Evening star., 1943-07-03
Dies Committee Hears
WRA Called Too Slow
In Freeing u. 5. laps
Nv JAMES E. CHINN.

FVC. MIKE M. NdSdOhd Va VIC <AAh hAJ
of the United States. former ma
tional secretary and field executive
of the Japanese Citizens
League, complained to Dies sub.
committee this afternoon that the
War Relocation Authority Is not
releasing fast enough the loyal Jap.
anese Americans from the 10 reloca.
ton cetnters in which they were
placed after outbreak of the war.
The program Of resettlement, he
declared, should be "speeded-up.
The virtual prison life" of those
in the relocation camps, he said
sis not good for Americans of JAP
anese ancestry They are no,
living a normal life" he declared
And it's not good for their chill
dren to think of America in terms
Of barbed-wire fences"
Admits Some Disloyal.
Pvt. 'Masaoka admitted there are
some disloyal Japanese nationals in
the camps and said he had recon-
mended their segregation to preven;
potential contamination" of the
loyal Americans of Japanese an
Cestry. The WRA which has su-
pervision over the centers, he ex-
planned, is working on the problem
and expects to find a satisfactory
solution
He denied that as an officer OF
the JACL he had ever advocated
strikes among those released from
the relocation centers to work on
American farms to force the re-
moval of curfews and other dis
tasteful restrictions. but stoutly de-
Tended their right to do so.
Loyal American citizens Of Japa-
nese ancestry should be treated as
decently as possible he declared.
I'm that respect believe the WRA
should take a firmer step in pre-
senting the true picture to the
American people of the American
born japanese"
His Report Quoted.
Excerpts from a report of Pvt.
Masaoka dated last September were
read to the subcommittee by Robert
z. STRIPPING chief investigator. In
that report he was quoted as recon-
mending that japanese, both aliens
and citizens Ought to work out a
scheme to get all evacuees in labor
camps and relocation centers to
agree not to work during the COM
ing harvest season" in order to force
the removal of cu1fews and travel
restrictions. The report said this
proposal was loaded with dynamite.
DO you still think that japanese
should strike for such purposes?"
asked Representative Costello,
Democrat of California, chairman
OF the subcommittee.
Il believe they should organize
like any American group to get their
just ends" he replied "As I said
in that report, we must learn to use
the weapons which have been so
effective in the labor movement.
The restrictions were unjust and
imposed by local sheriffs in Western
Oregon and Idaho He insisted
that any Interpretation to indicate
that he had recommended strikes
in the report is erroneous-that he
was merely defending the right of
the Japanese-A Americans to strike.
II necessary.
Wants "Chinaman'S Chance.
Pleading for better treatment of
the Japanese Americans, Pvt. Ma
saoka declared:
The Chinese used to say all they
wanted was Chinaman's chance
with Japan. All 1 ask for is a
Chinamans chance for the Japa-
nese in this country
Representative Mundt, Repub-
lican, of South Dakota, a subcom-
mittee member said that out of g.
500 japanese evacuees in the relo-
cation camp at Poston, Ariz., $50
refused to swear loyalty to the
United States.
The Nation would be lost,
wouldn't 1t. if that proportion exist
ed in other racial groups?" he asked
All the FBI Investigations thus
Tar haven't disclosed a single case
of subversive activities by a Japa-
nese," replied Pvt. Masaoka. Per
haps the japanese are less dan
gerous group than other"
The attack on Pearl Harbor was
q "dastardly deed" which hurt
Americans of japanese ancestry
more than the average native Amer
lean, Pvt. Masaoka told the subcom-
mittee.
Most of us believe in the United
States, Pvt Masaoka testified I'VE
were born in this country and edu-
Gated here We would be foreigners
and an enemy to Japan if we went
there. We can't tolerate their con-
ditions of living or their way of
thinking"
Pvt. Masaoka said he was born in
Fresno, Calf. but his parents were
natives of Japan. He declared that
four of his five brothers already are
in military service and the other is
about to be inducted.