Japanese Americans in combat in Italy and the Korematsu ruling, 1943

Vol. 17, No. 23, December 11, 1943. 8 pages. View this issue

Two stories ran side by side in this eight-page issue: Japanese American soldiers in the fighting in Italy, and the legal and political fight over the forced removal at home. A delayed Associated Press dispatch by Kenneth L. Dixon reported the Hawaii battalion back in the front lines of the Fifth Army, while the War Department named the dead and wounded of the 100th Infantry Battalion. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld General DeWitt’s orders in the Korematsu case, and A. L. Wirin explained the ruling on page 5.

Other pages followed WRA Director Dillon Myer’s testimony before the Dies committee and the controversy at Tule Lake. Larry Tajiri, Bill Hosokawa and Saburo Kido wrote editorials and columns, and Joe Masaoka reported from Denver. Page 7 carried Ann Nisei’s ideas for a Christmas Eve party in the camps.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Military “Fluke” Gave Army’s Japanese American Battalion Chance to Fight on Italy Front, by Kenneth L. Dixon, page 1. A delayed Associated Press dispatch from Italy reports that the Japanese American battalion from Hawaii is back in the front lines after a military fluke filled a gap in the American line. Soldiers describe the hardships of mud, cold, and combat, while praising their fighting spirit and acceptance by the other troops.
• Japanese Americans Fight as Part of Famed U.S. Division, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese American battalion fighting in Italy is serving within the Thirty-Fourth Division, the first American division to cross the Atlantic in the war. The division’s Hawaiian-Japanese unit led the advance on the Italian front.
• Nine Dead, 60 Wounded in Italian Fighting Identified; All But One from Hawaii Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department released names of Japanese American soldiers killed and wounded in Italy, most from the Hawaii area. General Clark and Secretary Stimson praised the 100th Infantry Battalion for its record.
• General McNair Inspects Nisei Unit at Camp Shelby, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Lieutenant General Leslie McNair and his staff briefly visited the Combat Team during an inspection tour of Camp Shelby. The officers flew in, observed an infantry regiment in training tests, and visited garrison units.
• Rev. Frank H. Smith Reports Attitude of Nisei Troop “Healthy”, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Frank Herron Smith, chairman of the West Coast Protestant Commission on Japanese, visited the Combat Team and delivered sermons. He reported that the volunteers had adjusted exceptionally well to military life.
• Honolulu Boxer Killed in Action On Italian Front, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Cpl. Richard Kanse Toyama, a well-known Honolulu bantamweight boxer, was killed in action on the Italian front on Oct. 21. A Buddhist memorial service was held for him on Nov. 21.
• Second Nisei Chaplain Joins Combat Team, by P.C. Staff, page 2. First Lieutenant Hiro Higuchi became the second Nisei commissioned as a chaplain in the Army and joined the 442nd Infantry Regiment. He explained that he volunteered because he wanted to serve the young men he had taught in Hawaii.

