Nisei names on the Hood River honor roll, and postwar rights

Vol. 24, No. 15, April 19, 1947. 8 pages. View this issue

The Rev. W. Sherman Burgoyne of Hood River received the Thomas Jefferson award in New York for his fight to restore Nisei names to the county war honor roll. He told the audience that maintaining democracy is an unending struggle. Elsewhere in this eight-page issue, JACL-ADC officials followed the evacuation claims commission bill, Mike Masaoka urged that resettlement agencies be kept, and Mike Masaoka also presented the President’s Committee on Civil Rights with a statement on California’s Alien Land Law.

Editorials took up school segregation, the Navy’s new acceptance of Nisei enlistments and California’s interracial marriage ban. Columns came from Larry Tajiri and Bill Hosokawa, and Iwao F. Hirai continued his Anzio story, They Were So Young. Readers will also find the California Assembly’s vote to repeal its separate-schools law, a suit testing Oregon’s Alien Land Law, and news of returned evacuees seeking housing.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Hood River Pastor Cites Splendid Record of Nisei, Issei During War Years; Declares Maintaining Democracy Is Unending Struggle, by By EVERETT JAMES STAR, page 1. Rev. W. Sherman Burgoyne of Hood River received the Thomas Jefferson award in New York for his fight to restore Nisei names to the county war honor roll. He told the audience that maintaining democracy is an unending struggle.
• Resettlement Study Threatened by Cut in Appropriations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka urged Interior Secretary Krug to retain agencies serving Japanese Americans until problems from the 1942 evacuation are resolved. He specifically asked that the attorney handling evacuation claims and the resettlement study be kept.
• Winona Trailer Camp Residents Seek New Site, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Returned evacuees at the Winona trailer camp in Burbank, which closes June 30, are willing to buy their trailers but cannot find new sites. Tenants at an emergency meeting argued the federal government must provide housing.

National

• Joe Masaoka May Testify on State Senate Proposal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Joe Grant Masaoka is expected to testify before a California Senate committee on a Tenney bill to create a commission on political and economic equality. The hearing is scheduled for April 22.
• Evacuation Claims Commission Bill Assigned to Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The evacuation claims commission bill introduced by Rep. Michener has been assigned to House judiciary subcommittee No. 2 for study. JACL-ADC officials said several subcommittee members supported the identical bill last year.
• Ozaki Elected President of Whodunit Writers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Milton K. Ozaki of Chicago was elected president of the Chicago chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. He is the author of the murder novel The Cuckoo Clock, published in 1946.
• Anti-Segregation Bill Passed by State Assembly, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Assembly passed a bill repealing the education code section allowing separate schools for Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Mongolian children. The vote was 60 to 2 and the bill now goes to the Senate.
• Nisei Repatriates Return to Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A large group of 36 Hawaiian residents of Japanese ancestry stranded in Japan during the war returned to Honolulu aboard the Marine Lynx. All were cleared for return by American consular representatives.
• Anderson Sponsors Three Private Bills, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Jack Z. Anderson introduced three private bills to legalize entry into the United States for Isa Okuda, Mrs. Mie Sagara and Mrs. Teiko Kimura, all California residents. The bills were introduced in Congress.
• House Passes Bill to Legalize Entry of Mrs. Thurn, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The House passed a private bill to legalize the entry of Mrs. Fuku Kurokawa Thurn of Philadelphia, a native of Japan who came to the United States with her American citizen husband. The bill now goes to the Senate for conference.
• President’s Civil Rights Group Considers Problems of Nisei Under California Restrictions, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka presented the President’s Committee on Civil Rights a statement on remaining civil rights problems, focusing on California’s Alien Land Law. He cited cases including a veteran whose farm was escheated by the state.
• Los Angeles AFL Group Fights Job Prejudice Against Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The AFL Labor Committee to Combat Intolerance in Los Angeles addressed discrimination against Japanese American workers. A. Phillip Randolph urged federal fair employment legislation.

Military & Veterans

• 200 Japanese Americans Join U.S. Naval Reserve in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The navy at Pearl Harbor announced it is accepting enlistments of Japanese Americans, reversing its longstanding ban. The policy change followed a 1945 statement after Admiral Nimitz endorsed Nisei enlistment.
• Nisei Canadian Soldiers Bring Home Brides from Singapore, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two Nisei Canadian soldiers left Singapore for Great Britain with their Singapore-born brides, bound for Canada. Fred Nogami was also returning home after wartime service with British units in Southeast Asia.
• First Nisei to Receive Army Medal in Pacific Visits Home, by P.C. Staff, page 3. First Lieut. Kaz Kozaki, a Nisei who received the Silver Star in 1943, returned to Salt Lake City on leave. He served in the Pacific with ATIS and accompanied a team to Japan after the surrender.
• Hood River Minister Given Reception by Chicago JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rev. W. Sherman Burgoyne was honored at a Chicago dinner after receiving the Thomas Jefferson award for restoring Nisei names to the Hood River honor roll. He said the award reflects Americans apologizing for wartime treatment of Japanese Americans.
• Colorado Veteran Receives Bronze Star, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Harry S. Shibao, a veteran of the 442nd Combat Team, was awarded a Bronze Star for heroism. He entered an open field under fire to aid ten wounded soldiers.
• Nisei Fighter Wins Sixth Army Championship, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Satoru Wakabayashi of the Second Infantry Division won the Sixth Army featherweight boxing championship at Fort Lewis. He was the only Japanese American in the tournament to win a division title.

JACL

• Kido to Visit Hawaii for ADC Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Saburo Kido, former JACL national president, will spend two weeks in Hawaii supporting the Anti-Discrimination Committee fund drive. The campaign is sponsored by the Committee for Equality in Naturalization and Citizenship.

