One year after Pearl Harbor: unrest at Poston and the push to resettle

Vol. 15, No. 27, December 3, 1942. 8 pages. View this issue

The first anniversary of Pearl Harbor and the move toward resettlement shaped this eight-page issue of December 3, 1942. On the front page, eight Nisei at Poston enlisted in the U.S. Army during a disturbance at the center, and Director W. Wade Head declared civil and commercial positions vacant to restore order. The JACL’s emergency national meeting in Salt Lake City reaffirmed loyalty to America, and Saburo Kido wrote about the limits on JACL resettlement work. Editorials marked December 7, and Min Yasui wrote from jail that he would carry his citizenship case forward.

Elsewhere, 107 evacuees from Hawaii arrived at Jerome, and a Christmas gift drive aimed to reach children at the ten centers. Bill Hosokawa recorded bus conversations, and PFC Vincent T. Tajiri recalled where he was on December 7. Other pages cover cattle for Topaz, a Heart Mountain high school paper, and embroidery from Heart Mountain.

What’s in this issue

National

• Eight Nisei Evacuees Enlisted in U.S. Army at Height of Disturbance at Poston Center, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eight American-born Japanese evacuees enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Poston disturbance despite threats from pro-Axis residents. Norris James of the War Relocation Authority said they would serve as interpreters in combat areas after training.
• Project Director Seeks to Return Disrupted Civil Administration at Poston to Loyal Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Director W. Wade Head declared all civil and commercial positions in Poston Unit No. 1 vacant to restore order. An election will fill the self-governing offices, and the disturbance was quieted by increased military police patrols.
• Public Opinion: Youths Maul Tojo’s Effigy After Preston Scrap Drive Parade, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Evacuee workers from WRA centers began winning favor in Franklin County, Idaho, despite initial hostility, according to radio commentator Barrett Chadwick. Two incidents, including youths mauling Tojo’s effigy during a scrap drive parade, showed evacuee support for the war effort.
• Utah Group Opposes Sale of Farm Land, by P.C. Staff, page 2. West Jordan farmers in Salt Lake County opposed selling land to persons of Japanese ancestry and favored only renting land, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. They agreed to hire evacuee labor only as a last resort.
• Opinions on Recent Incident, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Metropolitan and center newspapers offered varied editorial responses to the Poston disturbance, with some calling for separate camps and others warning of damage to public opinion. The Manzanar Free Press urged that rowdyism be kept out of the center.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Soldier Fights for Democracy on Pacific Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. United Press correspondent Don Caswell reported that Sgt. Fred Nishitsuji, a Los Angeles nisei, served with American forces near Buna, New Guinea. Murlin Spencer of the Associated Press later reported the same soldier’s front-line service.
• Ration Rules Observed in WRA Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. WRA food planning at assembly centers was adjusted to conform to national rationing, with the agency budgeting 45 cents per day per evacuee. Officials noted that evacuees prefer tea to coffee and eat little fresh meat, so shortages had limited impact.
• Nisei Soldiers’ Names Inscribed On Honor Roll, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sixteen soldiers of Japanese ancestry were listed on the honor roll published by the Kent News-Journal in Washington. Their families had been evacuated from Kent Valley to inland relocation centers that summer.
• Services of Scout Troop at Portland Center Wins Citation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Troop 123, composed of American-born Japanese youths, was cited in Scouting magazine for invaluable service at the Portland assembly center. Members now at Minidoka provided first aid, messenger service, and drum and bugle corps performances.
• A Japanese American on Dec. 7: How a Nisei Soldier Felt That Day When Nippon’s Warlords Attacked the United States, by Vincent T. Tajiri, page 5. PFC Vincent Tajiri recalls the moment the Pearl Harbor attack was reported at Portland Air Base while on the firing range. He describes the shift from routine training to guard duty and the sudden end of the peaceful world Nisei had known.