Incarceration & Redress

• Evacuee Shot By Army Sentry, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Satoshi Kira, a resident of the Gila River camp, was shot and wounded by a military sentry after he failed to halt when ordered. WRA officials said he was not in serious condition after the bullet was removed.
• Hearings Over Civil Service Postponed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Former Japanese American state employees protesting their dismissal after Pearl Harbor agreed to postpone hearings until after the war. The hearing for 90 dismissed workers was indefinitely continued.
• Parole Hearing Held For Arizona Doctor, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A parole hearing was held for an Arizona doctor. Details of the case are limited in the available text.
• Chamber Attacks Relocation Program, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Long Beach chamber of commerce group opposed the relocation program. Limited details are available in the OCR text.
• Private Hargrove Tops Reading List at Gila River, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The most-read book at Gila River was Marion Hargrove’s See Here, Private Hargrove, followed by King’s Row and For Whom the Bell Tolls. The rankings came from the camp rental section.
• Farm Labor Camp Near Ogden Closed As Season Ends, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The federal farm labor camp at Riverdale, Utah, which housed more than 250 Japanese ancestry workers, closed for the season. The workers returned to relocation camps.
• Myer Refutes Charges Before Dies Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. WRA Director Dillon Myer testified before the Dies committee and denied many allegations about conditions at Tule Lake. He expressed confidence in WRA officials and said the agency might resume control of the center in about two months.
• Governor Warren Invited by Senator To Visit Tule Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 3. State Senator Randolph Collier invited Governor Earl Warren to visit the Tule Lake segregation center to see conditions firsthand. Collier had requested a special legislative session on the Japanese problem.
• Four Aliens Held By FBI in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The FBI arrested four aliens in the Chicago area accused of pre-Pearl Harbor activity aiding Japan. One was reportedly an operator of several restaurants.
• Center Council Asks Conclave On Relocation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The community council at Heart Mountain asked the WRA to arrange a conference of evacuee leaders from all nine relocation centers. The council said evacuees had not been given sufficient voice in planning resettlement.
• Gila River Fire Destroys Farm Granary, Grain, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A fire destroyed a granary and several tons of grain at the Gila River center, causing losses of about $1,700. Firefighters kept the flames from spreading to nearby pig pens and farrowing houses.
• Status of 17-Year Old Girl Puzzled S.F. Police, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A 17-year-old girl of Japanese and Caucasian parentage was detained in San Francisco and then released without prosecution. The case involved a violation of the military exclusion order that was not prosecuted for the time being.
• Japanese American Woman, Wife of Chinese, Receives Permission to Return Home, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Lun P. Woo, a Japanese American woman married to a Chinese American, received permission to return to Seattle with her children. Authorities indicated the exception did not signal a general lifting of restrictions.
• Ninth Circuit Court Upholds Gen. DeWitt’s Evacuation of Japanese American Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld General DeWitt’s evacuation orders in the Korematsu case. Judge William Denman concurred but expressed regret and hope that evacuees would be compensated for losses.
• City Commissioners In Ogden Ban License to Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ogden city commissioners denied a cafe license transfer to a group of Japanese American businessmen, causing the restaurant to close. The evacuees are American citizens who had operated the business under a previous license.
• Fair Play Group Faces Inquiry, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A California assembly committee held a hearing into the Pacific Coast Committee for American Principles and Fair Play, which advocates fair treatment of loyal Japanese Americans. Assemblyman Chester Gannon led the investigation.
• Seattle Council Asks Minority Rights Be Protected, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Seattle Council of Churches and Christian Education issued a statement urging that the temporary suspension of constitutional rights for minority groups not become permanent. It noted loyal Japanese Americans lack the freedom to live where they choose.
• San Diegans Sign Petition Opposing Return of Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Diego residents signed petitions opposing the return of Japanese Americans to the area. The petitions were sent to Congressman John Costello in Washington.
• The Evacuation Test Case: Coast Federal Appeals Court Upholds Legality of Military Order in Korematsu Case, by A. L. Wirin, page 5. Special counsel A. L. Wirin reports that the Ninth Circuit upheld the Korematsu exclusion orders affecting 70,000 citizens. He summarizes Judge Denman’s concurrence criticizing the mass imprisonment.
• Resolution Urging Exchange Withdrawn by California Group, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The California War Council withdrew a resolution urging exchange of Tule Lake segregees for interned Americans after Governor Warren objected. He said the matter could embarrass the federal government.
• Cleveland Evacuees Invited to Share in Library Services, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Evacuees resettling in Cleveland were invited to use the public library’s services and receive membership cards. The invitation was a joint effort of the relocation office and the Baptist Home Mission Society.
• Dillon Myer Expresses Hope of Relocating 70,000 Eligible Evacuees in 1944, by P.C. Staff, page 8. In New York, WRA Director Dillon Myer said the agency hoped to relocate 65,000 to 70,000 loyal evacuees by 1944. He criticized Hearst press stories and described the Tule Lake disturbance as caused by a small group of Kibei.
• The Congressional “Storm” Over “Battle of the Bathtubs” Article in Pamphlet Caused Any Trouble?, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Myer conceded before a Dies subcommittee that a WRA newsletter article on midwestern farm sanitation was somewhat indiscreet. The author, Everett Dakan, said he did not intend to disparage midwestern farmers.

National

• Discrimination Against Negroes, Nisei Rapped, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Howard Feast, a federal social protection official, urged that discrimination against Negroes, Nisei, and American-born Japanese be eliminated during wartime. He addressed a social workers conference in Boise.
• Western Growers Group Opposes WRA Administration, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Western Growers Association demanded that Japanese Americans be removed from War Relocation Authority jurisdiction and placed under military supervision. The group also called for deportation of all disloyal persons.
• President Hits Racial Bias in Employment, by P.C. Staff, page 2. President Roosevelt ordered that all government contracts with private firms include a clause barring racial discrimination in hiring. The President said such discrimination harms the prosecution of the war.

