Christmas week 1942: censored remarks, resettlement and JACL chapters

Vol. 15, No. 30, December 24, 1942. 8 pages. View this issue

A charge of censorship led the Christmas Eve issue of 1942. The ACLU said a Hollywood radio station cut references to the Japanese evacuation from an interview with A. L. Wirin. Elsewhere on the front page, about 200 people left the relocation centers on indefinite leave, and Secretary of War Stimson wrote to JACL president Saburo Kido about the organization’s work. Bill Hosokawa described how one western town turned hostile toward evacuees, and Blake Clark quoted University of Hawaii freshmen on Pearl Harbor.

Inside are year-end reports from JACL chapters in Rexburg and Idaho Falls, and a history of the Intermountain District Council. Mike Masaoka praised its chapters. News from the wider world covered Nisei loggers in Ontario and 19,867 people evacuated from the British Columbia coast. Soldiers appear too: the 100th Infantry Battalion at Camp McCoy and a Nisei basketball team at Camp Crowder. Poston’s 175-voice choir closes the issue.

What’s in this issue

National

• ACLU Charges Violation of Free Speech by KFWB as Remarks on Nisei Censored, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The ACLU charged that KFWB, a Hollywood radio station, expunged references to the Japanese evacuation from A. L. Wirin’s radio interview. The censored remarks defended the civil liberties of Japanese Americans.
• Nisei Start Work in French Canadian Logging Town, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A camp of 52 Canadian-born nisei has been established at Kapuskasing, Ontario, to work in the Spruce Falls Power and Pulp Co. woodlands department. The workers are cutting pulp and cordwood to address a manpower shortage.
• Country Faces Basic Racial Problems After War, Is View, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Delegate-elect Joseph Farrington said Hawaii’s cooperation between civil and military government could set a pattern for solving postwar racial problems. He emphasized Hawaii’s war contribution as expressing that Hawaii is American.

Incarceration & Redress

• 200 Leave War Relocation Centers as Resettlement of Loyal Evacuees Accelerated, by P.C. Staff, page 1. About 200 evacuees have left relocation centers on indefinite leave after being cleared for character and loyalty. The WRA is encouraging dispersal to ease crowding and relieve labor shortages in other regions.
• Evacuees From Manzanar Now Housed at Death Valley National Monument, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Twelve children of Manzanar evacuees were relocated to Death Valley after threats against them. Christmas gifts from JACL and the American Friends Service Committee were distributed to the children there.
• Regional Office Abolished as WRA Centralizes Functions, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The WRA abolished its three regional offices and consolidated their functions under Washington headquarters. Joseph H. Smart will remain in Denver as a field assistant director covering ten states.
• 20 Thousand Evacuated from Canada Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 2. British Columbia’s security commission evacuated 19,867 persons of Japanese ancestry from the coastal restricted area, according to Minister Ian Mackenzie. Only 105 remained in Vancouver, and most others were relocated to housing or employment projects.

Community

• Japanese Evacuee Supports Adopted Chinese Children, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Henry Mine, an elderly evacuee at Topaz, reveals he is supporting two adopted Chinese orphans. He hopes to educate them so they may serve their country and the world.
• Generous Response Marks Community Christmas Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Community Christmas fund for WRA centers raised $1254.50 through the Home Missions Council, matched by donations from friends and denominations. Many gifts also reached the ten centers from across the United States.
• Seattle JACL Sends $3000 to National, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Seattle chapter, meeting at Minidoka, voted to donate $3000 from its treasury to the National JACL. The contribution recognized the importance of the national body’s work.
• Idaho Falls JACL Recalls Activities During Past Year, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Idaho Falls JACL recounts the 1942 year of fundraising, scrap drives, membership, and a community chest campaign. The chapter also describes its first dance since the war began and its basketball team’s tournament showing.
• Japanese Americans From Army Camp Win Applause of Spectators, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Camp Crowder nisei basketball team defeated the Sunny Jim Candy store team 33-19 in a Joplin YMCA league game. Pfc. Tomo Kanzaki led the scoring, impressing a crowd unfamiliar with an all-nisei squad.
• Poston Forms Mixed Choir, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Poston relocation center organized a 175-voice mixed choir, reportedly the largest of its kind among Japanese Americans in the United States. Under director George Zaima, the choir presented Christmas programs for the holiday season.