Community

• 107 Evacuees, First Contingent From Hawaii, Relocated at Jerome Center in Arkansas, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The first group of 107 aliens and Hawaiian-born Japanese arrived at the Jerome relocation center from Honolulu. Regional Director E. B. Whitaker said the group consisted largely of women and elderly volunteers, and more could be accommodated by crowding.
• Thanksgiving Celery Sent to Topaz by Salt Lake Farmers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japanese American farmers in the Salt Lake City area donated sixty-five crates of celery for the Topaz dining halls, delivered by Tom Kurumada for the Salt Lake JACL. Topaz commissary supervisor Dr. Russell Wehara expressed the residents’ appreciation.
• Resettlement Is A Magic Word, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The WRA’s new resettlement policy will likely gain momentum by spring when farm labor demand rises. Evacuees must file indefinite leave applications so FBI clearances can be completed before openings arise.
• Topaz to Purchase 500 Head of Cattle, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Authorization was received to purchase 200 head of cattle for the Topaz beef supply, probably from former residents of the project area. Roscoe Bell, chief of the Agricultural Division, announced the purchase.
• Yamamotos, Inouyes Found Most Numerous in Wyoming, by Fred Yamamoto, page 3. A Heart Mountain Sentinel reporter found 131 Yamamotos and 124 Inouyes in the center’s registry, making them the most common surnames. The reporter also noted that nisei first names were distinctly American, such as George and Tom.
• 50 Evacuees To Work for N. P. Railroad, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fifty Japanese and Japanese Americans from Montana will work for the Northern Pacific Railway in Spokane County after officials obtained federal approval. The men will be drawn from those previously allowed to leave centers for sugar beet work.
• Army Camouflage Net Project Placed on Private Contract, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Citizen evacuee workers at Manzanar, Poston, and Gila River may receive prevailing wages on camouflage net production under a private contract. The Manzanar Free Press estimated workers could earn $4 to $7 a day depending on productivity.
• Heart Mountain High Staff Issues Paper, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The first high school newspaper published in a relocation center, the Echoes, was issued at Heart Mountain by the school’s journalism class under adviser S. Melby. The paper reported 1582 students were attending the center high school.
• Community Christmas Drive Seeks Gifts for 40,000 Children in Relocation Camps, by Joe Kanazawa, page 3. The national Christmas gift drive urges prompt shipment of gifts to the ten relocation centers using express or parcel post. Committees at the centers are preparing to receive and distribute the gifts.
• Merritt Takes Manzanar Post, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ralph P. Merritt, former University of California official and agricultural co-op president, was appointed director of the Manzanar relocation project. He succeeds Solon T. Kimball, who had followed Roy Nash.
• Hospital at Rivers Opened Recently with Dedication Ceremony, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A 17-unit hospital at the Rivers, Arizona center was dedicated with special ceremonies on November 22. The facility includes outpatient, maternity, surgery, and isolation buildings.
• Evacuees Fed in War Relocation Centers on 45 Cents a Day, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The WRA San Francisco office described how it feeds about 110,000 evacuees on 45 cents a day per person through mess halls. Projects aim for self-sufficiency in vegetables, pork, eggs, and milk, with purchases made through the army quartermaster.
• Granadans to Teach at Navy School, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A group of Granada center residents selected from over 100 applicants left for Boulder, Colorado, to serve as teaching associates at the U.S. Naval language school. They will teach cadets Japanese.
• Wyoming WRA Group to Get More Freedom, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Heart Mountain residents will be granted sunset-to-sunrise privileges to use the project area for study and recreation once safety measures are in place. Project director C. E. Rachford announced the new privileges.

JACL

• JACL Reiterates December 7 Denunciation of Military Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL emergency national meeting in Salt Lake City adopted resolutions reaffirming loyalty to America and condemning the Pearl Harbor attack. Other resolutions expressed confidence in the WRA, greetings to nisei soldiers, and requests for reclassification and changed status for Japanese residents.
• New JACL Department To Handle Problems Of Resettlement, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The national JACL created a new relocation department following conferences of national officers. George Inagaki was named Chief Relocation Officer, and Joe Grant Masaoka was appointed to fill the vacancy he left.

