The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1948-03-10
.JACL BATTLES
AS ISSEI FACE
DEPORTATION

Committees favorable disposition
of bill providing for the admission
of 100000 displaced persons into this
country. the Washington office of
the JACL Anti Discrimination
Committee today urgently requested
Senate action on legislation de-
signed to prevent the arbitrary de-
portation of about 1000 japanese
aliens. hundreds of whom aided the
war effort against their native
land
Mike MasaOka, national legis-
lative director of the JACL
Ado, urged Senator Chapman
RevercOmb, chairman of the sub
committee on immigration, that
he be giver serious consideration"
to II. r. 1866, the House-approv-
ed measure which would extend
to the Attorney General the same
discretionary powers to suspend
and cancel the deportation of
certain aliens, irrespective Of race
as he now enjoys i'm relation to
other aliens.
A great many j p n csc, he
pointed out. served in war agencies,
some in confidential and important
CO pacities within the inner COM
partments of military intelligence
both here and abroad. They would
be certain to become targets for re-
he said, adding that the great ma
prisal If they were sent to Japan,
nc said, adding that the great ma
jority of them have led useful lives
III this country and all have en-
tered the United States legally as
treaty merchants. temporary visi-
] vors, or students.
Approximately 90 per cent of the
/ family groups affected have had
one or more sons who served in
the u. S. Army during World Wal
II and are now subject to deporta
ton through no fault of their own
because of the abrogation of the
Treaty of Commerce and Naviga-
ton in 1910. Most of these people
he added. have married American
citizens and have raised citizen IA
miles. The forced separation Oh
deportation to Japan would entail
severe hardships.
The temporary visitors and
students who entered the United
States just prior TO the outbreak
of war are among those who rem
dered the greatest service to this
country during the war, he re-
vealed, disclosing that because Of
their intimate knowledge of ia
pan they were extremely useful
i'm many strategic activities. in
Guiding counter intelligence be-
hind japanese enemy lines.
Former Secretary of War Pat.
tcrson, he continued, had suggest.
cd in his testimony before a Hous,
committee last year, that these de
serving japanese aliens should no
only be privileged to remain in thi
country but also to become Ameri
can citizens. To deport them, m
suggested. would certainly be poo
pay for their services.
Masaoka asserted that the Immi
grafton and Naturalization Servic
has been holding up actual depor
tation pending full study of tn
situation by the Senate subcom
mittee. and said that the legislativ
relief must be provided by the en'
OF this session if these people ar
to remain in this country. In re
questing prompt action, he pointe
out that this bill runs the risk c
being caught in a legislative jar
unless there Is immediate consi
deration.
The attention of Senator Re-
vercOmb was also directed to one
other bill which was passed by
the House last July. This is
House bill 1855 which would pro-
vide the privilege of naturaliza-
ton to natural parents, irrespec-
tive of race, of members of tht
Armed Services of the United
States who died or were wounded
while serving i'm World War ii
This measure would affect APP.
proXimately 10000.
l The Washington JACL Ado o.
ice meanwhile learned that tt
comprehensive report on immigrs
ton and naturalization laws, wllic
the Senate Judiciary Committee wt
ordered to make to the Senate Il
not later than March J." has bee
held up until May l. .Senatt
Revercomb told the Senate on Nor
day that his committee was NJ
prepared to submit its report
view of the effort consumed In prt
pairing the report on the displacs
problem.
Il The Nisei legislative dirccsoir'l