Fighting Fear: Long Beach, Ca. in the 1940S

By Claudine Burnett

The war in Europe had resounding effects worldwide, but the clouds darkened over Long Beach much earlier than the war clouds appeared over Europe. In the days of Prohibition Long Beach waged battles against illegal bootlegging, gambling and political corruption. When Prohibition ended in 1933 it was hoped that the city could return to what it once was---a decent, law abiding, town. But that was not to be, too many new people had moved into the area brought there by the growth of the harbor and the discovery of oil. It was hard to tell who was a good cop and who was bad, and it was also difficult to tell which of the politicos running the city had hands that were dirty.

As the federal government looked at Americas west coast they saw an intense need for a stronger military presence if the U.S. ever had to protect its Pacific shores. For Long Beach this was good news. The city had its harbor and airport, both already in use by the military, with plenty of available land for expansion. Long Beach was about to enter its greatest period of growth and development since oil was discovered in 1921.

It didnt take a visionary to see that Long Beach would be a prime target for an enemy attack. The eastern portion of the city housed numerous shipyards and a Navy base; to the north there was Douglas Aircraft Company, and the Army air base at the Municipal Airport; to the east was the Los Alamitos Naval Air Station and the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Depot. In the middle of Long Beach were countless oil wells, fueling the ships, planes and other equipment needed to fight a war.

During the 1940s hordes of people escaping the effects of the Great Depression flooded into Long Beach looking for jobs in the shipyards, oil industry, and aircraft factories, which had sprung up as the war in Europe intensified. The newcomers did not seriously consider the fact that Long Beach would be a prime target if America entered the war. What they needed was a job, and Long Beach was where to find one. After Pearl Harbor the fear set in. Long Beach would be a prime target for a Japanese attack. There was also a second fear---that gambling interests and political corruption would take over the city.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496914705

Claudine Burnett

Claudine E. Burnett's books include From Barley Fields to Oil Town: A Tour of Huntington Beach: 1909-1922 (1996), Strange Sea Tales Along the Southern California Coast (2000), Haunted Long Beach (1996), and Balboa Films: A History and Filmography of the Silent Film Studio (2007). Paul Burnett has a degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he helped organize the university's first surf club. He is co-owner of the premier action sports and surf shop, Surfside Sports (SurfsideSports.com), which started in Newport Beach in 1975.

Book preview

© 2014 Claudine Burnett. All rights reserved.

Photos from Long Beach Municipal Employee Magazine, Long Beach

Public Library, Heritage Museum of Long Beach, and the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  06/25/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1471-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1470-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014910445

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

BATTLE ON THE HOMEFRONT

Gambling

Bribery

The Pike

Murder Gangster Style

PREPARING FOR A WORLD WAR

Fear Begins

Harbor and the Navy

Douglas Aircraft

Housing Boom

The Draft

Civil Defense

AMERICA AT WAR

Pearl Harbor

Ferrying War Planes

Rumors and Japanese Subs

Enemy Aliens

Life Under War Conditions

War Workers

Shipyards

Zoot Suit Riots

Animals Go To War

Death of a President

END OF THE WAR

Victory

Readjusting to Peace

War Industries Gear Down

Prison Camps

War Brides

Japanese Americans Return

Long Beach and the A-Bomb

European Relief Measures

Black Dahlia Murder

EPILOGUE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dedicated to my father, Edward Edukas,

my father-in-law, Paul M. Burnett,

Ed Cooper, C.V. Jack Jackson,

and all those who kept,

and continue to keep,

America safe.

