President Truman honors the 442nd, and a court turns away the renunciants

Vol. 23, No. 3, July 20, 1946. 8 pages. View this issue

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team’s homecoming in Washington filled this eight-page issue. John Kitasako reported that President Truman presented the Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation on July 15 and told the men they had fought prejudice as well as the enemy. Other stories covered memorial services at Fort Belvoir, the unit’s deactivation in Hawaii, and Secretary of War Robert Patterson’s tribute. Kitasako also wrote about Dillon Myer watching the parade in the rain, and the editorials praised the unit’s record.

On page one, Federal Judge A. F. St. Sure dismissed the court action by former Tule Lake residents seeking to regain their citizenship, giving the ACLU 20 days to amend its complaint. Elsewhere, A. L. Wirin’s reply brief in the Oyama case challenged California’s Alien Land law, and the JACL formed an Anti-Discrimination Committee in Utah. Bill Hosokawa’s Vagaries column offered a lighter note about getting lost in Denver.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• President Truman Honors Nisei Troops, by By JOHN KITASAKO, page 1. President Truman presented the Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Washington on July 15 before thousands of spectators. He praised the unit for fighting prejudice as well as the enemy.
• 442nd Returnees Hold Rites for Fallen Comrades, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Members of the returned 442nd held memorial services at Fort Belvoir for men killed in action. A group then placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington.
• Plans Changed, Combat Team To Be Deactivated in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The War Department announced the 442nd would be deactivated in Hawaii rather than at Fort Belvoir. Hawaiian members will carry the colors there while mainland veterans go to separation centers.
• No Americans Will Forget Heroism of Nisei Americans, Says War Secretary Patterson, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Secretary of War Robert Patterson called the 442nd members heroes whose exploits no American will forget. His letter to Colonel Pursall praised their battle skill and bravery in Italy and France.
• Hawaiian Nisei GIs Will Leave For Home July 23, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Hawaiian contingent of the 442nd will sail from New York via the Panama Canal, the fastest route available. Departure is tentatively set for July 23 with no stopover.
• Tribute Paid Nisei Missing in Action, Left in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. About 1300 442nd veterans who lacked enough points for discharge remained in Italy and were transferred to Foggia. A GI newspaper reported poor tent conditions and frustration among these men.
• Soldier Killed at Trieste May Be Nisei GI, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A soldier reportedly of Japanese ancestry, Walter L. Kugawa, was killed in an ambush at Trieste on July 16. Angry American soldiers searched the countryside for the attackers.
• President Truman Reviews Japanese American Troops, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Four amputee 442nd veterans were honored guests at the presidential review and seated near the President. The article describes their wounds and the nurses who accompanied them.
• Earl Finch Will Leave Soon for West Coast Tour, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Earl Finch left Washington for business matters and will travel to Los Angeles to address veterans readjustment problems. He will also confer with USO officials in Monterey about recreation for Nisei soldiers.
• No Americans Will Forget, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A 442nd first sergeant explained the unit’s spirit, citing mutual care among soldiers and capable leaders. He said the shared experience of prejudice at home united the men.
• Valor Acclaimed, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Stockton Record praised the 442nd for its combat valor and sacrifice, citing its many decorations and purple hearts. The editorial says the unit proved its loyalty in battle.
• Two Nisei Veterans Return Home With Mainland Brides, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Two Hawaiian Nisei veterans, Harold Nakasone and Hidami Naito, returned home with brides from the mainland. Nakasone is a four-campaign veteran of the 442nd.
• Canadian Nisei Soldier’s Property Forced Sale Protested, by P.C. Staff, page 8. CCF leader M. J. Coldwell protested the forced sale of property belonging to a Japanese Canadian soldier serving overseas with Canadian forces. He said the property was sold far below its value.

Incarceration & Redress

• Federal Judge Dismisses Court Action by Renunciants to Regain American Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal Judge A. F. St. Sure dismissed court actions seeking restoration of citizenship for former Tule Lake residents who renounced it. He gave the ACLU 20 days to file an amended complaint.
• Seek Congress Action to Aid Wife of Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL will seek congressional action to allow the Japanese Canadian wife of Lt. Makoto Kimura to enter the United States. Her ancestry currently bars her entry despite her Canadian citizenship.
• Court Asks State of California To Explain License Refusal, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Los Angeles superior court judge asked the California Fish and Game Commission to explain its refusal to issue licenses to Japanese alien fishermen. The court had ruled the discriminatory restrictions unconstitutional.
• Legality of State Land Law Questioned in Reply Brief Filed in Oyama Test Case, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Attorney A. L. Wirin’s reply brief in the Oyama case challenges the California Alien Land law as discriminatory and improperly delegated to Congress. A Supreme Court decision is expected by fall.

