Nisei soldiers, housing fights and the Alien Land Act in 1946

Vol. 23, No. 11, September 21, 1946. 8 pages. View this issue

Japanese Americans in the fall of 1946 were still fighting for a place in postwar life, and this eight-page issue followed several of those fights. Lieut. Henry H. Kuwabara of Salt Lake City received the Order of the British Empire for service in Burma. Mike Masaoka urged voters in San Jose to defeat Proposition 15, which would validate amendments to the Alien Land Act. California Attorney General Robert W. Kenny called restrictive covenants un-American, and Frank Yamaguchi, a veteran, stayed in his Denver home despite a neighbors’ petition. Larry Tajiri’s editorials took on the Joint Immigration Committee and the loss of non-discriminatory hiring gains.

Elsewhere in the issue, the Southern California JACL District Council planned to reorganize after four years of inactivity. Nisei soldiers at Monterey sent money to fight polio in Minnesota. Bill Hosokawa’s column looked at food and family, and Elmer R. Smith reviewed Forrest LaViolette’s book Americans of Japanese Ancestry. Coverage of Japanese Canadian deportations and the renunciants’ hearing in San Francisco appeared as well.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

  • Nisei Soldier Awarded High British Military Medal for Service With British Force in Burma War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lieut. Henry H. Kuwabara of Salt Lake City received the Order of the British Empire for meritorious service in Burma with the 36th Indian Division. Six Nisei language instructors from the Military Intelligence Service Language School were commissioned as second lieutenants on Sept. 11.
  • Nisei Soldier Denied Service at Army PX in Philippines, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Merchant seaman Masota of the S.S. Donald Dickinson was ordered out of an Army exchange at Tacloban, Philippines, after an officer said privileges were open only to American citizens. Masota’s citizenship was confirmed by two shipmates, but the officer insisted he leave.
  • Nisei Gis Send Money to Aid Minnesota’s Fight on Polio, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nisei soldiers at the Military Intelligence Service Language School in Monterey sent $1,236.05 to Governor Thye to fight polio in Minnesota. The gift recognized the hospitality Minnesota extended to them during the war.
  • Post-War Problems of Nisei Veterans Told on Radio Show, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The U.S. Army’s Warriors of Peace radio program highlighted post-war discrimination faced by Nisei veterans and recounted their combat exploits in Europe and the Pacific. The script was written by Ira Marion.
  • San Francisco-Born Japanese Is Star Witness at Guam Trial, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fumio Tamamuro, a San Francisco-born Japanese youth, testified as the star witness at the Guam war crimes trial of 14 Japanese officers and men accused of executing an American Navy pilot. He identified Captain Yoshii as the officer who ordered the execution and recounted his conversations with the prisoner.
  • Nisei Seaman Received Many Beatings in Japan Prison Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kenneth Maeda, the only Japanese American aboard the freighter Malama, was beaten repeatedly by Japanese crew members after being taken prisoner. He refused to join the Japanese Army or learn the language during more than three and a half years of internment.
  • The Pacific Story, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial notes that the Army trained thousands of Japanese American intelligence personnel whose work proved invaluable. It also documents how Navy and Marine forces used Nisei soldiers despite refusing to enlist them.
  • Nisei Amputee Is Winning His Most Important Battle, by John Kitasako, page 6. Pfc. Wilson Makabe, a 442nd veteran and amputee at Walter Reed Hospital, is adjusting to life without his right leg. He plans to attend college after discharge and remains hopeful about American democracy despite the burning of his family’s home.
  • California Commission Initiates Move for Reinstatement of Nisei Ousted in 1942 Action, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The California Civil Service Commission took first steps toward reinstating 11 Nisei state employees dismissed in 1942, though the state contested back pay. Final decisions were expected within 60 days.