LONG BEACH CITY OFFICIALS – 1940s

July 1939-June 1940

POPULATION :164,271

MAYOR: F.H. Gentry

CITY MANAGER: Randall M. Dorton (to Sept. 1, 1939)

J.W. Charleville (from Sept. 1, 1939)

COUNCILMEN:

1st Dist.: W.J. Brunton

2nd Dist.: F.H. Gentry

3rd Dist.: E. Curtis Clark

4th Dist.: H.R. Klockseim

5th Dist.: H.B. Freeman

6th Dist.: Carl Fletcher

7th Dist.: Stephen Ford

8th Dist.: M.L. Moxley

9th Dist.: I.P. Carroll

July 1940-June 1941

POPULATION :164,271

MAYOR: F.H. Gentry

CITY MANAGER: J.W. Charleville (to Dec. 31, 1940)

Carl Erickson (from Jan. 3, 1941)

COUNCILMEN:

1st Dist.: W.J. Brunton

2nd Dist.: F.H. Gentry

3rd Dist.: E. Curtis Clark

4th Dist.: H.R. Klockseim

5th Dist.: H.B. Freeman

6th Dist.: Carl Fletcher

7th Dist.: Stephen Ford

8th Dist.: M.L. Moxley

9th Dist.: I.P. Carroll

July 1941-June 1942

POPULATION :167,556 est

MAYOR: F.H. Gentry

CITY MANAGER: Carl Erickson

COUNCILMEN:

1st Dist.: W.J. Brunton

2nd Dist.: F.H. Gentry

3rd Dist.: E. Curtis Clark

4th Dist.: H.R. Klockseim

5th Dist.: H.B. Freeman

6th Dist.: Carl Fletcher (elected to State Assembly)

7th Dist.: Stephen Ford

8th Dist.: M.L. Moxley

9th Dist.: I.P. Carroll

July 1942-June 1943

POPULATION :210,364 est

MAYOR: C.E. Wagner

CITY MANAGER: Carl Erickson (to Oct. 31, 1942)

Herbert Legg (from Dec. 1, 1942)

COUNCILMEN:

1st Dist.: W.J. Brunton

2nd Dist.: C.E. Wagner

3rd Dist.: E. Curtis Clark

4th Dist.: H.R. Klockseim

5th Dist.: H.B. Freeman

6th Dist.: H.E. Lewis

7th Dist.: D.H. Fickling

8th Dist.: M.L. Moxley

9th Dist.: F.R. Crawford

July 1943-June 1944

POPULATION :222,062 est

MAYOR: C.E. Wagner

CITY MANAGER: Herbert Legg (to Dec. 29, 1943)

Samuel Vickers (from Jan. 3, 1944)

COUNCILMEN:

1st Dist.: W.J. Brunton

2nd Dist.: C.E. Wagner

3rd Dist.: E. Curtis Clark

4th Dist.: H.R. Klockseim

5th Dist.: H.B. Freeman

6th Dist.: H.E. Lewis

7th Dist.: D.H. Fickling

8th Dist.: M.L. Moxley

9th Dist.: F.R. Crawford

July 1944-June 1945

POPULATION :253,331 est

MAYOR: C.E. Wagner

CITY MANAGER: Samuel Vickers

COUNCILMEN:

1st Dist.: W.J. Brunton

2nd Dist.: C.E. Wagner

3rd Dist.: E. Curtis Clark

4th Dist.: H.R. Klockseim

5th Dist.: H.B. Freeman

6th Dist.: H.E. Lewis

7th Dist.: D.H. Fickling

8th Dist.: M.L. Moxley

9th Dist.: F.R. Crawford

July 1945-June 1946

POPULATION :322,000 est

MAYOR: H.E. Lewis

CITY MANAGER: Samuel Vickers.

COUNCILMEN:

1st Dist.: Russell Pavey

2nd Dist.: C.E. Wagner

3rd Dist.: E. Curtis Clark

4th Dist.: H.R. Klockseim

5th Dist.: B.W. Chace

6th Dist.: H.E. Lewis

7th Dist.: G.C. Brower

8th Dist.: M.L. Moxley

9th Dist.: F.R. Crawford

July 1946-June 1947

POPULATION :241,109 est

MAYOR: H.E. Lewis

CITY MANAGER: Samuel Vickers (to Oct. 29, 1946); Carl Wirsching (from Oct. 29, 1946)

COUNCILMEN:

