Nisei and the draft: April 1943 news from the relocation centers

Vol. 16, No. 14, April 8, 1943. 8 pages. View this issue

Military service for Japanese Americans was the subject that ran through this eight-page issue. A dispatch on page one reported that compulsory service for loyal people in the relocation centers appeared likely, after Senator Chandler met Assistant Secretary of War McCloy. Other front-page stories followed the Supreme Court’s agreement to review the Hirabayashi and Yasui cases, and the response in Hawaii to the call for a combat team. A.L. Wirin, special counsel for the national JACL, wrote on page two about the exclusion orders and Judge Denman’s dissent, and the editorial page took up the draft directly.

Other pieces tell of life in the camps and beyond. Larry Tajiri wrote in Asia about correcting the mistakes of wholesale evacuation, and Bill Hosokawa described spring at Heart Mountain. Evacuees were leaving Tule Lake, Jerome and Rohwer for farm work, while Manzanar began a fire college for girls. A new Magic Valley JACL chapter in Idaho and the sports pages round out the issue.

What’s in this issue

National

• Draft of Japanese Americans for Military Service Believed in Offing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Compulsory military service for loyal Japanese Americans in war relocation centers appeared likely, with the army deciding which individuals are trustworthy. Senator Chandler, after meeting Assistant Secretary McCloy, proposed releasing thousands of loyal evacuees and abolishing the WRA in time.
• S. F. Chronicle Protests Intrusion By Sen. Chandler, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Francisco Chronicle criticized Senator Chandler’s proposal to legislate release of nisei from relocation centers. It argued the matter belonged to the FBI and Fourth Army, and that legislation was an illogical way to end an extra-constitutional internment.
• Fair Play Committee’s Letter Entered in Assembly Records, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A letter from the Pacific Coast Committee on American Principles and Fair Play urging justice for loyal Oriental Americans was entered into the California Assembly Daily Journal. A legislator praised the letter, and the committee explained how it is financed.
• U.S. Supreme Court Agrees To Review Nisei Test Cases, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Supreme Court agreed to review the Hirabayashi and Yasui cases challenging the constitutionality of the western command’s curfew and evacuation orders. The Ninth Circuit Court certified the questions after a divided vote.
• Appoint Hawaii Nisei to War Manpower Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Jack Kawano, a CIO union leader, was appointed to the Hawaii Manpower Board by Governor Stainback. He is the first American of Japanese ancestry appointed to a board dealing with wartime activities in Hawaii.
• Seek Constitutionality Of Curfew, Evacuation Regulations on Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Supreme Court agreed to review the constitutionality of curfew and evacuation restrictions on citizens of Japanese ancestry. The test cases involve Gordon Hirabayashi and Minoru Yasui, convicted for violating the regulations.
• Churchmen Hit Denial of Nisei Education Right, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fifteen Jackson, Michigan ministers signed an open letter criticizing the school board for refusing a nisei student enrollment at Jackson Junior College. They called the refusal undemocratic.
• Native Sons to Take Case to Supreme Court, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Native Sons of the Golden West, through Attorney General U.S. Webb, sought to bring their case to the Supreme Court to disenfranchise Japanese Americans. The case challenges a Circuit Court ruling that U.S.-born persons of Japanese ancestry are citizens.
• New York Committee Supports Bill to Aid Oriental Aliens, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Hugh DeLacy of the American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born backed H.R. 2011, introduced by Rep. Marcantonio, to end racial bars to naturalization. He argued the bar reflected fascist principles of racial superiority.

Community

• Japanese Language School Liquidated; Money Given YMCA, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A $25,000 fund and the property of the Honolulu Japanese language school were transferred to the Honolulu YMCA after the school was dissolved. The gift included 34,000 square feet of land and four buildings.
• Fire College For Girls Started at Manzanar, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A fire college for girls began classes at the Manzanar relocation center, conducted by the fire protection officer and fire chief. After a six-month course, graduates will work as secretaries and stenographers in fire departments.
• Jobs Available in New York Area, Says Work Agency, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two New York employment services reported more jobs than applicants for Japanese Americans, mostly domestic work. Many families who discharged Japanese servants after Pearl Harbor were seeking them again.
• Joe Masaoka Speaks At Greeley Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Joe Masaoka, JACL chief, discussed general problems of Japanese Americans at a Greeley, Colorado meeting attended by about 150 people. The article is brief.
• Denson Tribune Column Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Denson Tribune and Gila News-Courier editorials discuss progress toward peace and racial equality. They note that opposition in California threatens good faith among the United Nations.
• Spring Comes to Heart Mountain Center, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Warm weather at Heart Mountain brought renewed interest in outside employment and volunteer labor. The author notes both positive and potentially troubling restlessness among evacuees.
• Nisei Citizens Organize New JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei in South-Central Idaho adopted a constitution to form a Magic Valley JACL chapter and petitioned the Intermountain District Council for a charter. The chapter was later granted its charter at a meeting in Ogden.
• Boise Valley JACL Chapter Begins New Public Relations Work, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Boise Valley JACL began public relations work, with Masa Mukai speaking at a Weiser Chamber of Commerce luncheon. He discussed nisei serving in the armed forces and their contributions to the food program.
• Kuniyoshi Will Be Honored at New York Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Painter Yasuo Kuniyoshi will be a guest of honor at the United Nations in America dinner in New York on April 17. The dinner is sponsored by the American Committee for Protection of Foreign-Born.
• Mormon Church In Hawaii Increases Japanese Membership, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Latter Day Saints Japanese mission in Hawaii is growing faster than ever, according to Miss Beth Paul. She returned from a year of missionary work there.

