a night wandering the Clark Street bars of Chicago among lonely men, observing a dancer, a Negro singer, and a dice game. The sketch captures the melancholy of the neighborhood.
• Veteran’s Answer, by Ernest Uno, page 6. A letter responds to a Nisei veteran’s article opposing integration, arguing that Japanese cultural attitudes of hierarchy hinder integration. The writer urges Nisei to abandon self-pity and practice tolerance toward other minorities.
• Serisawa Painting Shown at Fair, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sueo Serisawa’s oil painting, Girl in the Blue Jacket, received honorable mention at the California State Fair art show. The item notes the artist’s Los Angeles and New York background.

In-Depth

• Iwao Kawakami’s Poetry, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A review of Iwao Kawakami’s poetry collection The Parents and Other Poems, covering portraits of his family and poems about wartime relocation. The reviewer praises its varied verse forms while wishing for more on camp experiences.

Sports

• Sad Sam Ichinose Reports Another Sad Experience, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Manager Sad Sam Ichinose’s fighters were turned back at the Paris airport for lacking French visas, forcing a return to London. Ichinose also charged that Tsuneshi Maruo lost two bouts in British Isles on home-town decisions.
• Muramoto’s Outfield Play Named Tourney’s Most Valuable, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Hawaii’s centerfielder Muramoto was honored for his outstanding outfield play at the National Semi-Pro Baseball Tournament in Wichita. The Hawaiian team earned recognition for sportsmanship despite finishing sixth.
• Yonamine Carries Ball Only Once in Aug. 17 Game with Dodgers, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Wally Yonamine, Hawaiian backfield ace, saw limited action in his first league game with the San Francisco Forty-Niners against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He carried the ball only once in the contest.
• Hirose Swims to Second in Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Takashi Hirose of Ohio State finished near the top in the national swimming meet, with his strong performance in events noted. The summary covers his progress in the tournament.
• Sawtelle Garage Wins L.A. Bowling Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sawtelle Garage won the team championship of the first postwar Los Angeles Nisei bowling tournament. Several other teams and individual bowlers finished with notable series scores.
• San Jose Nine Wins Northern California Title, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The San Jose Nisei baseball team won the Northern California Nisei baseball championship by defeating Richmond A.C. 9 to 8 in the final. Pitching and fielding were highlighted in the victory.
• Davis Comets Lose Two Games in Utah, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The all-Nisei Davis Comets lost their two games in the Utah state amateur baseball tournament. Their performance was summarized in the sports roundup.
• Keo Nakama Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A notice about the second annual Keo Nakama swimming meet in Honolulu, named for the former AAU champion who was refused service at the Outrigger Canoe Club. The event drew top American swimmers and was held in honor of Nakama.

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