Registration at the ten camps and the court fight over citizenship

Vol. 16, No. 8, February 25, 1943. 8 pages. View this issue

Registration of adult evacuees for military service and for job clearances was the main news of this eight-page issue. It was under way at the ten War Relocation centers, and Poston and Manzanar had finished. Lieutenant John Bolton of the Army recruiting team praised Poston residents, and the Topaz Committee of 38 accepted the registration. The paper also followed the Ninth Circuit Court ruling that rejected the Native Sons of the Golden West effort to strip Japanese Americans of voting rights. A. L. Wirin explained the decision, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about Ben and Ruth Tanbara and their talks in Minnesota on resettlement.

Elsewhere in the issue, editorials criticized California race-baiting groups and praised newspaper support for nisei in the Army. Idaho legislators, an East Los Angeles club and a Hood River grange voiced opposition. Three Onodera brothers from Minidoka volunteered for the combat team. Reports on British Columbia’s school proposal, chapter news from Davis County, Pocatello and Fort Lupton, and Ann Nisei’s column fill the later pages.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Registration of Adult Evacuees Nears Completion, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Registration of adult evacuees for military service and job clearances was proceeding at the ten War Relocation centers. Poston and Manzanar completed registration while other centers continued smoothly.
• Poston Residents Complimented for Cooperative Attitude, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lieutenant John Bolton of the Army recruiting team praised Poston evacuees for their cooperation in registration. He stated he would be proud to command a nisei combat unit.
• Topaz Committee Backs Registration for Army, Work, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Topaz Committee of 38 rescinded its earlier resolution and accepted the current War Manpower Commission registration as a sign of government good faith. The new statement followed meetings between committee representatives.
• Eisenhower Deeply Gratified By Reopening of Army to Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Milton Eisenhower, associate director of the Office of War Information, wrote to the Pacific Citizen expressing gratification at the reopening of the Army to nisei. He said participation of men of every descent is the strongest guarantee of a reborn freedom.
• Three Brothers Seek Army Service in Unit of Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three Onodera brothers from Minidoka volunteered for the Japanese American combat team. Their backgrounds and school records were detailed in the report.
• U.S. Government Believes in Loyalty of Nisei, by Peter Wood, page 6. The War Department announced Japanese Americans could volunteer for a combat unit and praised their loyalty. The article argues their segregation in camps wastes a valuable labor force.

Community

• Nisei Garnish Million Feet of Camouflage Nets, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Poston camouflage netting plant processed 1,073,000 square feet of nets in its first nine days. Workers were paid prevailing wages with a portion going to a dividend fund.
• Meatless Tuesdays, Fridays to Be Observed at Topaz Center, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fish and cheese will serve as the protein source on Tuesdays and Fridays at Topaz. The weekly adult meat allowance is 2.5 pounds.
• Granada Girls Sign Up for WAAC, Nursing Duties, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nearly 50 percent of women citizens at Granada registered to serve as nurses’ aides or WAAC members. Many who did not volunteer cited child care or lack of education as reasons.
• Davis County JACL Gets New Advisers, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Steed Jr. of Clearfield were named advisers to the Davis County JACL. The chapter met regularly on the second Friday of each month.
• Pocatello Couple Married; Groom Will Enter Army Service, by Toyome Murakami, page 6. Bill Utaka Yoden and Mary Nishisaki married at the Fort Hall Episcopal Mission before he left to enlist in the Japanese American combat team. The wedding included a double ring ceremony and reception.
• Fort Lupton JACL Discusses Plans for Membership Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Fort Lupton JACL chapter planned a membership drive ending March 12 with two competing teams. Dues were reduced for members at the general meeting.
• Arizona Cagers Lose to Mesa All-Stars, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Arizona A.C. Esquires lost to the Mesa All-Stars 30 to 26 in a Glendale game. Kats Ikeda led the winners in scoring.
• Idaho Falls JACL Discusses Army’s New Combat Team, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Idaho Falls JACL discussed the War Department’s American Japanese combat team at its first meeting of the year. Members were urged to volunteer for service.
• Hood River Group Opposes Return of Japanese Into Valley, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Hood River Pomona Grange passed a resolution opposing the return of Japanese Americans to the valley after the war. The resolution followed an address by the American Legion commander.
• Construction of Topaz High School Auditorium to Begin, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Construction of the Topaz high school auditorium and assembly hall will begin within days. The building is expected to be the first high school structure completed.
• Adult Classes Begin at Hunt, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Adult education classes started at the Minidoka relocation center in cooperation with the Idaho State Vocational Education Department. The classes will be conducted by appointive personnel.

