Vol. 15, No. 8, July 23, 1942. 8 pages. View this issue
Rumors of Japanese American sabotage in Hawaii were examined and dismissed in this eight-page issue. Robert J. Casey of the Chicago Daily News reported that the charges of December 7 were unfounded, and an editorial pointed to the Tolan committee report and FBI findings. At Manzanar, Director Roy Nash answered Representative Leland Ford’s claims, while federal courts in San Francisco and Seattle heard challenges to Japanese exclusion and detention, including the cases of Mitsuye Endo and Gordon Hirabayashi. Roger N. Baldwin of the ACLU argued that removing citizens on the basis of ancestry exceeded military necessity.
Elsewhere, three new exclusion orders covered about 6,150 people in Fresno and Tulare counties. Evacuees described arriving at Poston in severe heat. Bill Hosokawa recalled Little Tokyo before the war, and Tad Uyeno’s column turned to salvage and handicrafts in the centers. Editorials took on Ford and Los Angeles Assistant District Attorney Clyde Shoemaker.
What’s in this issue
National
- Manzanar Director Nash Denies Ford’s Charges in Washington, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Manzanar Director Roy Nash denied Representative Leland Ford’s claims that evacuees roam freely and that Owens Valley residents threaten violence. Nash said working parties are supervised and that Owens Valley merchants petitioned for evacuee shopping visits.
- Rep. Ford Fears for Race Strife in Owens Valley, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Representative Leland Ford warned that Manzanar Japanese should not be released where they could sabotage Los Angeles utilities, and asked WRA Director Myer to delay student relocation. He reported evacuees working unguarded in gardens, raising alarm among Owens Valley residents.
- Japanese ‘Fifth Column’ in Hawaii Proven Myth, by Robert J. Casey, page 4. Chicago Daily News correspondent Robert J. Casey reports that rumors of Japanese-American sabotage in Hawaii on December 7 were unfounded. He concludes that Hawaiian Nisei are generally loyal American citizens who may later lead efforts to bring their race into American life.
Incarceration & Redress
- WRA Aware of Responsibility for Protecting Nisei Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 1. WRA regional attorney Edwin E. Ferguson told the Tule Lake Community Forum that the agency is committed to protecting the civil rights of Japanese Americans. He also criticized the Stewart Bill, which would authorize the War Department to place all persons of Japanese ancestry in concentration camps.
- Nisei Charges ‘Detention’ in Center Illegal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal courts in San Francisco and Seattle heard challenges to the constitutionality of Japanese exclusion and detention. Mitsuye Endo’s habeas corpus petition was taken under submission, while Judge Lloyd Black signaled he would uphold the procedures in Gordon Hirabayashi’s case.
- Three New Civilian Exclusion Orders Issued by Western Command, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Army orders require about 6,150 Japanese in parts of Fresno and Tulare counties to be evacuated by August 11. The orders extend the exclusion program to the last California inland areas not yet affected.
- Evacuation of Citizens, Aliens of Japanese Extraction, by Roger N. Baldwin, page 3. ACLU director Roger Baldwin argues that mass removal of citizens based on ancestry, without loyalty examination, exceeds military necessity and rests on racial prejudice. He urges support for court challenges and rapid relocation of Japanese Americans out of evacuation centers.
- Judge Indicates Verdict Will Uphold Evacuation Order, by P.C. Staff, page 3. In Seattle, Judge Lloyd Black heard arguments that evacuating American-born Japanese violated the Fifth Amendment. He suggested the Constitution need not be amended for military necessity, though he left room to rule otherwise.
Community
- Arrival at Arizona’s Latest Boom Town, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Evacuees arriving at Poston, Arizona describe severe heat and heat prostration among Salinas residents. They also describe inadequate barracks for families and the hope that Poston will become an agricultural center.
Commentary
- Libel on Nisei Exposed, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that official investigations, including the Tolan committee report and FBI findings, confirm no sabotage by Japanese in Hawaii. It warns that these fabricated charges persist and calls for Americans to recognize the falsehood.
- Rep. Ford Makes a Slip, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes Representative Leland Ford for opposing student relocation and calling for concentration camps. It cites his anti-labor record and argues the Hawaiian Nisei showed loyalty.
- Our Fight is the Fight of America, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial urges Nisei to study the founding documents and remain vigilant in defending their civil rights. It says Nisei must demonstrate their loyalty through quiet, persistent service.
- USA, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa recalls Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo as a community of shops, cafes, and nisei life before the war. He reflects on its emptiness now that residents have been evacuated.
- Nisei Woman: Salvage Is Fashionable, by Tad Uyeno, page 5. The column encourages women in the centers to conserve materials and return to handicrafts for patriotic reasons. It anticipates shortages of dyes and wool fabrics and suggests unbleached muslin will become fashionable.
- Mr. Shoemake Fashionable Sense of Justice Unbalanced, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The editorial rebukes Los Angeles Assistant District Attorney Clyde Shoemaker for claiming that American-born Japanese cannot be trusted. It argues Shoemaker stokes hatred for political gain and that Japanese Americans remain loyal to democracy.
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