1942: A Supreme Court ruling, a JACL emergency conference and life in the camps

Vol. 15, No. 24, November 12, 1942. 8 pages. View this issue

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that resident enemy aliens may sue in American courts, in a case brought by the fisherman Kumezo Kawato, and the paper led with it. It also announced an emergency national JACL conference in Salt Lake City, opening November 17. Mike Masaoka’s call to the meeting and a preview of its agenda are inside, and WRA Director Dillon Myer was to speak at a public meeting there on November 22. Larry Tajiri’s editorial condemned campaigns in California to disenfranchise American-born citizens, and Bill Hosokawa criticized the film Little Tokyo, U.S.A.

Other pages follow daily life in the ten relocation centers: volunteers picking cotton at Poston, sugar beet harvests in Utah, Idaho and Kansas, Tule Lake’s new official name of Newell, and Christmas parties planned for children. A profile by Jacob S. Payton looks at Senator Tom Stewart’s bill S. 2293, and an Arkansas Gazette editorial answers charges of coddling at Rohwer.

What’s in this issue

National

• Supreme Court Upholds Right of Resident Alien Japanese to Use Country’s Courts, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that resident enemy aliens may sue in American courts, rejecting the argument that the Trading With the Enemy Act barred such suits. The decision arose from a case brought by Kumezo Kawato, an alien Japanese fisherman seeking wages and injury damages.
• Officials to Formulate National Policy at Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Emergency national JACL conference in Salt Lake City will run eight days beginning November 17 to address relocation center problems and general policies affecting Americans of Japanese ancestry. Guest speakers include WRA officials and civil rights advocates.
• Army Explains Necessity for Hawaii Move, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lt. Gen. Delos C. Emmons explained the Army’s proposed evacuation of a portion of Hawaii’s 161,000 Japanese-ancestry residents, stressing that there would be no mass evacuation. Those with relatives on the mainland may be relocated there.
• Methodists Ask Application of Atlantic Charter in Far East, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Methodist church commission on world peace urged broadening the Atlantic Charter into a world charter and asked for repeal of the Chinese exclusion law. It also commended the government’s relocation plan for evacuees of Japanese ancestry.

Military & Veterans

• Steal Show at Union Canteen, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Five nisei soldiers from Camp McCoy visited a New York union canteen for servicemen and were warmly received. The CIO union, Local 16, had its first experience hosting nisei soldiers.

Community

• Tsukamoto, Nakamura Elected to Represent Tule Lake Residents, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Walter Tsukamoto and Ted Nakamura were selected to represent Tule Lake at the JACL conference in Salt Lake City. Both are JACL leaders, Nakamura a founder of the Tacoma chapter and Tsukamoto a former national president.
• Nisei Soldier in Dermott Cafe Shot At, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Dermott, Arkansas civilian fired a shotgun at Pvt. Louis Furushiro, a nisei soldier, in a cafe and was jailed. The soldier was unhurt, and the city marshal said it was the first such disturbance since the Jerome relocation center opened.
• Evacuee Cotton Pickers Near End of Harvest at Parker, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Volunteers from Poston finished the Parker cotton harvest even as the Army withdrew authorization for evacuee cotton picking in Military Area No. 1. Gila River volunteers had picked 250 bales of long staple cotton, which the Secretary of War had deemed vital.
• Newell Largest City in Inland North California, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Newell, the official name of the Tule Lake relocation center, has a population of 15,165 and is now the largest city in interior California north of Sacramento. Seventy percent of residents are American citizens.
• Topaz Community Honors Nisei Soldier at Memorial Service, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A citywide memorial service was held at Topaz for Pfc. Isao Tsuno, with an American flag presented to his family and furloughed soldiers in attendance. Bishop Matsukage and Rev. Kumata officiated.
• Community Christmas Parties to Be Held in Evacuee Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Church and civic groups organized Christmas parties and gifts for children in all ten WRA relocation centers. Donations are being collected through designated contacts.
• Poston Groups Volunteer for Harvesting Long Staple Fiber, by Franklyn Sugiyama, page 6. Poston council members, block managers, and school groups volunteered a day of cotton picking for military needs, with proceeds going to the Evacuee Trust Fund. The article describes the work and the varying productivity of pickers.
• Resettlement Difficulties Told by Nisei After Chicago Trip, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei cannery workers from Hunt reported that UCAPAWA officials will study placing former cannery workers in Midwest jobs. Delegate Dyke Miyagawa said successful resettlement will require a long, hard effort.
• Congressman Hits Rumors of ‘Coddling’ Japanese in Relocation Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Congressman William S. Hill presented facts on housing, subsistence grants, and clothing allowances in relocation centers to counter rumors of coddling. He cited the public alarm created by press reports of atrocities against American prisoners.
• Utah Sugar Beet Harvest Nearing End, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Selvoy J. Boyer of the Utah Farm Bureau reported 75 percent of the sugar beet crop harvested after visiting Topaz to recruit workers. He expressed confidence in avoiding labor trouble next year.
• Labor Shortage Hits Granada, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Granada farm superintendent Henry Schmitz said the project needs 200 workers but has only 18 employed, slowing development of its 2000 acres. Some Chinese cabbage and dairy milk production have nonetheless begun.
• Kansas Seeks Evacuees for Beet Harvesting, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Governor Payne Ratner approved use of 305 evacuee workers from Granada to help harvest sugar beets in six western Kansas counties. Workers must return to relocation centers by January 10.
• Topaz Community Council Gives Reception for Delta Lions Club, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Topaz hosted 66 members of the Delta Lions Club and gave an overview of the community, noting that over 700 residents had gone out for farm work. Entertainment included art demonstrations and performances.
• Recruiting Criticized by Hunt Fair Labor Board, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Minidoka Fair Labor Practices Board unanimously condemned individual recruiting of evacuee labor as open to abuse. It recommended that the project administration eliminate such activities.
• Poston Agricultural Frontier Discussed with WRA Representatives, by Takeichi Kadani, page 8. Agricultural representatives from Washington reviewed proposed Poston projects including hog production, poultry, dairy, apiary, and fish culture. The article details costs and planned output for each industry.
• Topaz Discusses Silk Production, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Topaz agricultural research department is considering silk production, noting that mulberry trees planted years ago in Washington County still grow. Silkworms would likely be obtained from experimental stations.
• Youth Gets Jail Sentence for Assault at Gila River Center, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Doy Akio Tateishi received a three-month sentence, mostly suspended, for assaulting a block manager at Gila River. Two weeks will be served in county jail.