Military & Veterans

• Sumidas of Hawaii May Have Seven Sons in U. S. Army, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Sumida family of Honolulu had two sons already in the army and five more volunteering for the new Japanese American combat unit. Their mother is a U.S. citizen born on Kauai.
• Hawaii Military Governor Lauds Nisei Volunteers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. General Emmons praised the response of Hawaiians of Japanese ancestry to the call for a combat team of about 4,000 men. He noted the quota was raised due to a small mainland response.
• Maj. O’Connor Given Post With New Nisei Volunteer Army Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Maj. Emmett O’Connor, a Honolulu-born officer, was assigned to the Japanese American volunteers inducted for overseas combat service. He has a long association with the Hawaiian National Guard.
• 36-Year Old Hawaiian First To Be Inducted Into New Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Joseph Itagaki, 36, became the first volunteer of Japanese descent on Oahu inducted into the U.S. Army. He had previously served in the Territorial Guard and as an OCD zone warden.
• Nisei Buddhist Volunteers as Army Chaplain, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rev. Masaru Kumata, a Buddhist clergyman at Topaz, volunteered to serve as a chaplain with the nisei combat team. If inducted, he would be the Army’s first chaplain of Buddhist faith and of Japanese descent.
• Murray Youth Passes Army Test For Combat Team, by P.C. Staff, page 3. George Utsunomiya of Murray, Utah became the first Japanese American in the Salt Lake area to pass his army physical for the combat unit. He is a farmer by occupation.
• Volunteers at Topaz Issue Publication Explaining Nisei Role, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A special commission of Topaz volunteers published a pamphlet dramatizing the role of Japanese American volunteers for the army. A separate pamphlet, Volunteers for Victory, was also issued to spur enlistments.

Incarceration & Redress

• WRA Official Reports 600 Pieces of Equipment Unused, by P.C. Staff, page 1. WRA property chief Russell Robinson reported over 600 pieces of farm equipment owned by evacuees sitting idle on the Pacific Coast. He said earlier reports of vast quantities of machinery had been greatly exaggerated.
• Denver Paper Reported Boycott of Nisei Talk Before Authors League, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Denver Post reported a boycott of a talk by Mary Oyama before the Denver Authors League, but sources said the event was well attended. WRA official Frank Cross introduced her and urged an open mind toward Japanese Americans.
• Gov. Warren Seeks Seizure Of Farm Tools, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Governor Earl Warren said a bill would be proposed to seize farm machinery stored by evacuated Japanese farmers under eminent domain. He argued the equipment was needed because much California acreage lay idle.
• Evacuees at Arkansas Center Leave For South Dakota Farms, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Twenty-five evacuees from Arkansas WRA centers went to Belle Fourche, South Dakota to work in sugar beet fields. WRA official Whitaker said they intended to stay and their families would follow.
• Iowa Legislature Action Rapped, by P.C. Staff, page 3. E. Raymond Wilson of the American Friends Service Committee criticized the Iowa legislature’s resolution barring Japanese American students from state colleges. He said it would affront Negroes, Chinese, and people of India.
• Evacuees Will Be Used on Western Farms, Senate Told, by P.C. Staff, page 3. About 25,000 evacuees in relocation camps will be offered work on farms outside defense areas in the west, Senate appropriations was told. The statement came from Wayne Darrow of the Department of Agriculture.
• Sen. Wallgren Proposes New Plan for Supervision, Control of Evacuees in WRA Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Senator Mon Wallgren proposed a sponsorship plan placing loyal evacuees under trustworthy citizens in communities. He said a more satisfactory segregation program was needed in the centers.
• Gila Slayer Gets Jail Term, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Joe Tsugawa was sentenced to 15 to 25 years in Arizona state prison for the second degree murder of his neighbor at the Gila River center. He had beaten the man after repeated warnings about his wife.
• Manzanar Editor To Leave for Utah, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kiyotoshi Iwamoto, editor of the Manzanar Free Press Japanese section, was scheduled to leave for the University of Utah. Toshiaki Kunisada was named acting editor.
• Wallgren Proposes New Plan for Supervision of Evacuees in WRA Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Senator Wallgren proposed a sponsorship plan for loyal evacuees and urged more satisfactory segregation in relocation centers. He said the army should be responsible for camps if no other arrangement works.
• Utah County Farms Hope For Help From Topaz WRA Center, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Plans were outlined to use Topaz workers on Utah County farms at a labor committee meeting. A migratory labor camp for 400 workers was being readied at the old CCC camp.
• Start Farm Equipment Survey at Gila River, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Evacuee Property Office at Gila River began a survey of all farm machinery, tractors, implements and automotive equipment owned by evacuees. The survey was directed from Washington and conducted by block managers.
• Evacuees Get Outside Jobs, Says Whitaker, by P.C. Staff, page 7. WRA official Whitaker reported evacuees from Jerome and Rohwer were being placed in farm jobs in other states. Requests were also coming from truck farms near Chicago.
• Five References Not Absolutely Essential, WRA Officials Opine, by P.C. Staff, page 7. WRA officials said five references were not an absolute requirement for leave clearance. Letters were a supplementary part of the investigation.
• First Group Leaves Tule Lake For Farms in Eastern Oregon, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The first 19 evacuees recruited at Tule Lake passed through Portland en route to Walla Walla farm work. They were investigated for loyalty and prevailing wages would be paid.
• Authorities Moving CCC Units to Provide Housing For Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A $25,000 project will move CCC camp units in Davis and Weber counties, Utah, to house 1,285 prospective Japanese American farm workers. The state will advance funds to be repaid through a daily camp assessment.