Incarceration & Redress

• Delay in Prosecuting Cases Against Nisei Civil Service Workers Told Assemblyman, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The California state personnel board said dismissal trials for Japanese American state employees cannot proceed until investigations are complete and funds are available. Assemblyman Lloyd Lowrey had requested the trials be held before the legislature convenes in January.
• Evacuation of Nisei Creates Problem for Movie Studios, by P.C. Staff, page 8. With Hollywood’s nisei actors evacuated, studios scrambled to cast Japanese villains, turning to Chinese, Filipino, and Korean actors. Shortages of Oriental actors became so serious that the Screen Actors’ Guild waived membership demands.

Commentary

• Public Relations Work of Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Evacuees who have settled in Cincinnati, Minnesota, and other areas have improved community attitudes through good conduct. The JACL has offered its services to the WRA to help with resettlement by sending staff to find openings.
• Lack of Finances Stumbling Block, by Saburo Kido, page 3. Limited finances will restrict JACL resettlement activities, so the WRA, churches, and civic groups will take leading roles. Kido urges Nisei to consider resettlement now to strengthen their position against future mass deportation.
• Furlough Suggested To Find Employment, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Relocation center residents in Arizona and California face delays in obtaining furloughs for outside work, so a thirty-day furlough is suggested. Quicker permit processing would let evacuees accept job offers before they are cancelled.
• Nisei Background, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that war did not begin on December 7, 1941, but had roots in Japanese militarism in Manchuria and China and European appeasement. It warns Nisei against accepting a negotiated peace with Japan’s leaders.
• December 7, 1942, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial marks the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor and reflects on the nation’s progress and losses since the attack. It affirms American determination to win the war and secure a lasting peace.
• CITIZEN Test Case Reactions, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Editorial opinion split over Judge James A. Fee’s ruling that curfew orders were void as applied to American citizens of Japanese ancestry. The Christian Advocate and Chicago Daily News supported the ruling, while the Los Angeles Times urged an appeal to the Supreme Court.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Brief notes cover the first Hawaiian evacuees arriving at Jerome, Nisei printers finding work on small newspapers, and Hollywood’s nisei villain roles. Items also mention a Pocatello honor roll that includes Japanese American soldiers.
• Hawaii Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The first evacuees from Hawaii arrived voluntarily at the Jerome center, many displaced by wartime land takeovers and housing shortages. Most had friends or relatives already in the relocation centers.
• Night in Jail, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Four JACL delegates returning to centers were held overnight in a Reno jail while awaiting escorts. Reno lies outside the excluded military area.
• Printers, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Nisei evacuees with printing experience are finding jobs on small town newspapers facing labor shortages. Several examples are given, including Harry Yasuda at the Millard County Chronicle.
• Min Yasui Tells of Unshaken Faith in American Democracy, by Min Yasui, page 4. Min Yasui, jailed after conviction for violating curfew regulations, writes that he will appeal to preserve citizenship rights despite a ruling that he forfeited citizenship. He states his faith in American democracy remains unshaken.
• Yasui Letters, by Min Yasui, page 4. Min Yasui writes from the Multnomah County Jail to Hito Okada that he will carry his citizenship case to the Supreme Court. He urges Japanese Americans to pursue legal action to defend citizenship rights against evacuation policy.
• From the Frying Pan: Conversation Aboard a Trans-Country Bus, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa records overheard bus conversations on trips between Heart Mountain and Salt Lake City. The snippets reflect everyday American attitudes toward the war and politics.
• Resettlement Problem Confronts Evacuees, by Tad Uyeno, page 5. Tad Uyeno urges evacuees to apply for permanent relocation promptly, arguing that delay reduces their chances for postwar readjustment. He notes discrimination reports are often exaggerated and calls for government financial assistance to help them resettle.

Arts & Entertainment

• Embroidery Pieces From Heart Mountain Will Be Exhibited, by P.C. Staff, page 3. An embroidery exhibit of 840 pieces by students of instructor Isaburo Nagahama drew over 4000 viewers at Heart Mountain. The exhibit will be repeated in Cody, Powell, and at the WRA regional office in Denver.

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