Segregation, repatriation and the Nisei combat team, August 1943

Vol. 17, No. 6, August 14, 1943. 8 pages. View this issue

Segregation and repatriation led the news in this eight-page issue. WRA Director Dillon S. Myer reported that about ninety percent of evacuees who asked for repatriation to Japan would not actually go. The paper followed the planned moves to Tule Lake: about 1250 people from Heart Mountain, 1100 from Poston and about 450 from Topaz. Larry Tajiri wrote editorials on the zoot suit and on what should come beyond segregation, and Saburo Kido wrote on the transfers and on farming in the Mountain West.

Page 8 is given over to the Japanese American Combat Team at Camp Shelby, with items on chaplains, officers’ schools, a brothers’ reunion and a JACL request for the names of volunteers not yet inducted. Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about newspapermen who toured Heart Mountain, and Mary Oyama’s article in Liberty was covered. The paper also reported on a Wisconsin dental society’s stand against hiring Japanese Americans, and on the first anniversary of Minidoka.

What’s in this issue

National

• Myer Reports 90 Percent of Evacuees Spurn Japan Repatriation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. WRA Director Dillon S. Myer reported that about ninety percent of evacuees who requested repatriation to Japan will not actually go. He attributed some repatriation requests to fears of no place for evacuees in America after the war.
• Canadian Nisei Aid War Effort in Relocation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Canada’s 24,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from British Columbia’s coastal areas have been relocated to interior housing projects and prairie provinces while contributing to the war effort. Many work in beet fields and sugar production.
• Nisei Girl Arrested on Request for Repatriation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kiyoko Chinn, an American-born Nisei woman, was arrested in Seattle for violating the exclusion order after returning without permission to be with her Chinese American husband. She was held on $5,000 bail pending military decision.
• Case for Nisei Presented at CIO Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Problems faced by loyal Japanese Americans were presented at a CIO-sponsored San Francisco conference on racial and national unity in wartime. Speakers urged fair play and an end to discrimination against minorities.
• Myer Answers Editorial Challenge During Visit to Seattle Region, by P.C. Staff, page 2. WRA Director Dillon Myer told the Seattle Times that hundreds of loyal Japanese Americans have helped authorities isolate disloyal elements in the centers. He also said evacuees would not be forced to leave the centers and that the War Department decides on west coast return.
• Enemy Alien Hearings Clear 40 Percent of Interned Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Los Angeles Times figures show 5234 Japanese nationals were interned since December 17, with 2079 ordered held for the duration. About 40 percent of those interned were cleared after hearings.
• Seek Repeal of Chinese Exclusion Law, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Representative Gossett urged repeal of the Chinese exclusion act to counter Japanese propaganda seeking a separate peace with China. He is author of a bill to allow limited Chinese immigration.
• AFL Council Would Retain Exclusion Law on Chinese, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The American Federation of Labor executive council voted to oppose modification of the Asiatic Exclusion Act to admit a Chinese quota. President William Green announced the decision.
• War in Sicily, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Sicilian campaign that began July 10 was nearly complete within a month as Allied forces advanced toward Messina. Churchill met with President Roosevelt in Quebec to plan European operations.
• Japanese Labor Not Wanted, Dempsey Says, by P.C. Staff, page 6. New Mexico Governor John Dempsey stated he opposed importing Japanese labor into the state. He said he did not trust Japanese people and did not want them in New Mexico.
• 7,000 Evacuees Given Indefinite Leaves, Says Myer, by P.C. Staff, page 6. WRA Director Myer said approximately 17,000 loyal persons of Japanese ancestry will be released from centers at an increasing rate over coming months. He argued their manpower is more valuable outside the centers.

Incarceration & Redress

• Set Departure Date for Move to Tule Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Approximately 1250 Heart Mountain evacuees are expected to be sent to the Tule Lake segregation center in September, while loyal Japanese Americans will move from Tule Lake to Heart Mountain. The segregation process is part of the WRA’s program.
• California State Bar to Assist Evacuee Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The State Bar of California agreed to a program allowing attorneys to represent evacuees in legal matters through a referral system coordinated with the WRA and American Bar Association. The plan addresses evacuee property and legal affairs.
• Univ. of California Newspaper Asks Students to Aid Coast Fair Play Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Daily Californian urged students to combat anti-Japanese propaganda by joining the Pacific Coast Committee on American Principles and Fair Play. The editorial asked for protection of loyal Japanese American rights.
• Segregation Process Gets Under Way in Relocation Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Segregation hearings began in the Poston camps, with boards reviewing non-affirmative loyalty answers. Recommendations will go to project directors who will decide who is sent to Tule Lake.
• Poston to Send 1100 to Tule Lake From October First, by P.C. Staff, page 2. About 1100 Poston residents are scheduled to leave for Tule Lake on October 1, according to Project Director Wade Head. Head denied rumors that the Poston center would be closed.
• Vandals Pillage Evacuee Goods at L.A. Temple, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Vandals broke into a Japanese temple on Third Street in Los Angeles where evacuee property was stored, pillaging and scattering the goods. The evacuee property officer at Gila River was notified.