1st Dist.: Russell Pavey*

2nd Dist.: C.E. Wagner

3rd Dist.: E. Curtis Clark

4th Dist.: J.R. Ramsey* repl. H.R. Klockseim who resigned 9/24/46

5th Dist.: B.W. Chace

6th Dist.: H.E. Lewis*

7th Dist.: G.C. Brower*

8th Dist.: M.L. Moxley*

9th Dist.: F.R. Crawford*

* Known as the Solid 5

July 1947-June 1948

POPULATION :255,000 est

MAYOR: Burton Chace

CITY MANAGER: Carl Wirsching

COUNCILMEN:

1st Dist.: A.L. Parmley

2nd Dist.: J.R. Ramsey

3rd Dist.: R.C. Kealer

4th Dist.: G.D. Ezell

5th Dist.: C.E. Wagner

6th Dist.: L.O. Jackson

7th Dist.: H.R. Klockseim

8th Dist.: Burton Chace

9th Dist.: F.R. Crawford

July 1948-June 1949

POPULATION :266,806 est

MAYOR: Burton Chace

CITY MANAGER: Carl Wirsching

COUNCILMEN:

1st Dist.: A.L. Parmley

2nd Dist.: J.R. Ramsey

3rd Dist.: R.C. Kealer

4th Dist.: J.R. Seaton

5th Dist.: C.E. Wagner

6th Dist.: L.O. Jackson

7th Dist.: H.R. Klockseim

8th Dist.: Burton Chace

9th Dist.: B.U. Carleson

July 1949-June 1950

POPULATION :281,720 est

MAYOR: Burton Chace

CITY MANAGER: Samuel Vickers

COUNCILMEN:

1st Dist.: A.L. Parmley

2nd Dist.: J.R. Ramsey* died 5/1950; Lyman Sutter elected as replacement 8/15/50

3rd Dist.: R.C. Kealer

4th Dist.: J.R. Seaton

5th Dist.: C.E. Wagner

6th Dist.: L.O. Jackson

7th Dist.: H.R. Klockseim

8th Dist.: Burton Chace

9th Dist.: B.U. Carleson

POLICE CHIEFS

Joseph Henry McClelland - Oct.1933 - Oct. 1939

William Cyrus Wright - Oct. 1939 - Apr.1941

Joseph Henry McClelland – Apr. 1941 - 1943

Walter H. Lentz – 1943 - 1944

Alvin Frank Slaight – 1944 - May 1949

William H. Dovey - July 1949 - May 1960

INTRODUCTION

O n August 24, 1940, radio listeners in America were transported to London’s Trafalgar Square as Edward R. Murrow, chief correspondent for the Columbia Broadcasting System, broadcast live from a city at war. As air-raid sirens sounded and the Luftwaffe’s planes began arriving over London, Murrow gave the American people an intimate look at a world turned topsy-turvy. With the surrender of France two months earlier, England stood alone, the last nation holding off Nazi domination of the Old World.

In Long Beach it seemed as if the local newspaper, the Long Beach Independent, was also standing alone against the political corruption that had taken over the town. The paper’s editorials and reporting had alerted Los Angeles County District Attorney’s investigators, and after four months of intensive undercover work subpoenas were served members of the Long Beach city council, the city manager and several police officials. Nearly the entire roster of Long Beach officialdom was under subpoena in the summer of 1940.

The war clouds in Europe had started to gather in March 1938 when Austria’s powerful Nazi party pushed the rest of the country into accepting annexation to Germany. Hitler was trying to regain the past in his plan called Anschluss to re-occupy territories Germany held prior to World War I. In September 1938, Hitler set his eyes on the Sudentenland, a largely German speaking area of Czechoslovakia adjacent to Germany. Treaties bound Britain and France to fight for Czechoslovakia if it was invaded. Adolph Hitler, however, assured Czechoslovakia’s allies that peace could still be secured. The German leader invited representatives from England, France and Italy to meet with him at Munich. The Czechs were not invited. Peace seemed more important than principle—the Sudentenland was conceded to Germany. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly proclaimed he had secured peace in our time. He was wrong. In 1939 Hitler, having taken over the rest of Czechoslovakia, demanded the return of Poland’s once German Danzig region, which allowed Germany a corridor to the sea. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. This time Britain and France refused to give in to Hitler’s demands. Two days later Great Britain and France declared war on Germany, signaling a tumultuous decade to come.