Sports

• Nisei Pitches No-Hit Game in Colorado League, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Hary Matsuura pitched a no-hit game as the Sterling Junior American Legion team defeated Hillrose 2 to 1. The win earned Sterling the northeastern Colorado junior baseball title.
• Ohio State Team Set New Record, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Halo Hirose, a 442nd veteran, helped his Ohio State teammates set a new American record in the 800-meter medley relay. The record came at the Keo Nakama invitational in Honolulu on July 12.

Community

• United Citizens League Forms Committee for Public Affairs, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The United Citizens League in San Jose formed a Public Affairs Committee to study and report on state ballot measures. The group also plans a reception for Nisei GIs.
• Salinas Center Resumes Activities, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Salinas JACL chapter resumed activities under President James Abe. The chapter plans its first community gathering at Gilroy Hot Springs on July 21.
• Washington News-Letter: Spirit of Unit Made 442nd Outstanding, Says Sergeant, by By JOHN KITASAKO, page 5. First Sergeant Yeiki Matsui attributed the 442nd’s record to a strong spirit of unity and mutual care among its men. He said the soldiers talked often about home, religion, and facing death.
• Vagaries: Which Way Is North In Denver, Colorado, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa describes his light-hearted confusion navigating Denver’s streetcars and streets. He also recounts a stop in Nampa, Idaho, where George Ishihara greeted him at the train.
• Illinois Hospital Offers Scholarships To Nisei Students, by P.C. Staff, page 5. St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing in Quincy, Illinois offered three scholarships to qualified Japanese American students. Eight Nisei students are currently enrolled.
• Former Seattleite Married in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Miyoke Shinoda and Yunoshin Taniguchi were married in Hilo, Hawaii, in a ceremony performed by Bishop R. Aoki. The bride is a former Seattle resident.
• Fresno Fellowship Holds Beach Party, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Fresno Youth Fellowship held an installation picnic at Nelson Beach attended by about 35 persons. Officers were installed around a bonfire by Rev. H. Hashimoto.
• Spokane AVC Elects Two Nisei Veterans to Posts, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Kazuo Maruyama and Ben Koyama were elected to posts in the Spokane chapter of the American Veterans Committee. Nine Spokane Nisei are members of the Purple Heart organization.

JACL

• JACL Will Undertake Active Program Against Racial Prejudice Faced by Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL incorporated an Anti-Discrimination Committee in Utah with a five-point program against discriminatory practices. Hito Okada was elected chairman and membership will be limited to JACL members.
• Kido Urges Issei, Nisei Citizenship in Talk at Fisk Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Saburo Kido, former JACL national president, urged citizenship rights for loyal persons of Japanese ancestry in a talk at Fisk University. He argued there should be no racial, religious, or national-origin barriers to citizenship.
• Anti-Alien Law To Be Discussed At IDC Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Intermountain District Council will meet July 28 in Weiser, Idaho, to discuss repealing anti-alien land laws in Utah, Idaho and Oregon. Agenda items also include a tentative convention plan and oratorical contests.

Commentary

• Dillon Myer Proudest of All As Nisei Soldiers Parade, by By JOHN KITASAKO, page 2. Former WRA director Dillon Myer watched the 442nd parade in the rain and was proud of the Nisei soldiers he had long trusted. The parade drew cheers from crowds despite the weather.
• Honors for GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial hails the homecoming honors given the 442nd, noting President Truman’s remarks that the unit fought prejudice as well as the enemy. It recalls FDR’s view that Americanism is a matter of mind and heart, not race.
• Home is the Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial describes how Minneapolis citizens and civic groups rallied behind Jon Matsuo, a Nisei veteran denied a home in a veterans housing project on racial grounds. A compromise was reached but the editorial argues courts must strike down restrictive covenants.
• Canadian Camps, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial describes new Canadian relocation centers being prepared for Japanese Canadians after the war. It argues the Canadian government is cooperating with British Columbia racists.
• Editorial Digest: Go For Broke, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Denver Post praised the 442nd for its combat record and the welcome it received in New York. The article also quotes the Battle Creek Enquirer calling for equal rights and evacuation claims for Japanese Americans.

National

• Minority Veterans Conference Considers Problems of Ex-GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Eighty delegates at a New York conference on minority veterans problems endorsed a proposal for a veterans delegation to present discrimination charges under the GI Bill to President Truman. Charles H. Houston criticized federal agencies for failing to combat discrimination.

Arts & Entertainment

• Ben Kuroki Will Receive Pageant Magazine Award, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Ben Kuroki, a decorated airman with 58 bombing missions, will receive Pageant magazine’s Citizen of Good Will award on a future We, the People broadcast. He left Salt Lake City for New York to accept the honor.

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