Military & Veterans

• New Seattle Temple to Serve in War, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Buddhist temple in Seattle, nearing completion when Pearl Harbor was attacked, has been leased by the U.S. Maritime Service as a training station for merchant marine recruits. The station will house up to 120 men.
• Army Recalls Nine Ex-Soldiers from Gila River Center, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nine Japanese American evacuees at Gila River who had received honorable discharges after Pearl Harbor were recalled to report to Salt Lake City for induction and then Camp Shelby. The men were told they could be called on 24-hour notice.
• Inter-racial Relations of Nisei Combat Team Satisfactory, Declare Military Authorities, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Hawaiian Department authorities said relations between Japanese American soldiers and other soldiers at Camp Shelby are satisfactory and free of serious incident. They called rumors about riots at the camp false and enemy-inspired.
• Chaplains Lend Willing Ear to Woes of Nisei G.I. Joes, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Two chaplains at Camp Shelby serve the Japanese American Combat Team, conducting services, delivering birthday cakes, and arranging Mother’s Day telegrams to Hawaii. They report the men are responsive to religious influences.
• Charlie Chaplin’s Ex-Valet Trains With Combat Team, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Pvt. Richard Yahiro, who worked as Charlie Chaplin’s valet for four and a half years, is now training with the Japanese American Combat Team at Camp Shelby. He describes Chaplin as generous and serious in private life.
• Nisei Officers Attend Special Service Schools, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Twenty-one Japanese American officers of the Combat Team are attending schools at Fort Benning and elsewhere. The report lists their assignments in infantry, communications, and medical training.
• JACL Asks Names of Uninducted Nisei Army Volunteers, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The National JACL office requested names of Nisei volunteers for the Combat Team who have not yet been called for induction. The request followed concerns that many volunteers had not been processed.
• Special Rookie School Enlarged, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Recruit School for late-arriving Combat Team volunteers was arranged to provide the equivalent of basic training before assignment to companies. Most students are from the mainland.
• Four Volunteers From Topaz Report at Fort Douglas, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Four Topaz volunteers for the army combat unit at Camp Shelby were scheduled to report at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City. They were joining the late-group recruits.
• Brothers Hold Reunion at Army Camp in Mississippi, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Four brothers and cousin from Haiku, Maui, met at Camp Shelby through a photograph request. The Iwamoto family members are all serving in the Combat Team.
• Nisei Glider Commando Married in Texas, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Sgt. William S. Goto, a glider commando in Texas, married Toyoko Oka of Denver on July 10 in Abilene. The couple’s wedding was announced by the bride’s parents.
• Combat Team Group Visits Jerome Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Thirty-six Engineers of the Combat Team visited the Jerome Relocation Center over the weekend. They were entertained by the center USO and hosted by the morale program.

Community

• Denson Family Sends Third Son, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mrs. Masakichi Takahashi of the Jerome center now has three sons in service, as her third son George joined the combat team at Camp Shelby. Two other sons are also serving as sergeants.
• Amend Articles of Incorporation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The evacuee-owned cooperative at the Gila River center planned to amend its articles to limit its life to the war’s duration and confine activities to the relocation center. The change responds to objections from Salt River valley farmers and businessmen.
• Fair Indian Princess Ghost Report at Amache Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rumors spread among Amache evacuees of a ghostly Indian princess named Amache wandering the camp at night. Three police officers assigned to investigate found nothing to confirm the reports.
• Hunt Evacuees Observe First Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Minidoka center in Hunt, Idaho marked its first anniversary, recounting its founding in August 1942 and population peaks. The center’s population dropped to a new low of 7170 on August 5, 1943.
• Denson Completes Big Bayou Bridge to Deep Elm, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Big Bayou Bridge connecting the Jerome relocation center to roads leading to Deep Elm opened to traffic. The 16-foot span was built in eight weeks largely from materials made within the center.
• Denson To Can Surplus Products, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A center cannery at the Jerome relocation center was set to begin operation to can excess farm products. The Denson Tribune reported the plan.
• Topaz Group Will Leave September 13 For Tule Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 6. About 450 persons bound for Tule Lake will leave Topaz September 13, according to project director Charles Ernst. A community committee of five was appointed to cooperate with officials.