Community

  • Southern California JACL District Council to Be Reactivated at Meeting Oct. 6, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Southern California JACL District Council will reorganize after four years of inactivity at a meeting on Oct. 6 in Los Angeles. National officials George Inagaki and Mike Masaoka are scheduled to address the group.
  • Suit Filed to Recover Store Seized by U.S. Property Custodian, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A third suit was filed in Los Angeles on September 17 to recover property of Kakuo Tanaka, a wholesale vegetable dealer, seized by the Property Custodian. The company was represented by attorneys including John Maeno and Elmer Yamashita.
  • Deportees from Seattle Bound for Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A group of Japanese Canadian deportees under the government’s voluntary deportation program left Kaslo, B.C. by train for Seattle, from where they were to sail on Sept. 24.
  • Nisei Veterans Enter Hawaiian Political Races, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Joe Itagaki, a 442nd veteran, and Calvin K. Ueki, a counter-intelligence veteran, announced Republican candidacies for the Hawaii territorial legislature. Their campaigns mark a notable step for Nisei veterans in territorial politics.
  • Miyake May Be Drafted to Return to Kauai Politics, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Former Supervisor Noboru Miyake has been asked by Kauai Republicans to run against incumbent J.B. Fernandes for the territorial senate seat. Miyake served continuously on the Board of Supervisors from 1920 until 1942.
  • Masaoka Urges Defeat of Proposition 15, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka urged voters in San Jose to defeat Proposition 15, which would validate amendments to the Alien Land Act. He also urged support for Proposition 11 creating a state Fair Employment Practices Commission.
  • Avon Sutton Speaks to Mid-Columbia Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Avon Sutton, president of the League for Liberty and Justice, addressed the Mid-Columbia JACL at its last regular meeting in Hood River, Oregon. He gave a short message to the group.
  • Nisei Veteran and Family Remain in New Denver Home Despite Threats, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Frank Yamaguchi, a returned Japanese American veteran, moved into his Sheridan Road home in Denver despite a petition and threats from neighbors. Officials now believe the matter is closed, and no violence has materialized.
  • Survey Opinions of Neighbors Who Demanded Ouster of Nisei, by Tsutomu Fukuyama, page 2. A Fellowship of Reconciliation survey found that many of the 38 Westwood residents who signed a petition against Frank Yamaguchi signed without strong racial prejudice. Ten of them indicated willingness to rescind their signatures.
  • Minneapolis Group Delays Approval of Housing Project, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Minneapolis planning commission again delayed approval of the Oakhill cemetery subdivision after Jon Matsuo, a veteran, was denied a home there due to a non-Caucasian restriction. The veterans housing project was moved to another part of the city.
  • 29 Issei File Applications for First Citizen Papers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Twenty-nine Issei in the Denver area filed applications for first naturalization papers, according to Minoru Yasui, regional JACL director. The Denver JACL office continues to assist applicants with forms.
  • Civil Rights Defense Group Elects Nisei Board, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Civil Rights Defense Union of Northern California elected an all-Nisei board of directors and completed its incorporation. The board also voted to donate $5,000 toward the national JACL program.
  • Three Nisei Appointed to Staffs at Colleges and Schools, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Kenneth Kurihara, who worked for OSS, was appointed to the political science department at Princeton University. Osamu Shimizu and Constance Murayama also received appointments at other institutions.
  • Okada Will Install New Officers of Spokane JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Spokane JACL will hold an installation banquet on September 29 at the Desert Hotel, where national president Hito Okada will install the new officers. Several community leaders will serve on the advisory board.
  • Nisei Students Drive Jeep From Hawaii to Schools, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three Nisei students shipped a war surplus jeep from Hawaii to Minneapolis, then drove it to colleges in Michigan and Minnesota. The trio bought the jeep for $350 and paid to freight it to the mainland.
  • Takushi Places in Dipsea Marathon, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Takushi placed well in the Dipsea race from Mill Valley to the ocean. Results were reported in the community section.
  • Stockton Chapter of JACL Will Be Reactivated Soon, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Reactivation of the Stockton JACL chapter will be undertaken at a meeting on September 22 at the Stockton Buddhist church. The chapter had been inactive since the evacuation.
  • Federal Court Will Hear Plea of Renunciants, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Federal court hearings on the appeal of nearly 1,000 Tule Lake segregees seeking return of renounced citizenship will open September 23 in San Francisco. The renunciants claim they renounced citizenship under duress at the camp.
  • Nisei Veterans Group Formed in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Nisei Veterans of World War II was organized in Chicago with Imon as temporary president. Other officers include Mike Hagiwara, Haruo Fujimoto, and Shiro Kashino.
  • David Hayashi Wins Scholarship to Fieldston School, by P.C. Staff, page 3. David Y. Hayashi of Sacramento was awarded a one-year scholarship to the Fieldston School in Riverdale, New York. The Greater New York Committee for Japanese Americans announced the award.
  • Betrothal of Miss Takayoshi to Iowa Newsman Disclosed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The engagement of Yurino Takayoshi, New York representative of the JACL, to Pfc. Everett J. Starr of Iowa was announced in New York. The couple met while working on reception plans for the 442nd and the marriage will likely take place in November.
  • Denver JACL Group Will Take Part in Community Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Denver JACL will participate in a community meeting on employment practices at the Albany Hotel. The meeting addresses discrimination in hiring.
  • Portland JACL Group Schedules Fun Night, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Portland JACL chapter will hold a public Fun Night on September 28 at the Williams Avenue YWCA. A brief public meeting will precede the festivities.
  • Canadian Government Policy Subject of Debate in House of Commons, by P.C. Staff, page 8. CCF member Mr. MacInnis asked the House of Commons to relax restrictions on Japanese Canadian movements, citing a Saskatchewan lawyer who needed a police permit to take the bar in Nova Scotia. Labor Minister Mitchell defended the controls as necessary until dispersal was complete.
  • Mid-Columbia Picnic, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Mid-Columbia JACL held its first post-evacuation picnic at Cooper’s Lake near Hood River, Oregon. About seventy-five people enjoyed swimming, baseball, hiking, and refreshments.

