Wartime politics and the camps: the Dies subcommittee report and a CIO union win

Vol. 17, No. 8, August 28, 1943. 8 pages. View this issue

Congress and the public argued over the fate of Japanese Americans in this 8-page issue from late summer 1943. The Costello subcommittee issued its report on the War Relocation Authority, and Representative Eberharter, the lone dissenter, called its recommendations feeble and meaningless. The front page also told of a CIO union’s action on behalf of a Nisei member that led to a job offer from the Department of Agriculture. Writers on the editorial page and elsewhere included A. L. Wirin, who reviewed Supreme Court limits on military power over citizens, and Arthur A. Rutledge, who described Japanese Americans in Hawaii’s trade unions.

Other news ranged from the camps to the Army. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team at Camp Shelby received a new shoulder patch with a For Broke motto, and 1458 Poston residents were chosen for transfer to the Tule Lake segregation center. Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Saburo Kido and Joe Masaoka, who reported on a return visit to Topaz, fill the inside pages.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Japanese American Combat Team Gets Special Insignia, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team at Camp Shelby received a new shoulder patch and regimental coat of arms approved by the Third Army. The insignia features a Mississippi steamboat and a For Broke motto honoring the unit’s service.
• WACs Begin Recruiting Nisei Women in Relocation Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Women’s Army Corps recruitment of nisei women in the relocation centers began as part of a drive to enlist 500 Japanese American women. Height and weight qualifications were lowered to allow more applicants.
• Superman Backs Loyal Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The comic strip Superman defended loyal Japanese Americans in a panel distributed by McClure Newspaper Syndicate. The strip declared that no Japanese American committed sabotage in Hawaii or the territory.
• Seven Officers Of 442nd Infantry Receive Promotions, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Seven officers of the Infantry Regiment of the 442nd Combat Team were promoted, three to captain and four to first lieutenant. The promotions were announced at Camp Shelby.
• Japanese American Combat Team News, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Members of the Japanese American Combat Team’s swim squad compete in the Southern A.A.U. tournament in New Orleans. Chaplain Masao Yamada, the first Japanese American commissioned as an Army chaplain, also arrived at Camp Shelby.

National

• Native Sons Rap Repeal of Chinese Exclusion Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Wayne Millington, grand president of the Native Sons of the Golden West, opposed repealing the Chinese exclusion law during wartime. He also criticized WRA policy of locating a segregation center in northern California.
• Dies Subcommittee Prejudiced, Rep. Eberharter Challenges Congressman Decries Attacks On War Relocation Authority In Costello Group’s Report, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Representative Eberharter, the minority member of the Dies subcommittee, defended the WRA and called the majority recommendations feeble and meaningless. He said evidence rebutted charges that evacuees received better food than average Americans.
• Colorado Manpower Commission to Aid Evacuees Find Jobs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Colorado State War Manpower Commission agreed to help the WRA find jobs for evacuees living in relocation centers. The commission’s director L. A. West announced the assistance.
• Hearing Board Set to Consider Alien Appeals, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Attorney General Biddle created a 22-member special alien enemy hearing board to review appeals from interned enemy aliens transferred to the immigration service. The board will also hear cases of interned Japanese nationals, with final decisions made by the Attorney General.

Incarceration & Redress

• Roofs Damaged as Poston Hit By Windstorm, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A windstorm on August 16 damaged roofs and buildings at Poston’s Camp No. 3, flooding the camp. Residents waded through knee-deep water to reach dining halls and bath houses.
• Costello Group Issues Report On Investigation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Costello subcommittee issued three recommendations including segregation of disloyal evacuees, a joint investigation board, and an Americanization program. The report was signed only by Costello and Mundt, with Eberharter dissenting.
• 1458 Poston Evacuees To Go to Tule Lake Segregation Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 3. WRA officials announced that 1458 Poston residents were selected for transfer to the Tule Lake segregation center in October. Of the group, 603 had applied for repatriation.
• Evacuee Girl Who Returned To Seattle Must Leave Area, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Kiyoko Chinn pleaded guilty to violating exclusion orders by returning to Seattle and received a suspended sentence. She was required to leave for Spokane and remain outside the evacuated area.
• Oregon Legion Asks Deportation Of Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Oregon American Legion adopted a resolution urging deportation of Japanese ancestry persons after the war and opposing their return to the west coast. National commander Roane Waring spoke at the convention and opposed repealing the Chinese exclusion law.