Commentary

• Timely Topics: Leave Heart Mountain for Segregation Camp, by Saburo Kido, page 2. Kido discusses planned transfers between Heart Mountain and Tule Lake as well as California farmers’ prospects and the shift of farming opportunities to intermountain states. He notes the wartime loss of skilled Japanese American farmers.
• Assimilation Question Raised, by Saburo Kido, page 2. Kido argues that intermarriage among Japanese Americans increased during evacuation and that anti-miscegenation laws in many states should be declared unconstitutional. He notes that many relocated Nisei work on farms across the Mountain West.
• Dental Group Frowns on Employment of Nisei Evacuees, by Milwaukee Journal, page 3. The Wisconsin State Dental Society’s executive council issued a statement opposing employment of Japanese American dentists and technicians in the state. The Milwaukee Journal editorial condemned the position as race prejudice.
• Wisconsin Dentists Frown on Employment of Nisei Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Wisconsin State Dental Society opposed hiring Japanese Americans in dental fields, citing wartime concerns and postwar conditions. A WRA official said his office would still fill individual requests.
• Continued Restrictions on Evacuees Favored by Rep. Johnson, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Representative Leroy Johnson of California said his plan to deport Japanese aliens and disloyal Japanese Americans after the war has won support from western congressional members. He also proposed a Japanese Deportation Commission.
• Editorial: Journal Raps Dental Group, by Milwaukee Journal, page 3. The Milwaukee Journal condemned the Wisconsin State Dental Society’s stance against hiring Japanese Americans as dental technicians. The editorial called the decision disgraceful and race-prejudiced.
• Behind the Zoot Suits, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri argues that zoot suitism reflects economic and social conditions rather than race, linking it to inadequate housing and social ostracism. He says nisei youth uprooted by evacuation are also vulnerable to these pressures.
• Beyond Segregation, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial argues that segregation at Tule Lake should be accompanied by efforts to restore the loyalty of evacuees disillusioned by evacuation. It distinguishes them from those who sympathize with Japan.
• The Unholy Coalition, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri criticizes an alliance between California congressmen and southern racists aimed at restricting Japanese Americans. He notes the coalition’s ties to anti-New Deal and anti-labor interests.
• A Nisei Writes in Liberty: Mary Oyama Draws from Her Personal Experiences, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Mary Oyama’s article in Liberty magazine recounts her evacuation from Los Angeles through Santa Anita, Heart Mountain, and eventual freedom in Denver. It describes life in the centers with balance of hope and fear.
• From the Frying Pan: Newspapermen Are Sympathetic, Curious, Lazy, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reflects on visiting Montana and Wyoming newspapermen who toured Heart Mountain, finding them curious and sympathetic but lazy. He argues for a stronger public relations effort by the JACL and WRA.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column notes that few Tule Lake repatriates will get passage to Japan during the war and that most declined repatriation. It also comments on Superman cartoons misrepresenting relocation centers.
• Ann Nisei’s Column: Letter-Box / Autumn Fashion, by Ann Nisei, page 6. Ann Nisei’s fashion column reviews fall 1943 styles, noting that most of last year’s clothes will remain wearable amid wartime shortages. It advises buying quality over quantity.
• Colorado Calling!, by P.C. Staff, page 6. This travel piece recounts Denver’s Cherry Creek and the Colorado gold rush history including Cripple Creek and the Spanish Peaks. It describes the region’s early prospectors and saloons.
• Democracy in Idaho, by Mabel Hutchinson, page 6. Hutchinson describes attending a baseball game in Idaho Falls where soldiers rooted for the Japanese Hunt team. She finds the moment a sign that democracy still lives.
• From the Daily Californian: Movement to Arouse Hatred Against Japanese Americans, by Daily Californian, page 7. The Daily Californian editorial warns that anti-Japanese hate campaigns threaten all minority groups and aid enemy propaganda. It urges rational people to stop the movement before it becomes uncontrollable.
• Japanese Americans Defended by Boeing Aircraft Worker, by David J. McNett, page 7. Seattle defense worker David McNett wrote to the Times opposing discrimination against Japanese Americans without evidence. He warned that persecuting one minority endangers all minorities.

Obituaries

• Death Takes Mother of JACL Worker in Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Mrs. Take Ishida, 60, mother of JACL national headquarters staffer Teiko Ishida, died in Salt Lake City after several weeks of illness. Her funeral was held at the Joseph William Taylor mortuary.

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