National

  • New York Paper Drops Opposition to Hawaii State, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The New York Daily News announced it now approves of Hawaii’s aspirations for statehood. The paper had previously opposed statehood largely due to concerns about Hawaii’s large Japanese-ancestry population.
  • Kenny Attacks Race Covenants as Un-American, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California Attorney General Robert W. Kenny condemned restrictive covenants barring Japanese Americans and other minorities from residential areas in a radio broadcast. Kenny declared such covenants un-American and illegal.
  • U.S. Seeks to Preserve Job Gains of Minority Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Masao W. Satow reported on a conference with Labor Secretary Schwellenbach about preserving wartime non-discrimination gains in employment as USES returns to state control. Minority groups insisted the government should not service discriminatory job orders.
  • Proposed Test Case on Issei Citizenship Dropped by AJC, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The American Jewish Congress dropped its planned test case on Issei citizenship after the Immigration and Naturalization department agreed to accept first papers from Japanese resident aliens. Resident aliens of Japanese ancestry remain barred from full citizenship under current law.
  • Church of England Opposes Canadian Deportation Program, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The General Synod of the Church of England in Canada passed a resolution opposing the government’s deportation of persons of Japanese ancestry. The church called for safeguarding the civil and property rights of Japanese Canadians.
  • Canadian Evacuee Centers May Continue on Permanent Basis, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A proposal would convert Japanese Canadian evacuee centers at Greenwood and Midway in British Columbia into permanent, self-supporting communities. The plan was forwarded to the federal government.
  • New Los Angeles Escheat Case Will Provide Test of State’s Alien Land Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The State of California opened an escheat suit in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking to seize 71 acres of West Los Angeles farmland under the Alien Land Law. Defense attorney A.L. Wirin argued the law is obsolete and unconstitutional.