Commentary

• Poston Climate Undergoes Change, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Residents of Poston have found the autumn climate much more comfortable after the summer heat, with cold mornings giving way to near-ideal afternoons. The writer notes that the first year in a new climate is the hardest.
• Poston Sends Out Harvest Workers, by Saburo Kido, page 2. Poston residents have gone out to work in beetfields with mostly favorable reception, though some employers have failed to provide acceptable conditions. The writer urges free-zone Japanese Americans to help place evacuees in outside employment.
• Attacks on Nisei, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial condemns reactionary campaigns in California seeking disenfranchisement and deportation of American-born citizens of Japanese ancestry. It argues these attacks mirror Nazi persecution and undermine American democracy.
• Resettling Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes that resettlement of evacuees from WRA centers to communities outside military areas has begun, though slowly. It encourages nisei war industry employment as a contribution to the war effort.
• An Arkansas View, by Arkansas Gazette, page 4. The Arkansas Gazette rebuts a letter charging that Japanese Americans at Rohwer are being coddled, noting residents work hard clearing land. The editorial stresses that many are native-born citizens deserving fair treatment.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa condemns the film Little Tokyo, U.S.A. for portraying nisei as spies and saboteurs based on lies. He summarizes the plot and argues the movie libels loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry.
• The Other Side, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The column highlights both mistreatment and excellent treatment of evacuee workers in the sugar beet fields. It argues that evacuee conduct and attitudes matter as much as employer attitudes in building acceptance.
• Furlough Workers Returning to Centers, by Tad Uyeno, page 5. Furlough workers in the Idaho Falls area want to return to relocation centers after sugar companies refused to release them despite completed contracts. The writer criticizes the company’s appeal to loyalty and poor living conditions.
• A Portrait of Sen. Stewart Who Would Intern All Persons of Japanese Ancestry in U.S., by Jacob S. Payton, page 5. A profile of Senator Tom Stewart and his bill S. 2293 authorizing custody of all Japanese persons in the United States, including citizens. The article examines his constitutional argument against birthright citizenship for Japanese Americans.
• Ann Nisei Says: Evacuees Look Forward to First White Christmas, by Ann Nisei, page 6. Ann Nisei offers handmade Christmas gift ideas for the center community, including button jewelry, jewelry boxes, and painted salad bowls. The column encourages evening craft sessions as the weather turns cold.

JACL

• JACL Parley Will Discuss League Stand, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The emergency JACL conference agenda covers relocation and resettlement, the WRA deferment of men of Japanese ancestry, disenfranchisement campaigns, and post-war reassimilation. Delegates from all relocation centers and free-zone chapters are expected to attend.
• Masaoka Issues Call to First National Meet Since Evacuation, by Mike Masaoka, page 3. National Secretary Mike Masaoka calls the emergency JACL conference to evaluate the organization’s past year, admit mistakes, and reorganize for the task ahead. He urges members to prove their loyalty and earn the right to be full participants in American life.
• Myer to Talk on Relocation at Salt Lake Public Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 8. WRA Director Dillon Myer will speak at a public meeting in Salt Lake City on November 22, sponsored by the National JACL. Mayor Ab Jenkins and several JACL leaders are also scheduled to speak.

Incarceration & Redress

• 23rd California District Adopts Dr. Lechner’s Report, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The American Legion’s 23rd California district unanimously adopted a report recommending that west coast Japanese Americans be sent to Japan after the war. The Pacific Citizen editorially rejects the term repatriation for American-born citizens.

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