Early in 1935, the American Secretary of
Commerce, and more especially his Department
of Air Commerce, was faced with a special
problem. There had been a sudden in-terest
in the development of air routes across the
central Pacific from California to Australia.
In June 1928, Charles Kingsford-Smith, intrepid
Australian aviator, and party had flown the
trimotor plane Southern Cross from San Francisco
to Sydney by way of Hawaii, Fiji, and Brisbane,
with very little previous knowledge of conditions
and landing places be-tween. When he reached
Honolulu on June 1, he made an appeal through
the press for information concerning possible
emergency landing places on the long hop
from Honolulu to Suva. The writer, who had
visited islands in the Phoenix group four
years previously, gave him maps, photographs,
and data about Canton and Enderbury Islands,
showing that it would be possible to land
on parts of them- -but that is another story.
It became highly desirable to learn more
about various key islands in the central
Pacific. What were they like? On which could
emergency airplane landings be made? What
were the seasonal weather conditions?
There was also another important consideration:
to whom did these islands belong? Most of
the small islands in the central Pacific
had been claimed by the Americans under provisions
of the Guano Act passed by the United States
Congress on August 18, 1856. Half a dozen
of these had been worked extensively by American
companies between 1857 and 1877. Then, when
the best of the guano had been dug and Shipped
away, they had been abandoned. A few of these
is-lands had been occupied, in turn, by British
interests, and later abandoned by them. Enterprising
British sea captains also had a policy of
annexing unoccupied and unattached is-lands.
It was thought to be highly desirable that
at least certain key islands should not be
left with uncertain govern-ment status. Giving
them that status could best be accom-plished
by occupying them.
It was decided in Washington to start with
three is-lands, Jarvis, Howland, and Baker.
The task of organizing and leading expeditions
to place parties of Americans on these three
islands was assigned to William T. Miller
of the Bureau of Air Commerce. Fortunately
for the success of his mission, he was given
complete and enthusiastic co-operation by
a number of government departments and other
agencies. The Treasury Department made available
Coast Guard cutters to transport the parties
to the islands and to keep them supplied.
The United States Navy furnished a broad
range of supplies, including fuel for the
ships, and thousands of gallons of water
in fifty-gallon drums, for these were small,
"desert" islands. To the U. S.
Army was assigned the task of establishing
the camps, including their equipment and
the personnel to set them up.
But how was all this to be coordinated and
accom-plished on short notice and without
publicity? We are fortunate in having a detailed
and intimate account of those busy days in
March 1935 from notes kept by Harold A. Meyer,
at that time a young Lieutenant of Infantry,
and aide to General Halstead Dorey, who was
assigned the task of co-ordinating the job.
With his permission we quote:
"Wednesday, March 6, 1935. Colonel Van
Voorhis (Chief of Staff of the Hawaiian Department)
came to the General's quarters and mentioned
a confidential
......... The Department of Commerce wished
to put into effect a colonization plan on
some islands in the South Seas, near the
Equator. He said that he had al-ready discussed
with the Department of Commerce representative
the proposed plan, and in accordance with
instructions from the War Department had
arranged to supply him any needed articles
that the Army had on memorandum receipt.
"The plan, as worked out by Mr. Miller
and Colonel Van Voorhis and members of his
staff, was that certain in-dividuals were
to go to these islands and remain there for
a period of from six weeks to several months,
de-pending upon the result of the negotiations
in Washington. Colonel Van Voorhis stated
that Mr. Miller had agreed upon the use of
soldiers who might be on furlough for this
purpose, and that they felt that there should
be five men in the group, to be placed on
each of the three is-lands. These would be
one NCO, one cook, one first aid man, and
two Hawaiians who could look after such matters
as fishing and boating, and other miscellaneous
duties. The trip was to be made on the Coast
Guard Cutter Itasca.
"The reaction to this proposal was that
almost simul-taneously General Dorey and
I said that this would be a marvelous opportunity
for anyone, and we wished we could go. The
Chief-of-Staff's recommendations were approved.
"The next day, Thursday, about noon,
the General sent for me, and as I entered
the door he said, 'Do you want to go to the
South Seas?' Naturally my reply was 'Yes,
Sir.' He told me that he would like to have
an officer go along and that I had been selected.
I would assist in getting the project underway,
as well as to use my judgment as to the advisability
of leaving the various groups on the islands,
as shown by their physical condition at the
time....