JACL

• War Secretary Mentions JACL Work in Letter, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Secretary of War Stimson wrote to National JACL President Saburo Kido praising the organization’s work in helping Japanese Americans through difficulties. The letter accompanied thanks for a Thanksgiving celery gift from the Salt Lake chapter.
• Intermountain District Council History of Activity Told, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Intermountain District Council traces its growth from early Utah and Idaho clubs to its 1940 national affiliation. It describes community service, scholarships, and financial support that assumed a large share of JACL’s burden.
• Cognizant of Responsibilities Brought by War, Says Masaoka, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Mike Masaoka praised Intermountain chapters for scrap drives, community activities, and assistance to relocating evacuees. He noted that the IDC has pledged $10,000 to National JACL.
• Rexburg JACL Group Recalls 1942 Activities, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Yellowstone JACL chapter in Rexburg, Idaho, recounts a year of patriotic drives including USO, Red Cross, and war bond campaigns. It also reports a successful scrap iron drive collecting five tons in one day.
• Idaho Falls JACL Participates in Community Welfare Activity, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Idaho Falls JACL chronicles its 1942 year of emergency fund raising, alien registration assistance, and membership drives. It also describes civic drives, a first aid course, and basketball participation.

Military & Veterans

• Japanese American at Buna Given Personal Bodyguard, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sergeant Fred Nishitsuji, an American of Japanese parents serving as interpreter on the New Guinea front, has a personal bodyguard to prevent mistakes by fellow Americans. The United Press profile traces his path from Colorado through army language training.
• Army’s 9th Armored Division Proud of Its Nisei Cartoonist, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pvt. Mitchie M. Miyamoto, a nisei from San Francisco, works as a cartoonist with the 9th Armored Division’s public relations section. His caricatures and insignia designs have earned praise from his unit.
• Reactions of Hawaiian Nisei to Pearl Harbor Reflected in College Freshman Compositions, by Blake Clark, page 5. Blake Clark quotes University of Hawaii freshman essays revealing how nisei and issei responded to Pearl Harbor. The compositions describe loyal fathers, cautious elders, and young men volunteering for service.
• Hawaiians at Camp McCoy Hope to See First White Christmas, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Members of the 100th Infantry Battalion at Camp McCoy bought Christmas cards and gifts to send home to Hawaii. They are adjusting to Wisconsin’s cold and anticipating their first snow.

Commentary

• More Pity Than Fear, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial warns that anti-Japanese campaigns in California are deliberately keeping the issue alive and hindering reassimilation of evacuees. It argues such race-based thinking mirrors fascism and calls for pity rather than fear toward its proponents.
• Farewell to 1942, by M. T. T., page 4. A reflective piece recalls the year’s fingerprinting, registration, evacuation, and life in relocation centers. It closes with hope for 1943 as a year of rebuilding.
• The Promise of Peace, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the world stands closer to justice and honor for all people than ever before. It asserts the offensive for peace is underway and will not be stopped.
• Hope for Tomorrow, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reprinted from the Heart Mountain Sentinel assesses Judge Fee’s ruling in the Min Yasui case. It notes that a return to the west coast would force martial law and hope remains for future freedom.
• This Is What Happened in the Town of X, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa describes how a western town turned hostile toward evacuees after a nearby relocation center brought new money and crowding. He identifies conspicuous presence, purchasing competition, and lack of public relations as causes.
• America Finds New Strength Under Stress, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Citing Samuel Grafton, the column notes U.S. war production surpassed the Axis by 1942 and will outproduce the world by 1943. It argues wartime expansion will enable postwar abundance if utilized properly.
• The Last Time We Saw San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A nostalgic column recalls the writer’s years in San Francisco, its diverse peoples, food, art, and atmosphere. It closes by noting a Japanese man found dead in a Skid Row hotel after the city’s evacuation order.

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.