Still, the only recommended categories for reporting race in 1961 that had any standing were "white" and "non white".
As far as "African" being a suitible answer for "race" it most certainly was suitible. The term was used for a couple of hundred years in legal documents called covenants on property deeds and titles. Usually there was a prohibition on selling your property to a "member of the African race".
It's dollars to doughnuts someone can come up with an Hawaiian territorian birthcertificate or two that has racial nomenclature that defies interpretation.
Haole, hapa haole, hapa hapa haole, hapa hapa hapa...