"The next day (Friday) we had a conference,
On Satur-day I met Mr. Miller and had a few
minutes conversation with him concerning
plans for the trip. He placed in my hands..,
the selection of men to go on the trip and
arranging for securing supplies and equipment...."
Lieutenant Meyer summarized what he had been
able to learn about Jarvis, Howland, and
Baker Islands.
"Landing might be extremely difficult
in smooth water, and probably impossible
in rough weather. There were no inhabitants,
and the islands rose only a few feet above
the level of the ocean. They were covered
with sand, coral, and a few scattered patches
of brush. There are many birds. The islands
had been used by various fertilizer companies
for the purpose of extracting guano, but
never have been regularly inhabited. The
islands were at the present time in dispute
between the United States and Great Britain,
and that as a result of this colonization
plan the controversy over ownership would
be settled by the State Departments concerned.
The purpose of this colonization was to open
up the air routes to the south and to Australia,
and the Department of Com-merce felt they
could be utilized as possible landing places
for trans-Pacific planes and would be necessary
in the scheme of national expansion. There
is practically no suitable drinking water.
There were no possible sources of food supply,
except the birds and the fish which surround
the islands and which in all probability
could be caught....
"Due to the extremely confidential nature
of the mission it was not possible for me
to confer with individuals who might have
certain and definite knowledge of the problem.......
Through the G-4 and Colonel Van Voorhis a
tentative list of equipment had been drawn
up.... No arrangements had been made for
food by G-4 at this time or for any other
incidental items. I immediately sent for
Sergeant Austin Collins of the 19th Infantry..,
with whom I had taken a hike on the island
of Hawaii a few weeks previously. I felt
Sergeant Collins would be of great assistance.
The General has given me authority to select
any men I wanted.... Sergeant Collins re-ported,
and after receiving the best wishes of General
Dorey [with whom he had served in France],
he and I started to work. This, at that time,
consisted of dis-cus sing some of the problems
that we could see facing us I then got hold
of Private [Leonard A.] Duff, 35th In-fantry,
who had been recommended by Colonel Van Voorhis....
During Saturday and Sunday I talked with
several soldiers whom I knew personally or
by reputation........ No questions were asked,
no promises were made. Apparently all desired
to go and see some of the world they had
not seen before, irrespective of the hard
ships involved or the rewards they might
receive. Duff jumped into the problem and
within a very few hours had made out a schedule
of food which would suffice for five men
on a desert island for 42 days. He seemed
so thoroughly familiar with the subject and
so sure of the facts that I felt the greatest
confidence in him immediately.
I informed him that he would have charge
of the food supply for the entire expedition....
Sunday, he and I went to the North Shore
of Oahu where we discussed with some Hawaiians
problems with regard to getting and preserving
food.... I sounded them out on the possibility
of getting some Hawaiians who might undertake
living on these islands
His notes go on to discuss the efforts to
obtain con-tainers for drinking water which
could be handled readily. It was estimated
that 900 gallons should be put ashore on
each of the three islands, and 50 gallon
drums seemed the best containers. The big
problem was where 54 such drums could be
obtained. They eventually were procured by
Mr. Miller from a chemical company. Sergeant
Collins, whose years of service in the Army
had never included being a Supply Sergeant,
was stationed at Fort Shafter to accumulate
equipment. The Quartermaster made available
copies of their reports on supplies for the
Whippoorwill Expedition of 1924, and arrangements
were made to purchase what was needed from
the Navy. Colonel Scott, of the Medical Corps,
had already arranged for three medical chests
to be pre-pared. (Eventually, four were taken,
which was fortunate, for one was lost in
landing on Baker Island.)
Quoting from H. A. Meyer:
"During the next two or three days,
while Duff and Collins and others, who had
been selected, were be-ginning to collect
supplies, Mr. Miller and I had a talk with
Commander W. N. Derby of the Coast Guard
Cutter Itasca, where many of the details
were worked out con-cerning the trip. One
problem came up. This was the question of
the Coast Guard ship going back to visit
the groups on the islands within a week or
two after they had been landed. The original
plan had been to drop the groups off, taking
as much time as necessary to make camp and
provision it; return to Honolulu, and then
go back to the islands within six weeks.
An alternative was to go on to Samoa before
returning to Honolulu; refuel, purchase any
additional supplies necessary for the is-land
groups, and then return to look them over
and see if everything was satisfactory. This
would give those of us interested a sufficient
basis upon which to judge concerning the
conditions there; also the success of the
operation and the type of supplies to be
taken back the next time. Commander Derby
favored this idea, and when it was presented
to Admiral Yarnell he also acquiesced, and
it was presented to the Navy Department.
