August 1942: Manzanar Nisei petition for combat duty

Vol. 15, No. 10, August 6, 1942. 8 pages. View this issue

Manzanar was the lead story of this eight-page issue. Roy Nash, director of the Manzanar relocation project, told a San Francisco audience that American-born Japanese at the center had petitioned President Roosevelt for permission to fight on the European front, and he cited the petition as evidence of their loyalty. Other front-page news covered the Army’s plans to move about 12,500 people from the Pomona and Puyallup assembly centers to Heart Mountain in Wyoming and Minidoka in Idaho, and the Tulare center’s move to Gila River in Arizona. Editorials by Saburo Kido and Bill Hosokawa looked at assimilation, former friends who turned away, and the roots of Japan’s militarism.

Also in this issue: an editorial defending the paper’s right to circulate in the camps, a letter from a Seattle American Legion member, and columns by Tad Uyeno and Kenny Murase on citizenship, democracy and fascism. Life inside the centers appears in reports from Tule Lake, Poston, Fresno and Tanforan.

What’s in this issue

National

• Manzanar Nisei Send Petition to President Asking Overseas War Combat Duty, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Roy Nash, director of the Manzanar relocation project, told a San Francisco audience that American-born Japanese at the center had petitioned President Roosevelt for permission to fight on the European front. He cited the petition as evidence of their loyalty and described daily life at the center.
• Kanai Returned to Coast; Will Face Trial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lincoln Seiichi Kanai, former secretary of the San Francisco YMCA Japanese branch, was returned to San Francisco from Wisconsin to face charges of leaving Military Area No. 1 without permission. He had been arrested by FBI agents in Wisconsin and contended in a written statement that Japanese Americans should not be treated differently from other citizens.
• Hinshaw Urges Bill to Ban Japan Language Schools, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Representative Hinshaw of California introduced a bill to prohibit foreign language schools deemed to propagandize pupils in the interest of national defense. The move was seen as a renewed effort to suppress Japanese language schools.
• Form Religious Council to Aid Nisei Relocation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A National Religious Council for War Relocation was formed in New York to cooperate with the WRA employment division in relocating evacuees outside the western defense command. Mike Masaoka of the JACL assisted in forming the council.
• Army Denies Rumors Alien Curfew Relaxed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Colonel Karl Bendetsen denied rumors that the curfew affecting enemy aliens on the West Coast had been relaxed. He restated the original proclamation’s terms for alien Germans and Italians.
• WPB Will Investigate Any Discrimination Against Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The War Production Board said it would investigate employment discrimination against American citizens of Japanese ancestry, and it was already probing one such case. Hito Okada of the JACL explained that complaints should be reported to the national JACL office.
• Last Evacuation Orders Issued in California, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The evacuation of the last Japanese not in an assembly or relocation center in California began August 2 and continued through August 7. About 5,979 people from Fresno and Tulare counties were moved to Arizona centers.

Incarceration & Redress

• Army Announces New Evacuee Movements to Idaho, Wyoming, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Army announced the transfer of roughly 12,500 evacuees from the Pomona and Puyallup assembly centers to the new Heart Mountain center in Wyoming and the Minidoka center in Idaho. Movements were scheduled to begin around August 9 and continue through the following weeks.
• Tulare Center Evacuees Bound for Gila River, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tulare assembly center manager Nils Aanonsen announced that evacuees would be moved to the Gila River project at Sacaton, Arizona, later in the month. Residents would travel in units of 500 over a ten-day period.
• Camp Harmony Residents to Go to Minidoka, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Colonel Karl Bendetsen announced that two new relocation centers, Heart Mountain and Minidoka, would receive about 12,500 evacuees from the Pomona and Puyallup assembly centers. Details of the transfer schedules and the new centers’ locations and capacities were given.
• Battle of Dearborn Airs Issue of Nisei Citizen Relocation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Church groups in Dearborn, Michigan, sought to resettle four Japanese American citizens for the summer, but veterans groups opposed the plan at a public hearing. The affair drew national attention and criticism of the opposition.
• Evacuees Have Self-Rule at Poston Center, by Stanley Watanabe, page 7. Stanley Watanabe reports that Poston, now Arizona’s third-largest city, has set up a self-governing community system with block and community councils. The report describes its population growth and services.
• Tule Lake Holds Education Meet With Stanford Men, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Seventeen Stanford faculty and students met with Tule Lake educators to plan courses for the fall term. Community services also opened a third store and began a marriage preparation course.
• Alien Japanese Slain by Sentry on Hawaiian Beach, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Army authorities reported that Giichiro Uyeno, an alien Japanese, was shot and killed by a sentry on a Hawaiian beach after failing to halt when challenged. An investigation was under way.