Commentary

• On Nisei Exclusion Orders, by A. L. Wirin, Special Counsel, National JACL, page 2. Wirin analyzes the Ninth Circuit’s referral of the Hirabayashi and Yasui cases to the Supreme Court and Judge Denman’s dissent. He argues that unfair treatment of Japanese Americans cannot justify further discrimination and that constitutional protections apply to them.
• Findlay Resolution Described As Anti-Democratic by Iowans, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Grinnell College newspaper called the Findlay resolution to remove nisei students from Iowa colleges a serious threat to democracy. The editorial noted nisei students had integrated well at Grinnell and made the honor roll.
• Nisei in the Draft, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the right to fight for one’s country, suspended for Japanese Americans, should be restored through selective service. It notes the 5,000 nisei already in uniform have acquitted themselves well.
• The Marcantonio Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial supports Rep. Marcantonio’s bill to end racial bars to naturalization. It argues the law should match the nation’s founding principle of equality before the law.
• Teapot Tempest, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes the Denver Post for distorting a luncheon with Mary Oyama, noting the Rocky Mountain News reported a better turnout. It praises the Colorado Authors League for listening to her with respect.
• N. Y. Times: Pro Patria, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pacific Citizen reprints a New York Times editorial praising the nisei volunteers parading in Honolulu before leaving for training. It concludes that being good Americans depends on what is in one’s heart.
• Movie Treachery in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The article criticizes the Warner Brothers film Air Force for depicting local Japanese Hawaiians as saboteurs on December 7. It notes officials and investigations found no such acts and that the false claims harm loyal Americans.
• San Francisco Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A column of brief notes on San Francisco events, including Madame Chiang Kai-shek’s tour, the Mikado performances, and the nisei draft and WAAC recruitment. It also notes Sinclair Lewis’s warning about racial hate.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes spring arriving at Heart Mountain, bringing warmth but also restlessness among evacuees. He notes some are volunteering for outside work while others are dissatisfied with confinement.
• Some Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The column lists examples of progress in race relations, including Chinese, Negro, and Maori advances and Japanese American achievements. It concludes that racial equality is a living and progressing reality.
• Negroes in America: Isolation Told By Wright in Bigger Essay, by Robert R. Tsuda, page 6. Tsuda discusses Richard Wright’s essay How Bigger Was Born, which explains the isolation and oppression of Negroes in the South after the Civil War. The essay describes how disfranchisement and racial taboos were enforced.
• Be Your Own Designer This Wartime Spring, by Ann Nisei, page 6. A fashion column suggests making crocheted bags, fabric hats, and accessories at home to work around wartime shortages. It offers simple instructions for homemade medallion bags and trimmed sailor hats.
• Evacuated Farms Continue to Produce, Says WRA Official, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Edward Joyce of the WRA said farms in western Washington and Oregon formerly operated by evacuees were still producing, largely under Filipino operators. He reported that 97 percent of the farms were in production.

In-Depth

• Larry Tajiri Writes in Asia: American Democracy Moves To Correct Mistakes Arising Out of Wholesale Evacuation, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Tajiri argues that America, as a democracy, can correct the mistakes of mass evacuation, though problems remain unresolved. He discusses how relocation created racial islands and how pro-Axis cliques exploited evacuee frustration.

Sports

• Chet Maeda Wins Mention in A.P. Intermountain Poll, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Chet Maeda, a partly Japanese-ancestry halfback for Colorado State, tied for fourth in an Associated Press vote for outstanding athlete in the Rocky Mountain conference. He was a triple-threat star and mentioned for All-American honors.
• Nakama Aids Buckeye Swimming Team to Win National AAU Title, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Kiyoshi Nakama placed in the 220 and 440 free-style events as Ohio State won the national AAU swimming team championship. He also swam on the fourth-place 440 relay team.

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