Citizenship, loyalty and the 1940 JACL national convention

Vol. 12, No. 46, October 1940. 10 pages. View this issue

Questions of citizenship ran through this ten-page issue. The front page explained the Nationality Act’s six-month clause, which raised only a presumption that a citizen abroad had lost citizenship. Saburo Kido returned to the subject in a column on a Nisei who lost citizenship by naturalizing in Japan. Speeches by Masaru Yamasaki and Gene Hashimoto asked the Nisei to prove their loyalty, and another speaker argued against dual citizenship. Chapters also offered their help to six western states under the peacetime draft.

Much of the issue reported on the JACL national convention. Committee reports, council proceedings and election results are here, including Saburo Kido as national president, James Sugioka as executive secretary, and the 1942 convention going to Northern California. Walter T. Tsukamoto began a Legal Forum column, and Kay Nishida wrote about early Japanese in the United States and Hawaii. Chapter news from Portland, Seattle and California closes the issue.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Six-Month Clause Further Clarified: Citizenship Lost Under Two Rulings, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Texts of Sections 401 and 402 of the Nationality Act are presented to clarify the so-called six-month presumption of expatriation. The article explains how residing abroad for six months may raise a presumption of lost citizenship, which can be overcome with satisfactory evidence.

Community

• Nat’l JACL to Launch 1941 Directory; Pacific Citizen Expands to 5,000 Copies, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The national JACL will publish a 1941 directory listing only members who have paid 1940 dues and subscriptions. The Pacific Citizen also expands to 5,000 copies and plans a special Christmas edition.
• Leagues of Six States Offer Services in Draft, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL chapters offered their cooperation to governors of six western states under the peacetime conscription act. Acknowledgements have already been received, and chapters will establish registration booths if asked.
• Notes and Comments: Chapter Correspondents and Financing the Pacific Citizen, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Chapters are reminded to send news by the tenth of each month and to name correspondents. Temporary financing measures, including per-subscription remittances, are described to place the Pacific Citizen on a sound footing.
• Nat’l Committee Reports: Finance, Credentials, Constitution, Projects, Appropriations, and Program, by Susumu Torasaki; Saburo Kido; Henry Taketa; Louis M. Oki; Fred Tayama; Tom Yego; Giichi Yoshioka, page 4. Committee reports to the National Council cover treasury funds, credentials, constitutional review, proposed projects, a two-year budget with a proposed woman secretary, and a program of activities. Recommendations include a Pacific Citizen assessment, an endowment fund, and a public relations committee in each chapter.
• Highlights of Council Proceedings, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Minutes from the National Council sessions report votes on Pacific Citizen fees, the executive secretary position, and a new 35-cent membership card assessment starting January 1, 1941. The article summarizes the council’s business and roll-call results.
• Mums Decorate Prize-Winning Float, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The San Mateo County JACL chapter won honors at the county Floral Fiesta with a float decorated in chrysanthemums. The chapter also participated in a large parade.
• Portland Gives Its All Toward Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Portland chapter’s large registration of 233 delegates is credited with boosting the convention, and the article lists delegates by chapter. Photos of convention events, a pioneer banquet, and a national council session accompany the report.
• N.W.D.C. Fall Activities, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The Mid-Columbia JACL outlines its fall program, including a Halloween social, a Pioneer Night, a Christmas mixer, and a winter basketball league. Chairmen for each event are named.
• Girls Assist Draft Registration; Civic Duty Shared, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Seattle chapter girls assisted with registration of Nisei men for military service and aliens, and the Puyallup Valley JACL helped register Japanese aliens. Both chapters aided their communities with civic tasks.
• Secret Quiz Rally Planned; Chapter Activities Across California, by P.C. Staff, page 9. San Francisco’s chapter planned a political rally with a panel of experts to address Nisei concerns in the presidential campaign. Other California chapters reported registration assistance, dances, floral and parade entries, and fundraising.
• Council Adopts Eight Suggestions at Intermountain Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The Intermountain District Council executive committee adopted eight recommendations for the national board, including reorganizing national representation and creating an elective office for a woman. Other proposals concern national contests, membership drives, and publicity.

Commentary

• The President’s Corner, by Saburo Kido, page 2. National President Kido discusses his decision to withdraw from a partisan political committee and to change his newspaper column into an official editorial. He also urges chapters to send membership lists and dues so the 1941 directory and membership system can function.
• Introducing the Legal Forum, by Walter T. Tsukamoto, page 3. Tsukamoto introduces a new Legal Forum column answering members’ questions on legal matters in nontechnical language. The first answers address the validity of late-filed California birth certificates and how women who lost citizenship through marriage may regain it.
• Nisei Challenge, by Masaru Yamasaki, page 6. Yamasaki, speaking at the convention, traces the immigrant pioneer story and argues that the Nisei must prove their loyalty to the United States. He calls for an end to dual citizenship as a response to anti-Japanese accusations.
• Nisei Speech: Loyalty and American Citizenship, by Gene Hashimoto, page 7. Hashimoto urges the Nisei to understand the Constitution and American ideals and to adjust to American life while keeping goodwill with their parents. He argues for dignified response to discrimination and for active citizenship.
• Dual Status an Anchor: You Cannot Serve Two Nations, by SCDC Speaker, page 7. A Southern California District Council speaker argues that dual citizenship undermines Nisei loyalty and damages the community’s reputation. He urges members to choose one country and to protect their American citizenship.
• On Loss of Citizenship, by Saburo Kido, page 7. Kido discusses a case in which a Nisei who obtained Japanese citizenship while studying in Japan lost his American citizenship. He explains that under American law voluntary naturalization in a foreign country constitutes expatriation.

In-Depth

• Colorful History Lies Behind First Japanese in U.S., by Kay Nishida, page 3. The article calls for a comprehensive English history of Japanese in America and Hawaii and recounts early contacts, including the geisha Kosome, who reached Hawaii and then the United States. It also notes early Japanese links to Hawaii and figures such as Nakahama Manjiro and Niijima Jo.

JACL

• Appointment of League History Body Suggested to Complete Work Begun, by Teiko Ishida, page 5. The History Committee recommends that the new administration appoint a League History Committee with district historians to complete the compilation of JACL history. It also proposes a uniform minute book for chapters to preserve records.
• 1942 National Convention Awarded to Northern California; Elections Held, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Northern California District Council was awarded the 1942 National Convention after the Intermountain bid was withdrawn. Saburo Kido was elected national president, Ken Matsumoto vice president, James Sugioka executive secretary, and Hito Okada treasurer.
• Portland Leads in Sales of Pins with 56 Total, by Kay Hirao, page 5. A report lists chapter sales of JACL convention demonstration pins, with Portland leading at 56 pins sold. Gross receipts, expenses, and the cash balance from the pin sales are itemized.
• Ritual Committee Report, by Frank Ishii, page 10. The Ritual Committee proposes a permanent national committee with rotating members to develop uniform installation ceremonies, JACL songs, standards, colors, and handbooks. It also sets objectives for making membership more valuable.
• Message from National Executive Secretary, by James Sugioka, page 10. Sugioka, newly elected executive secretary, reflects on the convention and urges members to uphold the resolutions passed. He thanks members for their confidence.

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