Community

• Life Goes On at Tule Lake WRA Center, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Photographs and captions show daily life at the Tule Lake relocation center, including a furniture-making award winner, the first baby born at the center, and the center store. The features document routine activities among evacuees.
• Fair Play Group Contributes to Test Case Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 3. About 100 members of Fresno-area Fair Play committees contributed $50 to aid a test case challenging the detention of citizens of Japanese ancestry. The group also urged that citizen evacuees be allowed to leave the centers to resettle.
• Nisei Student Suggests Native Sons Buy Bonds With Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Manzanar student Hiromu Nakamura wrote an open letter urging the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West to use their anti-citizenship campaign funds to buy defense bonds. He argued that the Constitution protects all citizens equally.
• Manager H. Black Lauds Americanism of Merced Center, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Merced center manager Harry Black praised residents at the first Town Hall Forum for their loyalty and Americanism. He encouraged them to build positive attitudes during the difficult times ahead.
• Tom Shimasaki Sends Farewell Message to Tulare Members, by Tom Shimasaki, page 7. Tulare JACL president Tom Shimasaki sent a farewell message to chapter members as evacuation was completed. He urged members to face the hardships with the same perseverance as their parents and to trust the JACL.
• Harmony Youths to Build Contest Plane Models, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Model-building materials were sent to Camp Harmony so youths could enter an Aircraft Warning Service model plane contest. Winning models would be used at ground observation posts to help spotters identify aircraft.
• Nisei Soldiers Visit New York on Furloughs, by Toge Fujihira, page 7. Toge Fujihira reports on Nisei soldiers from the West Coast visiting New York on furloughs from camps across the country. The column also notes evacuees returning to New York and related community news.
• Bachelors at Fresno Assembly Center Now Have Game Room, by John S. Hirohata, page 8. A new 60 by 20 foot game room was built for bachelors at the Fresno Assembly Center, and Girl Scouts planted a victory garden. The report describes these recreational and agricultural activities.
• Poston Will Hold Harvest Festival on August 15-16, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Poston Harvest Festival will feature a vegetable exhibit and judging, along with a circus and sideshows organized by Girls’ clubs. The article also notes community improvements such as planned street paving.

Commentary

• Repercussions on Hot Climate Comment, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column responds to objections from Tulare Assembly Center residents over earlier remarks about sending evacuees to hot climates. It argues that evacuees accustomed to heat should be sent to hot regions and that relocation should account for climate.
• Assimilation Again Raised as Issue, by Saburo Kido, page 4. The editorial argues that charges of Japanese unassimilability are unfounded and point to the public schools’ success in Americanizing Nisei. It warns that confining young citizens in isolated relocation centers could create the very unassimilability critics claim.
• A Note on Our Fair Weather Friends, by Saburo Kido, page 4. The column reflects on former friends who abandoned Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor to protect themselves. It praises those who stood by them and predicts that the rumors of sabotage will be exposed as falsehoods.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa traces the decline of Japanese democracy from the Meiji era to the militarist takeover that led to war. He concludes that only a decisive defeat of Japan’s war machine can free the Japanese people.
• Editorial: The WRA, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the War Relocation Authority for its sincerity and its handling of the massive relocation of 115,000 people. It argues that the WRA’s cooperation with evacuees will help the agency withstand criticism.
• Editorial: Our Rights as Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial responds to a threat to ban the Pacific Citizen in camps under military jurisdiction. It defends freedom of the press and reaffirms the paper’s commitment to winning the war and defending the rights of citizens of Japanese ancestry.
• Asia’s New Order, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial describes the Axis plan for a military-ruled new order in East Asia as revealed by Rome radio. It argues that occupied peoples will face harsh rule under the proposed structure.
• Consider the Hairy Ainu, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa uses anthropological evidence about the Ainu and mixed Japanese ancestry to mock racial theories used against Japanese Americans. He also comments wryly on mess hall eating habits.
• Reversal of Evacuation Order Unlikely, by Tad Uyeno, page 5. The column argues that liberal calls for civilian hearing boards to allow return of citizens to the West Coast are unlikely to succeed. It contends that the evacuation program is unconstitutional but that the more pressing task is improving center conditions and public relations.
• The Choice Today Is Clear: Democracy or Fascism, by Kenny Murase, page 5. Written from Poston, the column argues that Nisei must take a clear stand in the total war between democracy and fascism. It explains how fascism’s nationalism and militarism inevitably lead to war and warns against accepting racial scapegoating.
• Whistling in the Dark, by Kenny Murase, page 5. Murase writes that he is frightened by the spread of native American fascism and the framing of the war as a race war. He argues that Nisei must think clearly and choose democracy.
• National Weekly Hits Rankin’s Race Theories, by Saturday Evening Post, page 6. The Saturday Evening Post editorial criticizes Representative John Rankin’s call to deport Japanese Americans, arguing his racial theories mirror Nazi ideology. It warns that such prejudice could extend to other Asian races.
• Letter: Concern Expressed on Legion Effort to Deport Japanese, by Eji Yamada, page 6. Eji Yamada, a member of an American Legion post in Seattle, writes to express concern over Legion proposals to deport Japanese and Nisei after the war. He urges Japanese American Legion members to oppose the measure.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 6. This column gathers short notes on Sono Osato, a nisei-related artist, a guayule expert, and developments in Asia and boom towns. It touches on items ranging from ballet to wartime inflation in China.
• Ann Nisei Says: Nisei Ingenuity Comes to the Fore at Centers, by Ann Nisei, page 7. The column praises the resourcefulness of Nisei in making rugs, furniture, and other items from salvaged materials at the centers. It offers practical advice on reusing household materials.
• Tanforan Elects 38 Candidates to Legislature, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Tanforan Totalizer reported the election of 38 members to the center’s legislative congress, with Henry Tani receiving the most votes. Women voted slightly more than men, though only one woman candidate was elected.

Military & Veterans

• Second Front Asked by Nisei in U.S. Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Editorials in the Manzanar Free Press and the Santa Anita Pacemaker called for an immediate second front against the Axis. Evacuee petitions reportedly asked President Roosevelt to open the second front.
• Japanese Army Peace Pact Filipino Bean Field, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A dispute between Filipino and Japanese pickers in an Ogden bean field ended with charges being withdrawn and the workers returning to their jobs. The brief item is written in a lighthearted tone.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.