The 100th Infantry Battalion’s first combat test in Italy

Vol. 17, No. 17, October 30, 1943. 8 pages. View this issue

The first combat test of the 100th Infantry Battalion in Italy was the main news of this eight-page issue. The War Department reported that the Japanese American soldiers came through under fire and were given the lead of a veteran division. A second front-page story carried Secretary of War Stimson’s rebuke of those who condemn all persons of Japanese descent, and page 6 ran a letter from Marine veteran R. E. Borchers to the American Legion.

The editorials took up the right to return to the West Coast, the California State Senate fact-finding committee, and a Colorado incident involving prisoners of war. Bill Hosokawa described his first impressions of Des Moines, Saburo Kido wrote about evacuee farmers in Grand Junction, and Glenn E. Hoover answered an American Legion Monthly article. Pearl S. Buck’s testimony to the state senators is on page 7.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Japanese American Combat Force Led Attack of Famed U.S. Division Into Battle, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department reported that the 100th Infantry Battalion of Japanese American soldiers performed well in their first combat test in Italy, leading a veteran division into action. Captain Taro Suzuki and other officers described the fighting, including a fierce machine gun engagement and artillery barrage.
• Stimson Raps Critics of U.S. Nisei Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Secretary of War Stimson rebuked those who condemn all persons of Japanese descent, citing the combat record of the Japanese American infantry battalion in Italy. The War Department’s praise came two days after California witnesses predicted violence against returning Japanese Americans.
• First Combat Action of Nisei Unit Told by War Department, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The War Department detailed the first combat action of the Japanese American unit in Italy, including the actions of individual soldiers and officers. Division officers said the men had proved themselves in battle.
• 121 Soldiers Get Promotions in Combat Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 2. One hundred twenty-one enlisted men of the Japanese American combat team at Camp Shelby received temporary promotions ranging from master sergeant to technician fifth grade. The list includes all grades of promotions announced by the Army.
• Marine Guadalcanal Veteran Hits Legion’s Anti-Nisei Stand, by R. E. Borchers, page 6. Marine veteran Pfc. R. E. Borchers wrote to the American Legion’s National Executive Committee condemning the California Legion’s push for a racial purge of Japanese Americans. He asked whether the national organization endorses the persecution of loyal citizens.

Incarceration & Redress

• Nisei Girls Sorted Three Million Ration Applications, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two hundred Japanese American high school girls at the Gila River relocation center sorted and filed three million ration book applications for OPA. Their work benefited eight million people, and they were paid the regular $16 monthly wage.
• Volunteers from Other WRA Centers Called to Save Crops Endangered by Tule Strike, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Loyal evacuees from other relocation centers were being mustered to harvest crops at the Tule Lake segregation center after its residents refused farm work. WRA official Robert Cozzens said the army was involved in transporting volunteers into the restricted military area.
• Oshiro Property Case in L.A. Tests Lease Obligations of Evacuees Under Evacuation Orders, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Los Angeles case examines whether a Japanese American lessee remains liable for a hotel lease after being evacuated under military orders. The JACL and ACLU appeared as friends of the court, and a concurring opinion by Judge Minor Moore argued the lease should be excused.
• Pearl S. Buck Warns Legislative Group That State’s Policy on Japanese Americans Is Closely Watched by Far Eastern Peoples, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Novelist Pearl Buck testified before the California State Senate fact-finding committee, urging democratic treatment of Japanese Americans. She argued that Americans’ treatment of minorities would be watched by colored peoples worldwide.
• Kent City Council Opposes Return of Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Kent City Council adopted a resolution opposing the return of any alien or disloyal Japanese Americans to the Kent area after the war. The action followed an American Legion request.

National

• U.S. Acts to Protect Evacuee Family from Farm Swindle, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Treasury Department froze the assets of seven California vegetable-growing firms to protect the Minami family, whose properties worth over $500,000 had disappeared while under the control of others. An attorney filed suit on behalf of two Japanese American citizens against officers of one company.

Commentary

• The Right to Return, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that Japanese Americans must have the established right to return to the West Coast and Arizona, even if many choose not to return. It contends that indiscriminate restrictions against them weaken democracy and should be abolished.
• The State Senators, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes the California State Senate fact-finding committee for seeking to discredit witnesses who defended Japanese Americans and for stirring racial hatred. It contrasts the committee’s conduct unfavorably with the Tolan committee’s objective inquiry.
• A Common Identity, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial warns that unwise acts by any nisei, such as the Colorado incident involving prisoners of war and evacuees, reflect on all Japanese Americans. It urges nisei to act with courage, honesty, wisdom, and good taste.
• The Death of Fascist, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reports the suicide of Seigo Nakano, a pre-war Japanese fascist leader, and sees it as a possible sign of weakening militarism in Japan. It warns against a negotiated peace that would let the militarists escape accountability.
• A Legionnaire Answers Racist Attack on Nisei Americans in National Legion Magazine, by Glenn E. Hoover, page 5. Professor Glenn Hoover rebuts errors in a June American Legion Monthly article attacking Japanese Americans, including claims about dual citizenship, Hawaiian-born Japanese, and Japanese culture. He argues the article spreads misinformation and that loyal Japanese Americans have been unfairly condemned.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes his first impressions of Des Moines as a resettlement city, noting welcoming signs and the willingness of employers to hire nisei for public-facing jobs. He observes that most residents show curiosity rather than hostility toward evacuees.
• Timely Topics, by Saburo Kido, page 5. Kido discusses the success of evacuee farmers in Grand Junction, Colorado, whose harvests brought prosperity and goodwill with local landowners. He also notes emerging anti-Japanese signs and restrictions in the community.
• Thunder in Congress on Evacuee Problem, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The column reprints Congressional Record remarks from October 11, 1943, in which Representatives Elliott and Rankin made race-baiting attacks on Japanese Americans. Representative Eberharter rebutted them by citing the record of loyal nisei soldiers and the absence of sabotage in Hawaii.
• Successful Relocation May Call for Personal Adjustments, by Hito Okada, page 7. Okada advises young women relocating from the centers to build new friendships through local YWCA and church groups, classes, and hobbies. She encourages them to approach new circumstances as opportunities rather than obstacles.

Community

• National YMCA Backs Evacuee Relocation Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The National Council of the YMCA reaffirmed its support for the government’s resettlement of loyal Japanese American evacuees. It called on local associations to develop community acceptance and help find employment for resettlers.

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