Wyoming Legion backs evacuees, and Nisei soldiers train at Camp Shelby

Vol. 17, No. 10, September 11, 1943. 8 pages. View this issue

Support for Japanese Americans came from an unexpected quarter on the front page, where delegates to the Wyoming state American Legion convention unanimously approved a resolution urging the Legion to help evacuees find work, reversing national policy. Nearby stories followed the Japanese American combat team at Camp Shelby, including an Associated Press visit by Elliot Chaze that explains the motto “Go for Broke” with comments from Mike Masaoka. Elsewhere, Tule Lake residents were to be moved to Minidoka as segregation went forward.

The editorial page took up repeal of the Chinese exclusion law, and Larry Tajiri wrote about free China. Bill Hosokawa answered a church youth group’s question, Saburo Kido reported on a trip to Denver and Boulder, and Joe Masaoka wrote from Colorado. Mine Okubo’s sketches of Tanforan and Topaz and Dale Oka’s account of Detroit round out the eight pages.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Wyoming Legion Backs Evacuees With Resolution, page 1. The Wyoming state American Legion convention unanimously approved a resolution urging the Legion to exert leadership in affording employment and opportunity to Japanese American evacuees, reversing national policy. The resolution was sponsored by the Powell and Cody posts and drew considerable floor support.
• Combat Team Members Win Coveted Stripes, page 2. The Army announced temporary promotions of 297 enlisted men in the Infantry Regiment of the Japanese American Combat Team training at Camp Shelby. The list includes staff sergeants, sergeants, technicians and corporals from across the mainland and Hawaii.
• Smith College President Backs Japanese on College Faculty, page 3. Smith College President Herbert J. Davis declined to rescind the appointment of Dr. Shuichi Kusaka, a Japanese national raised in Canada, as temporary physics lecturer despite local protests. Kusaka disavowed Japanese government loyalty and had been cleared by the FBI.
• So This Is Detroit…, by Dale Oka, page 7. Dale Oka describes life in Detroit after relocation, praising local newspapers for favorable coverage of nisei and noting new war-industry jobs. He contrasts the friendlier atmosphere with the hostility of the Pacific Coast.
• 16 Year Old Girl Writes Letter to Editor About Democracy, page 7. A sixteen-year-old St. Paul girl questioned the opposition to a Japanese American family moving into her neighborhood, prompting several letters to the editor condemning racial intolerance. The Star Journal editorial praised the spirit of American democratic principles.

Military & Veterans

• Underage Nisei Volunteer Must Go Back to School, page 1. Pvt. Harry E. Maura, a 17-year-old volunteer in the Japanese American Combat Team at Camp Shelby, must leave training until he turns 18 in November. He plans to return to high school and hopes to make the football team.
• Nisei Sergeant, Wounded in Action in Southwest Pacific, Wins Order of Purple Heart, page 1. Technical Sergeant Kazuo Komoto of the Gila River center received the Purple Heart after being wounded in the right knee on July 15 in the Southwest Pacific. His parents had not seen him in over two years, and travel restrictions for Japanese American soldiers have since been lifted.
• Japanese American Combat Team News: Men Now Training at Shelby, by Elliot Chaze, Associated Press, page 2. An Associated Press account from Camp Shelby describes the Japanese American combat team’s training, including rivalry between mainland and Hawaiian volunteers and officers’ praise for their soldiers. Mike Masaoka explains the team’s motto ‘Go for Broke’ and the importance of the unit’s performance for postwar rights.
• Associated Press Writer Visits Camp Shelby, Finds Nisei Unit Training Intensively for War, by Associated Press, page 2. An AP writer reports on the Nisei combat team at Camp Shelby, noting its intensive training, the ‘Japanese American’ usage debate, and the soldiers’ humor and rivalry with Hawaiian recruits. Officers describe the men as top-flight soldiers eager for battle.
• Topaz Dentist Gets Officer’s Rating; Called to Shelby, page 2. Dr. Masanobu George Tsukasaki, a dentist at the Topaz hospital, was commissioned a First Lieutenant and ordered to report to Camp Shelby on September 16 for Medical Corps dental service. He had applied for a commission in June after volunteering during registration.
• Seven Nisei Inducted Into Army in Utah, page 2. Seven Japanese Americans were inducted at Fort Douglas, Utah, on September 2 and are scheduled to join the combat team at Camp Shelby. Among them was Jerry Katayama, executive secretary of the Salt Lake JACL, who volunteered for training at Camp Savage.
• U.S. Air Corps May Accept Nisei, Letter From Inductee Says, page 7. A letter from Shiro Yeto, an army volunteer at Fort Douglas, reported that nisei might be accepted by the Army Air Corps. A wire was sent to Washington to confirm the news.
• WRA Officer Cites Examples of Relocation in Philadelphia, by Henry C. Patterson, page 8. WRA relocation officer Henry C. Patterson describes successful nisei relocations in Philadelphia, including Tom Onomiya’s job as an auto mechanic and Sakurai’s placement at a printing company. He also urges families to consider farm and domestic work in the East.