Obituaries

  • Detroit Negro Citizens Raise Fund for Nisei ex-GI Hero, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Detroit citizens are raising an educational fund for the family of Steve Yato, a Japanese American veteran who drowned on July 4 trying to rescue two Negro boys. More than $1,500 has been raised toward the fund.
  • Body of Ben Murakoshi Washed Ashore at Michigan Beach, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The body of Ben Murakoshi, one of three crew members lost when the yacht sank in a storm on Lake Michigan, was found at South Haven. Murakoshi was a 64-year-old Issei who had worked as a cook aboard the vessel.

Commentary

  • The Minnesota Story: Secret Dance Paved Way for Acceptance of Nisei Soldiers, by George Grim, page 2. Columnist George Grim recounts how a dance at Camp Savage brought Minneapolis women and Nisei soldiers together and broke the ice of community acceptance. He describes how that warmth culminated in the soldiers’ donation to Minnesota’s polio fund.
  • The Racist Old Guard, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial condemns H.J. McClatchey of the Joint Immigration Committee for pushing a constitutional amendment to strengthen California’s Alien Land Law. It argues his wartime rhetoric is racist provocation contrary to American democratic principles.
  • Jobs for All, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial examines the return of the U.S. Employment Service to state control and warns wartime gains in non-discriminatory hiring may be lost. It urges organized local pressure and state FEPC legislation to protect minority workers.
  • Defining a Demagogue, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial quotes Georgia Governor Ellis Arnall’s description of the political demagogue who scapegoats weak religious or racial groups. It draws parallels to demagoguery directed at Japanese Americans on the Pacific Coast.
  • Vagaries, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. A column of miscellaneous notes on Nisei activities, including a company union attempt among Nisei at Wall Street firms, Nisei poet Kenneth Yasuda’s translations, and Ben Kuroki’s membership in an American Legion post. It also touches on Hawaii swimming and bowling.
  • From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reflects on food tastes in a Denver sushi shop encounter with two Nisei GIs and on his youthful diet at Alaska canneries. He also shares a humorous exchange with his young son about a bandit robbing a theater.
  • The Raymond Booths Still Fight For Justice for Evacuees, by Herbert Wada, page 6. Herbert Wada profiles Dr. and Mrs. G. Raymond Booth, Quaker advocates who worked for fair treatment of evacuees throughout the war. The Booths later worked on relocation in Cincinnati, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

JACL

  • $600 Donated to Work of JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 2. National JACL president Hito Okada acknowledged $600 in donations from two individuals, including $500 from Takejiro Kawasaki and $100 from Seigi Uehara of Honolulu. The funds support the national organization’s work.

In-Depth

  • Rockefeller Report Notes UC’s Resettlement Study, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Rockefeller Foundation annual report describes the University of California’s evacuation and resettlement study directed by Professor Dorothy Swaine Thomas as a unique record in social science. The study documented the forced uprooting of West Coast citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry.

Arts & Entertainment

  • Yuriko Amemiya, Noted Dancer, Weds Nisei Writer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Yuriko Amemiya, a dancer with Martha Graham’s company, married Cpl. Charles Kikuchi, a writer and social research worker, on September 14 at Fort Hancock, New Jersey. Amemiya has had prominent roles in several Graham productions.
  • Nisei: The Great Nisei Novel, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri surveys Nisei and Japanese-born writers who have published books and notes the lack of a major Nisei novel. He also describes forthcoming documentation of the evacuation experience.
  • Forrest LaViolette Studies The Japanese Americans, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Elmer R. Smith reviews Forrest LaViolette’s study Americans of Japanese Ancestry, praising the chapters on vocational problems while questioning generalizations about Nisei family life. He finds the assimilation chapter challenging and recommends the book for Nisei readers.

Sports

  • Hirose Places Third in Paris Swimming Race, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Halo Hirose, a Nisei war veteran and member of Ohio State’s NCAA championship squad, represented the United States in the 100-meter freestyle at the Grand Prix de Paris. He finished third behind Alex Jany of France.

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