Nisei volunteer for the Army’s new combat team, February 1943

Vol. 16, No. 6, February 11, 1943. 8 pages. View this issue

The Army’s decision to accept American-born Japanese for combat duty dominated the paper. In Hawaii, draft offices were jammed within hours of Lt. Gen. Delos C. Emmons’ announcement, and the 1,500 quota was expected to fill quickly. President Roosevelt endorsed the new combat team in a letter to Secretary Stimson. Center newspapers called the decision a step toward vindication. Court tests also drew attention: the ACLU’s habeas corpus case for Ernest and Toki Wakayama, A. L. Wirin’s appointment as JACL counsel, and the coming appeals involving Korematsu, Hirabayashi and Yasui.

Elsewhere in the issue, Bill Hosokawa wrote on public attitudes toward Japanese Americans on the West Coast, and sculptor Isamu Noguchi commented on the disturbances at Poston and Manzanar. Wyoming and Utah moved on voting and property bills, while British Columbia planned to bar Japanese children from its schools. Community pages followed Minidoka, Tule Lake, Topaz and Heart Mountain, with editorials on the Native Sons suit and evacuee property.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Hawaii Fills Quota for Army’s Nisei Combat Team; Volunteers Jam Territory’s Draft Offices, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Within hours of Lt. Gen. Delos C. Emmons’ announcement that American-born Japanese would be accepted for combat duty, Hawaiian draft offices were jammed with volunteers and the 1,500 quota was expected to be filled quickly. The War Department reported that volunteer applications already far exceeded the Hawaiian quota.
• Department Contacts Nisei Reserve Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department contacted American-born Japanese holding reserve officer commissions by letter and forms with a decision expected soon. Walter Tsukamoto, a Sacramento attorney and former JACL national president, wired Secretary Stimson offering his services.
• Tule Lake Hawaiians Declare Selves for Voluntary Induction, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Block 39 Hawaiians at Tule Lake expressed full support for Secretary Stimson’s decision on voluntary nisei induction in a letter to the Tulean Dispatch. They urged JACL leaders to take the initiative and set an example for other nisei in the project.
• Nisei Captain Wins Promotion to Major at Camp Grant, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Captain Kahn Uyeyama of the U.S. Army was promoted to major, according to friends. Formerly a physician, he is stationed at Camp Grant and recently visited the Topaz relocation center.
• Nisei Soldiers Prepare For Combat Duty, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Official Army photographs show members of the 100th Infantry Battalion training in a simulated landing attack and Hawaiian nisei crewing an antitank gun nicknamed Madame Pele. The photos illustrate preparations for eventual combat duty.
• Parent Urges Son to Join Armed Forces, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A father in Hawaii wrote to his son Masami Koga at Tule Lake urging him to volunteer for the Army and fight. The letter describes the father’s own wartime civilian service in Hawaii.
• Japanese-Americans Will Register For Part in War Effort, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Registration of Minidoka residents aged 17 and older began as the first step in recruiting male citizens for the combat unit. Other residents will be considered for agricultural and war production jobs.

National

• British Columbia Seeks to Prevent Nisei Education, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The provincial government of British Columbia planned legislation barring children of Japanese ancestry from provincial schools during the current legislative session. The measure would give school boards legal authority to reject such students if passed.
• Wirin Will Be JACL Counsel In Court Tests, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A. L. Wirin, a Los Angeles civil rights attorney, was appointed legal counsel for the JACL and will file briefs in the Regan and Oshiro cases. The JACL will appear as a friend of the court in both matters.
• President Roosevelt Endorses Army’s Nisei Combat Team, by P.C. Staff, page 1. In a letter to Secretary Stimson, President Roosevelt endorsed the new Japanese American combat team and foresaw reinstitution of selective service for Americans of Japanese ancestry. He declared that Americanism is a matter of mind and heart, not race or ancestry.
• Utah Farmers Ask Evacuee Help To Meet Manpower Shortage, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Representative Walter K. Granger of Utah asked the War Manpower Commission to make Japanese American labor available to Utah farmers facing a shortage. The request came at the urging of the Sons of Utah Pioneers, who also asked for portable CCC buildings to house workers.
• Anti-Alien Bill Approved by Utah Senate, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Utah Senate unanimously passed a bill sponsored by Senator Alonzo Hopkin barring ineligible aliens, primarily those of Japanese ancestry, from owning real property. The measure was modeled on California law and was amended to give the attorney general enforcement power.
• Southern California Christian Groups Oppose Discrimination, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Church Federation of Los Angeles and the Southern California Council of Churches sent a letter to California legislators protesting proposed anti-Japanese American measures. The letter urged a spirit of justice and warned that racism threatens global peace.
• Lawyer’s Guild Defends Rights of U.S. Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National Lawyers Guild filed a brief as friend of court in San Francisco opposing a Native Sons suit to bar American-born Japanese from voting. The brief argued that democracy limited to white people would make war aims meaningless.