The clouds darkened over Long Beach much earlier than the war clouds appeared over Europe. In the days of Prohibition Long Beach waged battles against illegal bootlegging, gambling and political corruption. When Prohibition ended in 1933 it was hoped that the city could return to what it once was—a decent, law abiding, town. But that was not to be, too many new people had moved into the area brought there by the growth of the harbor and the discovery of oil. Many still liked their liquor tax free which meant that the bootlegging operations perfected during Prohibition were still providing alcohol to those who didn’t want to pay the government its share. The Depression also complicated matters, bringing financial ruin to many. But to those who lived elsewhere Southern California seemed like an answer to all their problems—it was the land of eternal sunshine, a new oil industry, and hopefully a job. What resulted was a tremendous influx of people moving into the area, taxing existing resources to the limit as the population of Long Beach grew from around 75,000 in 1920 to 164,000 in 1940. By the end of the 1940s that number would jump to 281,000.

The war in Europe had resounding effects worldwide. Japan, who had been fighting in China since 1937, was overjoyed. With Great Britain and France committed to fighting Germany, Japan looked southward at those countries’ colonies. If Japan could gain control of areas such as French Indochina and British Malaya, which contained raw materials such as tin, rubber and petroleum, and incorporate these regions into the Japanese empire, Japan could make itself self-sufficient economically and become the dominate power in the Pacific.

The war being raged against political corruption in Long Beach didn’t have such resounding effects as the one in Europe, but Long Beach’s war lasted much longer. Throughout the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s Long Beach tried to regain its past, one free of graft and corruption. It was hard to tell who was a good cop and who was bad, and it was also difficult to tell which of the politicos running the city had hands that were dirty. It wouldn’t be until 1960 and the arrival of a new chief of police, William John Mooney, that some of the city’s police corruption would come to light, and 1975 when City Manager John Mansell (and most city department heads resigned/retired) after City Planning Director Ernest Mayer Jr. was indicted on bribery charges, that further cleanup began.

The war in Europe also had a resounding effect in Long Beach. The United States with its isolationist philosophy remained neutral, but did take precautions by strengthening its defenses and preparing itself for possible entry into what was quickly becoming a worldwide conflict. As the federal government looked at America’s west coast they saw an intense need for a stronger military presence if the U.S. ever had to protect its Pacific shores. For Long Beach this was good news. The city had its harbor and airport, both already in use by the military, with plenty of available land for expansion. Long Beach was about to enter its greatest period of growth and development since oil was discovered in 1921.

It didn’t take a visionary to see that Long Beach would be a prime target for an enemy attack. The eastern portion of the city housed numerous shipyards and a Navy base; to the north there was Douglas Aircraft Company, and the Army air base at the Municipal Airport; to the east was the Los Alamitos Naval Air Station and the Seal Beach Naval Weapon’s Depot. In the middle of Long Beach were countless oil wells, fueling the ships, planes and other equipment needed to fight a war. Some, such as C.V. Jackson, saw the writing on the wall and decided to take steps to insure his family’s safety.

Jack Jackson, as he was known, was born in Ft. Scott, Kansas on February 14, 1899, and joined the Navy shortly before his 18th birthday. During World War I he helped White Russian refugees escape from the Reds—a little known U.S. involvement in the war. Jack stayed in the Navy until he retired in 1938. He and wife Vera felt that Long Beach was the perfect place to raise daughters Nancy, Ann and Judi. They built a house, he got a good job selling cars for local Ford dealer Young & Gresham, and all seemed fine—then he was called back to service in the spring of 1941. Seeing all the military buildup around Long Beach, Jack feared for his family’s safety. He told the girls it would only be for a while; they would rent their house, ensuring they had a place to come back to. As Jack sailed off to Pearl Harbor, Vera and the girls moved to Vera’s former home in Pleasanton, Kansas. In Hawaii, Jack commented on how similar the Long Beach area was to Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, Jack realized he had made a good decision in moving his family from Southern California, for what happened that day could easily happen again in Long Beach, California.