Community

• Residents of Camp 3 Forced to Wade Through Knee-Deep Water, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Camp residents at Poston were forced to wade through water after a storm. Damage included unroofed school buildings.
• Six Nisei Relocate At East Lansing, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Six nisei from relocation centers have relocated to East Lansing, Michigan, and joined the Michigan State College personnel. Among them is Bryan Mayeda, the first nisei enrolled at Michigan State.
• Wyoming Officials Visit Heart Mountain, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Governor Lester Hunt and Senator O’Mahoney toured the Heart Mountain center and expressed pleasure at the progress residents made. Both said they hoped to return for a more thorough visit.
• 2000 Evacuees Now Relocated In Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Over 2000 former evacuees have resettled in Chicago, where job placements have been highly satisfactory. Housing remains the most serious bottleneck, according to the Advisory Committee report.

Commentary

• Nisei Declared Good Unionists; Democratic Policies of Hawaii Labor Groups Cited by Official, by Arthur A. Rutledge, page 2. Arthur Rutledge describes the strong role Japanese Americans play in Hawaii’s trade unions and their loyalty to America. He protests the AFL International office’s opposition to resettling Japanese Americans outside the camps.
• Antagonistic Currents Against Japanese Hawaiians Traced To Demand for Equal Treatment, by William Norwood, page 3. William Norwood, writing in the Christian Science Monitor, traces rising anti-Japanese feeling in Hawaii to Japanese demands for equal wages and rights. He links the friction to unionization and the manpower shortage.
• Notes for a Nisei Writer, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column surveys Japanese American historical figures such as Ju Wada, Sadakichi Hartmann, Jack Shirai, and Hideyo Noguchi as material for a nisei writer. It argues that the Japanese in America have a rich record that exclusion cannot erase.
• On Military Necessity, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the wartime evacuation was justified only by military necessity, which has since diminished as American forces regained the initiative. It calls on west coast military authorities to restore full rights to loyal Japanese Americans.
• End of an Investigation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes the Dies subcommittee’s biased treatment of Japanese Americans and its reports on WRA relocation. It notes that the JACL went unmentioned in the published conclusions despite earlier press attacks.
• Beyond Stupidity, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reprints commentary from the Los Angeles Tribune condemning the AFL’s support for Chinese exclusion and the American Legion’s postwar exclusion resolutions. It calls the Legion’s racial definition of enemies vicious.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column covers several items, including WDC rules on Japanese American employment in war industries, a Korean agent’s smear campaign, and the debunking of claims about a Japanese-American colonel. It also reports on evacuee firefighters.
• Military vs. the Constitution, by A. L. Wirin, page 5. ACLU special counsel A. L. Wirin reviews Supreme Court decisions on the limits of military power over citizens. He argues that the military exclusion orders and detention of citizens may be unconstitutional as military necessity fades.
• Military vs. the Constitution: Validity of Military Rulings on Nisei Face Reconsideration, by A. L. Wirin, page 5. Wirin examines Supreme Court cases limiting military authority, from Milligan to the 1943 curfew decision. He argues the exclusion and detention orders must be reconsidered as the war situation changes.
• From the Frying Pan: The Happiest People in This Troubled World, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa describes the joy of Americans held in the Far East who are being repatriated in an exchange of nationals. He reflects on the emotional power of seeing the American flag abroad.
• Start Now to Buy Quality Furnishings For Your Home, by Ann Nisei, page 6. Ann Nisei offers advice on furnishing a new home with quality pieces bought gradually within a limited budget. She suggests prioritizing lasting items such as a good mattress and planning room by room.
• Timely Topics: Snake River Country, by Saburo Kido, page 6. JACL president Saburo Kido describes his trip to Idaho Falls and the Intermountain District Council meeting. He reports on the cordial relations with local residents and the favorable newspaper support for nisei.
• Joe Masaoka: Notes on Relocation, by Joe Masaoka, page 6. Joe Masaoka reports on a return visit to Topaz and reflects on conditions in the relocation centers. He argues that new resettlement developments will encourage more evacuees to leave.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa discusses prejudice and the emotional impact of news and rumor about Japanese Americans. He reflects on how wartime stories shape public attitudes.
• Letter-Box: From Our Readers, by Roy M. Nishikawa, page 7. Roy Nishikawa asks for subscriber data and proposes a weekly feature by relocated persons to combat fear in the centers. He argues that relocation must be encouraged while jobs are available.

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