Commentary

• Twin Falls Paper Answers “Jap” Charge in Hearst Press, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Twin Falls Times-News rebutted a Hearst San Francisco Examiner story by James K. McCoy that called Twin Falls a Jap hot spot. The editorial said such rumors were spread by hatred and racial intolerance.
• Jap Questionnaire, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editors criticize the Los Angeles Times’ Jap Questionnaire, which produced lopsided results favoring deportation and exclusion. They argue the small, self-selected sample does not represent West Coast opinion, which a Gallup poll found less hostile.
• Dillon S. Myer, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors urge that WRA Director Dillon Myer not be forced out to appease West Coast congressmen. They praise his integrity and his efforts to make the evacuation program as democratic as possible.
• Contradictions in Policy, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors point out contradictions in government policy toward Japanese Americans, who serve in combat and merchant marine roles while remaining classified 4-C and sometimes being refused training. They call for consistent treatment.
• Lest the Dead Speak Out, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri examines the congressional “battle of the bathtubs” over a WRA newsletter article about midwestern farm sanitation. He argues the controversy is an anti-administration campaign to discredit the WRA and its director.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A short column of miscellaneous items on Chinese official support, retail employment, seamen, artist Mine Okubo, and nisei draft status. Each item notes developments affecting Japanese Americans.
• Cairo Talks Basis for Post-War Asia, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa questions the optimism that Japan’s defeat is assured by the Cairo agreement, arguing the war must still be won militarily. He outlines the postwar challenges of strengthening China, reforming colonial rule, and treating Japan fairly.
• Colorado Calling!, by Joe Masaoka, page 6. Masaoka reports on a Farmers Union symposium in Denver on minority discrimination and quotes the speech by Harold Saks. He argues that discrimination against Japanese Americans harms the war effort and American democracy.
• “Farewell to Little Tokyo”: Future of Nisei Discussed In Common Ground Article, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The column summarizes Larry Tajiri’s Common Ground article on the future of the nisei after evacuation. It argues that assimilation requires aligning with progressive forces in American society.
• Thanksgiving, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa reflects on gratitude for liberty and the ability to find work after leaving the camps. He contrasts freedom outside with the barren life of confinement.
• War Policy: Evacuees Continues, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Gila News-Courier praises WRA handling of detention and notes improved stability among evacuees. It credits policy that encouraged democratic participation.
• Pearl Harbor Day, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Minidoka Irrigator reflects on Pearl Harbor Day and the loyalty shown by Japanese Americans since the attack. It urges readers to make the day a symbol of a minority proving itself.
• Hearst Press, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The UCLA California Bruin criticizes Hearst papers for distorting facts about loyal and disloyal Japanese Americans. It urges readers to check facts and resist scare campaigns.
• Topics, by Saburo Kido, page 6. Kido argues that Nisei should plan to leave the camps by spring because California remains hostile. He also urges establishing the right to return to the Pacific Coast through the courts.

Community

• Japanese American Farm Workers Win Praise of Official, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Carl Spicer of the Detroit WRA office praised Japanese American farm workers at a Michigan farm labor meeting. Mrs. Viola Gordon described the success she had employing evacuees on her dairy farm.
• Ann Nisei’s Column: Christmas Eve, Recapture Holiday Spirit, by Ann Nisei, page 7. Ann Nisei offers ideas for a Christmas Eve party in the camps, including decorations, food, and games. She encourages families to recapture the holiday spirit despite wartime conditions.
• Vital Statistics, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A list of births, marriages, and deaths among evacuees at various relocation centers. The entries record names, locations, and dates.
• Washington Professors, Students Rap Kent City Action, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Seventy University of Washington professors and students protested statements by Kent city officials opposing postwar return of Japanese Americans. They argued such attitudes aid enemy propaganda.

JACL

• Calling All Chapters!, by Hito Okada, page 7. JACL headquarters reports Buck-a-Month Club members, contributions from the San Benito County Chapter, and a proposed credit union membership campaign. It also thanks donors for USO and headquarters support.
• Joe Masaoka Official Talks At National Convention, by Joe Masaoka, page 8. Joe Masaoka, the JACL Denver representative, told a Farmers Union meeting that discrimination against Japanese Americans harms the war effort and democracy. He said the problem is an American one, not one confined to any single group.

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