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— 29 —
that as long as they considered the issue to be a contest between British Imperialism and the needs of Germany and Italy they admittedly sided with the
latter countries, but they asserted that now that their adopted or native land,
the United States of America, was attacked, their loyalty was to this country
without reservation. We accepted that these protestations of Germans and
Italians and of their organizations were made in good faith and, unless there
was some convincing evidence to the contrary, in any individual case we
assumed that the change of heart was genuine. The same fair and reasonable attitude should have been maintained toward people of Japanese ancestry. That it was not is an indication of prejudice based on ancestry. The
people of Japanese ancestry, even those who supported Japan against China,
made it abundantly clear, as we shall prove, that in case the United States
entered a conflict, even against Japan, they would take their places unhesitatingly at the side of America. When the attack came, as we shall show,
every Japanese organization and countless individuals indicated loyalty and
determination to help in every conceivable way. That these pledges were
disregarded and that the people who made them were spurned, is one of the
great tragedies of our times. It was a vivid demonstration to the world that
America, or at least those who were allowed to speak for her at a critical
time, had no living faith in the democratic process and could think of nothing
better to do than to fall back upon the Nazi method of dealing with people, on
the basis of ancestry.
General DeWitt makes the blanket charge that all the Japanese organizations on the Pacific Coast were engaged in pro-Japanese activities. He offers
no proof of this and he can offer no proof of it. The prefectural societies
which he names simply brought together people who had come from the same
districts of Japan for the purpose of socials and picnics. People who have
come to California from Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio have formed clubs and
meet for similar reasons without being threatened with internment. Most of
the Japanese local "Association" were simply groups of business men who
combined the functions of the ordinary Chamber of Commerce with some
social and benevolent interests.
Most of all was General DeWitt excited over the Butoku Kai.106 This is
a good example of the use of names and words to impress the uninformed,
when an honest explanation of the history and background of those terms
would ^ rob them of their sting. Butoku Kai means '"society for military
The activities implied by the term are fencing (kendo), Jiujitsu
(judo) and wrestling (sumo). A Butoku Kai is therefore a club where
these sports are practiced and taught. They are called by a term that means
military virtue" because they developed during feudal times and were
the prerogative of the warrior class of that period. They have since become
the pastime of all classes. Kendo, for example, had for years been a part of
t e athletic or physical educational curriculum of every Japanese high school,
in uding Christian and missionary schools which have been unalterably op-
thb t0 militarism- lt is no more related to militarism in modern Japan than
e. buttons on the sleeve of an American male are today connected with
•ng. ITie name and the buttons have both outlived their original purpose.
'"Final Report of General DeWitt, p. 11.
Object Description
| Title | The Case For The Nisei |
| Subjects | Identity and values--Nisei |
| Type | image |
| Genre | Books |
| Language | eng |
| Collection | Hirasuna Family Papers |
| Collection Description | 113 items |
| Project Name | California State University Japanese American Digitization Project |
| Rights | Rights not yet transferred |
Description
| Local ID | csufr_hfp_0771 |
| Project ID | csufr_hfp_0771 |
| Title | Page 29 |
| Creator | Japanese American Citizens League |
| Date Created | Unknown |
| Subjects | Identity and values--Nisei |
| Type | image |
| Genre | Books |
| Language | eng |
| Collection | Hirasuna Family Papers |
| Collection Description | 5.21 x 8.50in |
| Rights | Rights not yet transferred |
| Transcript | — 29 — that as long as they considered the issue to be a contest between British Imperialism and the needs of Germany and Italy they admittedly sided with the latter countries, but they asserted that now that their adopted or native land, the United States of America, was attacked, their loyalty was to this country without reservation. We accepted that these protestations of Germans and Italians and of their organizations were made in good faith and, unless there was some convincing evidence to the contrary, in any individual case we assumed that the change of heart was genuine. The same fair and reasonable attitude should have been maintained toward people of Japanese ancestry. That it was not is an indication of prejudice based on ancestry. The people of Japanese ancestry, even those who supported Japan against China, made it abundantly clear, as we shall prove, that in case the United States entered a conflict, even against Japan, they would take their places unhesitatingly at the side of America. When the attack came, as we shall show, every Japanese organization and countless individuals indicated loyalty and determination to help in every conceivable way. That these pledges were disregarded and that the people who made them were spurned, is one of the great tragedies of our times. It was a vivid demonstration to the world that America, or at least those who were allowed to speak for her at a critical time, had no living faith in the democratic process and could think of nothing better to do than to fall back upon the Nazi method of dealing with people, on the basis of ancestry. General DeWitt makes the blanket charge that all the Japanese organizations on the Pacific Coast were engaged in pro-Japanese activities. He offers no proof of this and he can offer no proof of it. The prefectural societies which he names simply brought together people who had come from the same districts of Japan for the purpose of socials and picnics. People who have come to California from Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio have formed clubs and meet for similar reasons without being threatened with internment. Most of the Japanese local "Association" were simply groups of business men who combined the functions of the ordinary Chamber of Commerce with some social and benevolent interests. Most of all was General DeWitt excited over the Butoku Kai.106 This is a good example of the use of names and words to impress the uninformed, when an honest explanation of the history and background of those terms would ^ rob them of their sting. Butoku Kai means '"society for military The activities implied by the term are fencing (kendo), Jiujitsu (judo) and wrestling (sumo). A Butoku Kai is therefore a club where these sports are practiced and taught. They are called by a term that means military virtue" because they developed during feudal times and were the prerogative of the warrior class of that period. They have since become the pastime of all classes. Kendo, for example, had for years been a part of t e athletic or physical educational curriculum of every Japanese high school, in uding Christian and missionary schools which have been unalterably op- thb t0 militarism- lt is no more related to militarism in modern Japan than e. buttons on the sleeve of an American male are today connected with •ng. ITie name and the buttons have both outlived their original purpose. '"Final Report of General DeWitt, p. 11. |