National

• San Francisco CIO Backs Right of Evacuees to Return if Military Conditions Permit, page 1. The San Francisco CIO Political Action Committee, in discussing its platform for the mayoral election, endorsed the right of loyal Japanese Americans to return to the West Coast when military authorities approve. The platform also included repeal of Chinese exclusion and other civil rights planks.
• Gripsholm Sails With Repatriates For Far East, page 1. The exchange liner Gripsholm departed New York with 1330 Japanese nationals, including about 150 from war relocation centers, to be exchanged for American civilians held by Japan. The exchange is expected to take place around October in the Portuguese colony of Goa.
• Laxity in Handling Properties of Nisei, Aliens Charged by Santa Clara County Grand Jury, page 1. A Santa Clara County grand jury report charged law enforcement with lax handling of property seized from enemy aliens and citizens of Japanese ancestry. It recommended an adequate warehouse under sole responsibility of the sheriff, while the board of supervisors questioned where such space would come from.
• Ogden Veterans Urge Evacuee Curbs, page 2. The Corporal Fred J. Grant post of the VFW in Ogden sent a resolution to Utah’s governor and local officials calling for all persons of Japanese ancestry to be treated as prisoners of war and for their liquor licenses to be cancelled. The resolution opposed the entire government policy toward these citizens and aliens.
• Opposition to Relocation Program Cited As American Legion Policy, page 3. A report by the American Legion national Americanism commission details 1943 efforts opposing the coddling of Japanese in relocation centers and of conscientious objectors. The report was to be submitted to the national convention in Omaha.
• Utah ‘Forgotten Man’ to Seek Commutation of Life Sentence, page 3. Masato Karumai, condemned for a 1925 slaying but spent years in state hospital and prison, will seek commutation of his life sentence before the Utah pardons board. The board commuted his death sentence in 1942.
• Ex-Governor Carr Believes Defense of Nisei Rights ‘Finished Him Politically’, page 3. Former Colorado Governor Ralph Carr said in Portland that his defense of Japanese American evacuees probably cost him his political career, though he could not have acted otherwise. He credited the Japanese with saving the state’s sugar beet crop.
• Denver Paper Differs With Ex-Gov. Carr, page 3. The Rocky Mountain News disputed former Governor Carr’s claim that his stance on evacuees cost him the 1942 Senate race, arguing the issue was not raised in the campaign. The editorial praised Carr’s courage while saying Senator Johnson won on other grounds.
• Murder Suspect Reported Located After Long Hunt, page 3. A federal grand jury in Spokane indicted Eitaro Higashi, a Japanese alien, for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in the 1936 strangling of Dolores Naccarato. The case had remained unsolved for eight years.
• U.S. Employment Agency Will Get Jobs For Evacuees, page 3. Idaho’s state War Manpower Commission director announced that U.S. employment service offices will help WRA find jobs for evacuees in relocation centers. Offices will treat WRA inventories as reserve labor, provided they do not compete with local workers.

Incarceration & Redress

• Hunt Awaits 1500 Evacuees From Tule Lake, page 2. Director H. L. Stafford announced that 1500 persons will be transferred from Tule Lake to Minidoka between September 25 and 30 as part of segregation of disloyal evacuees. Minidoka will send 274 residents to Tule Lake, and the transfer will fill Minidoka to capacity.
• Jerome Group Backs High School Head, page 3. An evacuee group at the Jerome center circulated petitions demanding reinstatement of Dr. C. F. Hankins, principal of Denson high school, who they say was forced to resign. The group also called for an investigation by the national WRA office and the resignation of prejudiced administrators.
• Changes Made in Employment Policy Of Evacuee Camps, page 3. A revised WRA administrative instruction announced at Hunt sets a 44-hour work week and standardized employment rules for evacuee camp jobs. Provisions include limiting $19 positions to 15% of employees and restricting family members employed at one project.
• Twenty-four States Now Claim Former Topaz Residents, page 3. Topaz relocatees on indefinite leave are now scattered across twenty-four states, with 418 remaining in Utah and 172 in Illinois. Michigan and Ohio also have sizable communities of former residents.
• Body of Hunt Nisei Found By Fishermen, page 3. The body of Yoshio Tamura, 21, who drowned while swimming in the north side canal near Hunt, was recovered by volunteers and cremated. He was the second resident of the center to drown.
• Minidoka Firemen Aid in Routing Cassia County Fire, page 7. Twenty-four Hunt firemen under Chief Ken Kunimatsu helped fight a grain and grazing land fire in Cassia County over August 26-29. Evacuees joined Jamaicans, Mexicans and Grazing Service men in controlling the blaze.
• Gila River Canal Adopts Community Constitution, page 7. Voters in Canal block adopted a proposed community constitution at the August 30 election, with 596 of 666 votes in favor. The article notes the broad support across the blocks.