Incarceration & Redress

• Stiff Prison Sentences Given Men Who Attacked JACL Head, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Five Poston evacuees received prison sentences in Yuma superior court for beating JACL leader Saburo Kido. Three were sent to the Arizona state penitentiary for three to four years.
• JACL and ACLU Granted Permission to File Briefs in Oshiro Lease Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Court of Appeals allowed the JACL and ACLU to file briefs as friends of court in a property lease case involving an evacuee. The case concerns whether an evacuee remains liable on a hotel lease after evacuation orders.
• Canadian Evacuees Denied Use of Radios, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Persons of Japanese ancestry removed from the coastal defense area were refused radio use except for certain exempt groups. The restriction followed widespread protests raised by the Vancouver Sun.
• Joining Internees Unaffected by Citizenship Status, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Edward J. Ennis of the Justice Department stated that citizens joining interned parents in special camps would keep their citizenship. No final program had yet been established for these camps.
• Would Terminate ACLU Radio Dispute with KFWB, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A. L. Wirin asked the FCC to end a dispute with KFWB over censorship of his proposed radio talk on Japanese American rights. KFWB claimed the topic was untimely after the Manzanar riot.

National

• Federal Appellate Court Affirms Citizenship Rights Upheld by Court, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Federal Appellate Court in San Francisco rejected the Native Sons of the Golden West attempt to strip Americans of Japanese ancestry of voting rights. Seven judges announced the decision without leaving the bench.
• Nisei Soldier Unit Opposed by L.A. Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A minority of the East Los Angeles Breakfast Club supported a resolution opposing enrollment of a Japanese American Army unit. The majority opposed the resolution and decided members would express individual views.
• Seek Committee to Investigate the Japanese in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rep. Henry M. Jackson proposed a standing House committee with broad investigative powers over Japanese matters affecting national security. Rep. Johnson opposed any return of the group for the duration of the war.
• Change in Nisei Status Sought by Californian, by P.C. Staff, page 2. California State Senator Clarence Ward called for a sharp revision of the status of Japanese in America after the war. He urged abolishing Japanese language schools and dual citizenship claims.
• Evacuees Saved Potato Crop, Hearing Told, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Twin Falls grower told a Senate committee that 3,800 evacuees saved the southern Idaho potato crop last fall. He criticized government contract requirements for the workers.
• U.S. Officials Say Evacuees Will Help Meet Labor Shortage, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Agriculture Department announced evacuees would be placed on farms to help with labor shortages. Field placement offices were being set up in several cities.
• Legality of Army Evacuation of Coast Japanese Argued in Appeals Court, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Attorneys argued before the Ninth Circuit Court that the mass evacuation violated constitutional rights of American citizens. Constitutional issues including due process and discrimination were central to the hearings.
• Ban on Children of Japanese Ancestry in Canada Schools Is Opposed, by P.C. Staff, page 7. British Columbia’s Minister of Education proposed legislation barring Japanese children from public schools. Critics including Harold Winch condemned the move as uncivilized and retrograde.

Commentary

• Publisher Asks End of Move to Strip Nisei of Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Seattle publisher Miller Freeman argued against revoking citizenship of American-born Japanese and proposed postwar conditions for loyalty. He called for severing ties with Japan and abolishing dual citizenship influences.
• Idaho Protests Army Move to Form Nisei Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Idaho legislators introduced memorials to the President opposing nisei military service and calling for deportation of Japanese aliens after the war. Another memorial opposed allowing evacuee college students to leave camps.
• California’s Race Hatred Bloc, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes new California groups seeking permanent exclusion of Japanese Americans and efforts to revoke citizenship. It argues these groups threaten democracy and resemble fascist movements.
• Press Repudiates the Bigots, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises favorable midwest and national newspaper coverage of nisei military service. It contrasts these with the hostility of California race-baiting groups.
• Dismantling the Disloyal, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial supports government arrests of agitators at Gila River, Tule Lake, and Manzanar. It argues these individuals threatened the security and democratic structure of the centers.
• Clamor for Evacuee Property, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A government survey found that evacuee farm equipment was mostly leased or sold rather than hoarded as claimed by California groups. The editorial argues the charges of idle property were exaggerated.
• Nisei Couple Lays Groundwork for Relocation, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Ben and Ruth Tanbara spoke to over 2,000 people in Minnesota about resettlement of evacuees. Their talks led to job offers and donations for relocation centers.
• U.S. Court Upholds Citizenship Rights of Japanese Americans, by A. L. Wirin, page 5. Attorney A. L. Wirin explains the Ninth Circuit Court rejection of the Native Sons suit to cancel citizenship of American-born Japanese. He argues the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments prohibit racial discrimination in citizenship and voting.
• Nisei in Print: A Checklist of Selected Reading, by Robert R. Tsuda, page 5. Tsuda reviews the JACL brief in the Native Sons case as a commentary on American democracy. He identifies the two key questions of racial intent and assimilation as central to the future of democracy.
• Some New Hints on Application of Finger Nail Polish, by Ann Nisei, page 6. Ann Nisei offers tips on applying and maintaining finger nail polish. She recommends hot oil treatments and sealing coats for longer-lasting manicures.
• N.Y. Committee Holds Meeting on Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Speakers at a New York meeting called for developing leadership among second-generation groups including nisei. Reports on War Relocation Authority conditions were presented.
• You Don’t Need to Wait Any Longer to Get Out, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The article encourages evacuees to sign up for beet work to leave the centers. It describes benefits including prevailing wages, housing, and a path to permanent employment.

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