Incarceration & Redress

• Wakayama Case Will Be Test Of Army’s Evacuation Decree, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The ACLU initiated a federal habeas corpus action challenging the legality of military orders that removed 70,000 American-born Japanese from the West Coast. The petition was filed on behalf of Ernest Wakayama, a Hawaiian-born World War veteran, and his American-born wife Toki.
• Evacuees Barred From Voting by Wyoming Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Wyoming House passed a Senate-approved bill preventing persons relocated to the state because of the war from voting in state elections. The measure targeted evacuees at Heart Mountain and was sent to Governor Hunt.
• Evacuation Legality Will Face Test in U.S. Court of Appeals, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Several cases challenging the constitutionality of the west coast evacuation and related curfew orders will be heard by a seven-judge Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The cases involve Korematsu, Hirabayashi, Yasui and the citizenship challenge, and are expected to reach the Supreme Court.
• Japanese Aliens Retain Residence Rights, Says Kenny, by P.C. Staff, page 3. California Attorney General Robert Kenny ruled that an alien of Japanese ancestry evacuated to a relocation center does not lose California residence. The opinion addressed whether such a person could file for divorce in California through depositions.
• Mass Exodus From Hawaii Not Planned, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons stated that no mass evacuation of Japanese from Hawaii is contemplated, responding to rumors. Selected individuals may face compulsory evacuation, with relocation on the mainland under the WRA.
• The Wakayama Case: Court Order Declared New Milestone in Judicial History, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A three-judge federal court in Los Angeles ordered writs of habeas corpus for Ernest and Toki Wakayama, the first such writs issued in wartime against military orders. ACLU counsel outlined evidence to be offered at the March 9 hearing.
• U.S. Studying Evacuee Tire Use, Report, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Officials in Rubber Director William Jeffers’ office said a survey was underway regarding inactive tires owned by evacuees with possible release for use. Estimates of stored evacuee cars ranged widely.
• Stored Farm Equipment May Be Utilized, by P.C. Staff, page 8. WRA official Russell Robinson said several hundred pieces of idle evacuee farm equipment may be put to use producing war-needed crops. A survey at the relocation centers and in the field is underway to inventory it.