JACL

• Denver Citizens League Joins Other Groups In Fellowship Meeting, page 2. The Japanese American Citizens League joined other Denver organizations in sponsoring a meeting on ‘The Brotherhood of Man’ at Grace Community Church on August 26. JACL Denver representative Joe Masaoka was among the speakers.
• Colorado Calling!, by Joe Masaoka, page 6. Joe Masaoka urges nisei to develop versatile skills, offering examples of resettled evacuees who adapted their hobbies and trades to new jobs. He stresses that adaptability is essential in a changing postwar world.

Commentary

• Prospectus for PC, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial sets out the Pacific Citizen’s principles, including that a person’s race does not indicate loyalty and that the rights of all minorities are interconnected. It argues that fighting for the rights of nisei also secures the rights of all Americans.
• The Need for Revision, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial urges Congress to repeal the Chinese exclusion law, arguing that anti-Oriental prejudice harms the war effort and China relations. It rebuts claims that repeal would bring a coolie threat, noting the small quota involved.
• Military Situation Wise Changes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial comments on western governors’ San Francisco meeting about relaxing civilian defense restrictions after the Aleutian victories. It argues that any relaxation should also apply to restrictions against Japanese Americans to avoid revealing the evacuation as racially motivated.
• Honors in the Field, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises Japanese Americans in the armed forces, citing the Purple Heart awarded to a Parlier nisei soldier and other decorations. It urges nisei civilians to match the war record by investing in war bonds.
• Nitei Chungking, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri argues that free China’s resistance to Japan is vital to Allied victory and to preventing a race war in America. He warns that appeasement in Chungking and anti-Oriental campaigns at home threaten both nations’ interests.
• The Flickers, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes magazines and Hollywood films for portraying nisei as untrustworthy despite official exoneration of nisei from sabotage. It calls for democracy to be defended against the entertainment industry’s compromises.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A short column notes a new defense housing project near Salt Lake City whose ads announced homes restricted to the white race. It also reports on Clair Engle’s Senate win and a proposal by California state senator to bar Japanese Americans from citizenship.
• From the Frying Pan: Youngsters Raise A Point About Democracy, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recounts a church youth group’s letter asking whether Japanese prisoners could be housed among evacuees to improve attitudes. He argues that evacuees are largely American citizens with American outlooks, so the comparison is misplaced and the WRA must avoid treating them like prisoners.
• Nisei Canadians, page 5. The Digest summarizes a New Canadian editorial on the political awakening of Japanese Canadians, influenced by the CCF party’s defense of their rights. It notes that Ontario evacuees voted for the first time in recent elections.
• Yankee Reporter, by Burton Heath, page 5. Burton Heath’s syndicated editorial praised the WAC decision to recruit nisei women while questioning the limit on applicants. He argued there is no general public antipathy justifying such restrictions.
• Nisei Soldiers Letter from Camp Shelby, page 5. A soldier at Camp Shelby writes that military service is a way to help establish equality for nisei after the war. He describes learning from men of different races and backgrounds about shared hopes and prejudice.
• Ann Nisei’s Column: Mail Call Biggest Event of Army Day; Write Your Soldier, by Ann Nisei, page 6. Ann Nisei advises families on sending food packages to soldiers, recommending cookies, cakes and breads that travel well. She includes recipes for apple sauce cake, nut bread and oatmeal hermits.
• Notes on a Trip to Colorado, by Saburo Kido, page 6. Saburo Kido reports on his trip to Denver and Boulder, noting few new Japanese businesses on Larimer Street and the farm work many evacuees are doing. He describes farmers’ frustration with OPA price ceilings and finds the outlook of evacuees broadening.
• Sacramento Chamber Backs Alien Ban, page 6. The Sacramento Chamber of Commerce board voiced approval in principle of legislation to deport all alien and disloyal Japanese. The report had come from its agricultural committee.
• Formation of Institute of Ethnic Democracy Urged as Approach to American Race Problems, by John Collier and Saul K. Padover, page 7. Collier and Padover, writing in Common Ground, urge creation of a government Institute of Ethnic Democracy to address America’s racial and minority problems. They argue unresolved race issues play into Hitler’s hands and undermine democracy.
• 16 Year Old Girl Letters Continue: Race and Democracy, page 8. Readers responded to the Star Journal’s discussion of racial prejudice, with letters from Willard Rowbere, James Hill and R. H. Childs condemning discrimination. Each affirmed faith in American democracy and in the young writer’s conscience.

In-Depth

• Education and the Nisei: Recent College Survey Shows Students Are Crowding Into Engineering, Medical Fields, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. A survey of 3029 nisei students shows heavy interest in engineering and medicine, though job prospects in these fields are limited by prejudice. The article describes engineering branches and urges students to weigh their aptitude and the coming competition.

Arts & Entertainment

• Mine Okubo’s Art, Article Published In Coast Magazine, by Mine Okubo, page 7. Artist Mine Okubo’s illustrated article in the San Francisco Chronicle’s This World depicts life at Tanforan and Topaz. Her sketches and text document the train journey, messhalls, schools and daily camp routines.

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