Community

• New Facilities Assured for Bay Area Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. About 500 returned evacuees housed in Hunter’s Point dormitories were told by federal housing authorities they will receive apartments. The families must vacate the dormitories by June 30.
• Godfrey Cabot Gives $500 Donation to Legal Defense Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Eiji Tanabe acknowledged a $500 donation from Godfrey Cabot of Boston to the JACL Legal Defense Fund. Cabot had previously contributed $1000 in 1943 toward the Hirabayashi case.
• Nisei Collegians to Hold Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The second annual Nisei intermountain collegiate conference convenes in Denver with discussion meetings and a banquet. Student representatives from several Colorado and Wyoming colleges are attending.
• Sacramento Nisei Move to Reactivate JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Sacramento JACL chapter, once one of the largest on the West Coast, will be reactivated after a meeting at the Buddhist church. Joe Grant Masaoka spoke on the national JACL’s work in Washington.
• San Jose Zebras Claim California Cage Championship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Zebras won the unofficial Nisei basketball championship of California by defeating the Los Angeles Vets 54 to 33. Chi Akizuki led the scoring with 15 points.
• Misaka Given Big Ovation by Hawaiian Fans, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Wat Misaka, Nisei star of the University of Utah basketball team, received an ovation from 4000 fans in Honolulu while playing for the Hawaii All-Stars. The All-Stars lost to the Harlem Globetrotters 57 to 40.
• Nisei Named to Staff of USO in Monterey, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Emma K. Himeno joined the staff of El Estero USO in Monterey, where she will work with enlisted men of the MIS language school. She holds a master’s degree from Drew University.
• Civilian Interpreters Leave for Okinawa, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Thirty-two Americans of Japanese ancestry left Honolulu to work as interpreters for a construction firm in Okinawa. They were employed by the Clifford and Tanaka firm.
• Washington News-Letter: Resettlement Study’s Future Hinges on Deficiency Bill, by John Kitasako, page 5. Bob Cullum’s Resettlement Study has compiled about 500 reports on evacuee readjustment, but completion depends on a pending deficiency bill. The study finds the Nisei economic drive and growing social maturity are shaping community life.
• Race Bias on Rise on Coast, Author Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Carey McWilliams warned an April 14 San Francisco audience that racial intolerance and discrimination are rising on the Pacific Coast. He called for a national fair employment practices commission.
• Midwest Area JACL Leaders Will Hold Meeting in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The first Midwest District Council meeting of the JACL will be held April 26 and 27 in Chicago. Hito Okada, Mike Masaoka and Scotty Tsuchiya are scheduled to attend.
• Okada and Satow to Attend First Midwest Council, by P.C. Staff, page 6. National JACL president Hito Okada and acting secretary Masao Satow will attend the Chicago midwest council meeting. They will also confer with ADC and regional officials.
• New Church Group to Hold First Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A 20-40 Group of Christian church members in Fresno will hold its initial dinner meeting on April 25. Rev. Seido Ogawa of Los Angeles will speak.
• Legality of Oregon Anti-Alien Land Law Tested in Suit, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Kenji Namba and his father Etsuo Namba filed suit in Multnomah County circuit court challenging Oregon’s Alien Land Law. The suit seeks to lease a Gresham farm and argues the law discriminates against Japanese aliens.
• Efforts of Girl to Serve U.S. Rewarded by Citizenship Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Senator Ball introduced a citizenship bill for Mary Gemma Kawamura, who tried for years to serve in the U.S. armed forces. She later went to Tokyo as a civilian nurse instructor at the request of Allied headquarters.
• Government Rejects Request to Drop ‘Enemy Alien’ Label, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Justice Department declined the JACL request to drop the enemy alien classification for loyal Japanese nationals. Officials said the classification remains necessary while some alien enemy litigation continues.
• North California JACL Council to Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The northern California district council of the JACL will meet April 20 in San Francisco to discuss matters affecting Japanese Americans. Joe Grant Masaoka will report on legislative questions and a state appropriations bill.

In-Depth

• They Were So Young (Chapter Five and Six), by Iwao F. Hirai, page 2. A soldier recounts life at Anzio, including loneliness on night watch, the air raids, and the wounding of a comrade. The chapter describes the death of Toshio Odaka, the narrator’s close friend.

Commentary

• Segregation of Schoolchildren, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns the Ninth Circuit ruling on segregation of Mexican children while noting it sidestepped the discriminatory California school code. It praises the Assembly vote to repeal the code and argues that racial democracy must be taught in schools.
• Navy and Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes the Navy’s acceptance of Nisei enlistments and traces the origins of the ban to racist myths about Japanese Americans. It notes Nisei were borrowed by the navy and marines despite the ban.
• California Law, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Catholic Interracial Council of Los Angeles is preparing a legal challenge to California’s interracial marriage ban on religious liberty grounds. The editorial notes thirty states have similar statutes.
• There Is Still Hope, by Jack Scott, page 4. Reprinted from the Vancouver Sun, the column responds to opera star Hizi Koyke’s fears about visiting Vancouver. It argues anti-Japanese hostility has cooled into apathy and that British Columbia’s legislature is changing.
• Nisei Issue in Politics, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri examines California politicians’ wartime roles in the campaign against Japanese Americans and their recent reversals. He focuses on Governor Earl Warren’s 1943 statements and his later record on the Alien Land Law.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes a free United Airlines flight aboard a DC-6 from Denver to Colorado’s mountains and back. He reflects on the passengers and the perks of newspaper life.
• Not as I Remembered, by Sue Kunitomi, page 5. A short fiction sketch follows a young Nisei woman who attends a Chicago social and feels disconnected from her old friends. She reflects on her wartime evacuation and her wish to return to her former life.

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