AAPA Retort to Agnew "fat jap" Comment 1968

Nixon~Agnew Retort 09-26-1968

"We must admit that vice—presidential candidate Spiro Agnew has kept his promise. His name is now a household word in the Japanese-American community.

The Asian—American Political Alliance vigorously protests the racist epithet, “fat Jap”, recently uttered by Agnew.

We must reluctantly concur with the Kerner Commission’s finding that “white racism” is the fundamental cause of civil disorders, and that “white racism” seems to have infected a person running for the second highest political office of this country.

We, as members of a racial minority, do not at all feel amused by racist type humor at our expense, or at the expense of any of our racial and ethnic brothers and sisters. We also feel that the so-called apology rendered afterward was wholly inadequate.

It is indeed a very sad commentary on white American culture to use pejorative terms in their relations with minority groups. It is also a sad commentary that Agnew appears to have such a low level of sensitivity as far as race relations are concerned. If the Republican party is victorious in November, we would humbly suggest to Nixon that he would refrain from sending Agnew on goodwill missions to the rest of the world with the exception of either Rhodesia or the Union of South Africa. (ed. note: in 1968, two apartheid countries)

Asian American Political Alliance