Community

• Five Hundred May Volunteer at Minidoka, Says Idaho Official, by P.C. Staff, page 2. An Idaho state draft official said about 500 of the 1,661 eligible American-born Japanese at Minidoka were expected to volunteer for combat service. Jerome-area farmers reportedly opposed enlistment because they needed the workers for harvest.
• Student Relocation Group Will Centralize Work at Philadelphia, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dean Robert O’Brien announced that the Japanese American Student Relocation Council is consolidating its offices in Philadelphia effective February 15. West Coast offices in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle are closing.
• Forum to Discuss Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A New York forum on February 13 at the Hotel Commodore will discuss the role of Japanese Americans in the national victory program. Speakers include WRA director Dillon Myer and several labor and civil liberties figures.
• Isamu Noguchi Comments on Recent Center Disturbances, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Sculptor Isamu Noguchi, writing in the New Republic, attributes the Poston and Manzanar disturbances to frustration and generational cleavage rather than solely to pro-Axis elements. He urges accelerated relocation and group resettlement plans.
• Professor Obata Gives Lectures in Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Professor Chiura Obata and his wife from Topaz gave art lectures, demonstrations, and talks at the University of Utah and city groups in Salt Lake City. Their schedule included a university union talk and meetings with a literary club and art society.
• Colorado Calling!, by Tad Hirota, page 6. JACL representatives Tad Hirota and Joe Masaoka report on their week of meetings in Denver and surrounding towns with Nisei groups and community leaders. They also spoke to a crowd of nearly 300 at a YBA rally in Fort Lupton.
• Topaz Entertainers Perform at Oak City, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Topaz entertainers presented their variety show, Varieties of 1943, to residents of Oak City. The performance was attended by a crowd from the surrounding community.
• Nisei Take Active Part in Arizona School’s Program, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Nisei students transferred to Peoria High School in Arizona after their Glendale and Phoenix schools were closed to them are participating actively in school activities. The Arizona JACL arranged the transfers.
• Minidoka JACL Begins Drive for New Membership, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A 15-man planning committee at the Minidoka JACL launched a membership drive aiming to build the largest single chapter in the national organization. Morrie Yamaguchi serves as temporary treasurer.
• JACL Groups at Tule Lake Want Kido Attackers Punished, by P.C. Staff, page 7. JACL chapters at Tule Lake sent a letter to Poston project director Wade Head protesting the attack on national president Saburo Kido and demanding prosecution. Seven men had signed written confessions and faced possible prison sentences.
• Arizona State Acts Against Nisei Students, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A memorial introduced in the Arizona House of Representatives asked federal authorities to prevent release of Japanese American students from relocation centers to attend college. Nine members sponsored the resolution.
• Public Relations Program Mapped By Boise Valley, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Oregon district of the Boise Valley JACL discussed a public relations program at a meeting in Weiser. The group voted to place Pacific Citizen copies in public libraries and to coordinate with service clubs on community projects.
• Program for Students Will Be Intensified, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The National Japanese American Student Relocation Council voted at a New York meeting to expand its work with broader church and organizational support. The council also began seeking a successor to retiring director Robert O’Brien.
• Heart Mountain Will Build Civic Center, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Heart Mountain city council approved plans for a civic center on a triangular plot east of blocks 14 and 15. Planned facilities include a community enterprise building, bank, police station, library, and churches.
• Greater Opportunities for Resettlement Seen By Topaz Director, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Topaz project director Charles F. Ernst said the War Department’s policy will expand resettlement opportunities as defense industries open to citizens of Japanese ancestry. He noted the Topaz program would proceed as planned.
• Uncertainty on Status Affects Evacuee Morale, by P.C. Staff, page 8. WRA director Dillon Myer said uncertainty about post-war status and discrimination from outside have frustrated evacuees and made some unwilling to cooperate with the war effort. Many older Japanese feared forced return to Japan.
• Aviator Henry Ohye Instructs Club in Model Airplanes, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Nisei aviator Henry Ohye is instructing the 200-member Butte Aeronautical Association at Gila River in aviation research and model construction. Eventual plans include building a scale wind tunnel.
• L.A. Chinese Girl Scouts Send Materials to Evacuee Friends, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A newly formed Chinese Girl Scout troop in Los Angeles sent scouting materials to Japanese American Girl Scouts at Heart Mountain. The troop also folded bed kits for hospitals and planned Red Cross work.

Commentary

• Wirin: JACL’s Action is Step of Major Significance Toward Preserving Fundamental Rights, by A. L. Wirin, page 2. Attorney A. L. Wirin describes his role as JACL counsel and argues the organization’s court actions protect fundamental rights for all minority groups. He outlines the citizenship challenge by the Native Sons and the property rights case involving evacuee leases.
• Segregation Not Implied, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that forming a Japanese American combat team does not constitute racial segregation, citing War Department assurances. It notes that the unit brings the Japanese American question to public attention and affirms their loyalty.
• The Native Sons Case, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns the Native Sons of the Golden West suit seeking cancellation of citizenship for Americans of Japanese and other non-white ancestry. It explains the JACL’s brief as friend of court and notes Negro attorneys’ opposition.
• Evacuee Property, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial examines demands for confiscation of stored evacuee cars and farm machinery, questioning inflated estimates of idle tires. It urges that any use of evacuee property protect the owners’ rights.
• An American Hero: Abraham Lincoln in 1943, by Fukuhara, page 4. Artist Henry Fukuhara reflects on visiting the Lincoln Memorial and draws parallels between Lincoln’s fight for freedom and the present war. He argues the war must advance freedom for all peoples, including those under Axis rule.
• From the Frying Pan: Vagaries, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa reflects on public attitudes that Japanese Americans do not belong on the West Coast, noting Issei pioneer contributions to Western development. He argues an educational program should tell the public about evacuee contributions to American greatness.
• Granada Pioneer: Army’s Action Is Vindication of Nisei, Say Center Papers, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Center newspapers including the Granada Pioneer, Heart Mountain Sentinel, Poston Chronicle, and Manzanar Free Press praised the War Department’s decision to accept Japanese American volunteers. They described it as a step toward vindication and recognition of loyalty.
• Ann Nisei Says: Suggestions on Buying Shoes Under Rationing, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A columnist offers advice on buying and caring for shoes under the new rationing program. She recommends planning a year’s footwear, choosing sensible well-made styles, and maintaining shoes carefully.

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