During the 1940s hordes of people flooded into Long Beach looking for jobs in the shipyards, oil industry, and aircraft factories, which had sprung up as the war in Europe intensified. The number of unemployed in America in 1940 was still high—8,120,000; coming to Long Beach was a way to escape the economic collapse of the 1930s and a way to regain some kind of financial footing, even though the minimum wage was only 40 cents an hour. The newcomers did not seriously consider the fact that Long Beach would be a prime target if America entered the war. What they needed was a job, and Long Beach was where to find one. After Pearl Harbor the fear set in. Long Beach would be a prime target for a Japanese attack. There was also a second fear—that gambling interests and political corruption would take over the city.

BATTLE ON THE

HOMEFRONT

Gambling

I n 1939, people throughout the nation were riveted to news from Long Beach and the latest happenings in the Zimmerman case. In the early morning of March 17th, 14-year-old Orville Clifton Zimmerman was slashed about the neck and throat by his mother in their Chestnut Avenue apartment. Through tear-filled eyes he told police how he woke to find someone stabbing at his head and was amazed to find it was his own mother. I woke up, the boy said. The light was on in my room and my mother was there cutting me with a knife. I yelled, Don’t do that, and she replied I’m fixing you up Sonny Boy; I’ll put you somewhere where you won’t bother me anymore." She then struck the stunned lad again. Orville kicked her against the wall and ran out of their home screaming to the neighbors next door. When police arrived they found a dazed Mamie Zimmerman, her arms and hands covered with blood. She said she returned from work as a cashier on the gambling ship Tango and found a woman slashing her child. Many of Mamie Zimmerman’s clothes had also been taken from her closet and cut with a knife. She was not able to describe the woman she said she saw.

People who knew Mamie, including her ex-husband Cecil Zimmerman, said she was a loving mother, devoted to her son. Even Orville supported the claims, but he tearfully restated he was positive it was his mother who had attacked him. His neighbor Myrtle Cathcart, verified his claims stating she was awakened by screams and then Orville banging at the door begging to be let in, crying don’t let my mother in. He was sobbing and covered with blood.

Five psychiatrists ruled Mamie insane at the time of the crime. There was no indication of alcohol or drugs, but she was distraught over her fiancée’s renewed interest in his ex-wife. Psychiatrists also pointed to a similar incident in 1937 where she had been found by police, cut in 35 places. The report showed Mamie claimed she had been attacked and cut by a man; police could find no signs of a scuffle or indications her testimony was true.

On May 24, 1939, the Long Beach jury found Mamie Zimmerman sane at the time of the assault. It was exceedingly rare for a jury of laymen to disagree with the opinion of psychiatrists, but public outcry over so heinous a crime and the fact that Mrs. Zimmerman worked on a gambling ship, offered a school for roulette dealers at her home, and admittedly held drinking parties was enough to sway the jury. She was sentenced from one to fourteen years in prison. Orville moved to Oklahoma to live with his father.

The jury members that convicted Mamie Zimmerman were not the only ones upset at the vice and corruption surrounding gambling in California. In June 1939, California Attorney General Earl Warren announced a drive against gambling ships operating off the Southern California coast. For years there had been an on-again off-again battle raging between law enforcement officers and the gambling ship owners over the issue of international waters. Were the ships in international waters and out of the jurisdiction of U.S. authorities? Court cases tied up the legal system for years, benefiting the gambling ship owners, for while under appeal the gaming operators could operate without interference.

Though the U.S. Supreme Court refused