There was no fuel at Samoa, but there would
be a tanker in the vicinity at the time proposed.
Commander Derby, after learning of the personnel
to go on the trip, stated that he would have
space for three officers, whom the Commanding
General would permit to go on leave.... I
had been informed that I would go, on the
status of de-tached service, as a member
to carry out the plans of the Department
of Commerce....
"...Mr. Miller and I went to see Mr.
[Albert F.] Judd, [Trustee] of the Bishop
Museum. Mr. Miller invited a member of the
Museum staff to go along on the trip. Inasmuch
as Mr. Miller had requested me to secure
Hawaiian boys, I asked Mr. Judd for recommendations.
About two hours later, Mr. Judd informed
me that the Museum considered it a wonderful
opportunity for scien-tific purposes, and
that in all probabilities Mr. Bryan, Curator
of Collections, would go. Further, they hoped
we would take the men who were to go on the
trip down to the Museum where they could
learn about the islands, and encourage them
to make collections which would be of scientific
value to the Museum. He also said that Mr.
Barnes, of the Kamehameha Schools, would
select six Kawaiians who would meet the conditions
laid down by us, and would have them ready
for me to interview the next day, it being
understood I was to have complete authority
in the selection. The requirements were that
they must be grown up, that they be able
to fish in the native manner, to swim excellently,
and to handle a boat; that they be boys who
were disciplined, boys who were friendly
and unattached, and who had proven them-selves
of the type of disposition that could stand
the rigors that might have to be undergone,
who it was be-lieved would be able to 'take
it', no matter what might come.
"Thursday I saw five of the group at
the Kamehameha School. I talked with Lieutenant
Sidney Hinds, on duty there (as R. O. T.
C. instructor), before I conversed with them,
and he agreed with me thoroughly that it
was much better to take a group of young
men of Hawaiian blood who came recommended
through the schools than it was to go out
and pick up beach boys and individuals living
on the shore, irrespective of their interests..
. . The five, varying in age from 19 to 24,
former graduates of Kamehameha, impressed
me very much. I had a feeling that they would
be able to accomplish the work we had in
mind for them. I talked with them at length,
explaining as thoroughly as I could some
of the problems that might influence them,
with this group as well as with the soldier
men. I painted the least rosy picture I could.
I tried to dwell upon the possibilities of
hardship that they might encounter. ... I
explained the necessity of discipline of
the highest order, with respect to my judgment
before landing, and particularly that would
devolve upon them of accepting the leadership
of whoever might be designated as the man
to take charge of the party on the island."
Eventually all twelve enlisted men and six
Hawaiians were selected.
"My general plan has been to have a
conference in the evening with the two or
three men who have been assist-ing, where
we would go over the work accomplished during
the day and discuss plans for the next day.
We have taken our lists and have tried to
think what things should be taken and which
to discard. The latter process has been most
complicated. There are the necessities and
the luxuries; those things which are essential
to life1 and those which are important to
a certain degree of comfort. ... They must
have food and water and, if the expedition
is to have any degree of success, their spare
time must be accounted for in some useful
occupation which, at least, will take their
mind off their isolation.... We must have
shelter for the men and shelter for the food
and other supplies. We have planned to depend
upon tentage.... The medical chests, when
used by a first aid man, should meet any
of the normal emergencies to Be expected.
We have a en along tools and such other articles
as the artisan might need to build or repair
the essentials in keeping the camp in good
condition. The lack of wood on the islands
forces us to use liquid fuel. Due to temperature,
gasoline was discarded in favor of kerosene....
As an emergency, quantities of sterno, as
well as charcoal have been provided. Gold
Medal cots were suggested by Colonel Elliot,
with one blanket. Sergeant Meredith, General
Dorey's secretary, sug-gested the use of
a shelter half in addition, to keep out the
night breeze.., then two shelter halves which,
in case of emergency, could be used in place
of tents... Yesterday, I was advised by Mr.
Bryan to take three blankets apiece. 'You
should have something under you as well as
over you, because at night it gets particularly
cold, and at this time of year there may
be night rains. In as much as I have light
blankets, I have put four per man on my list.
For personal protection, the item of clothing
had to be given consideration. The way to
handle the question was to purchase it in
bulk after getting the measurements of the
men. It was felt that straw hats would serve
the purpose; but straw hats of the type wanted
were not available in proper quantities,
so helmets have been ordered. It also has
been found that upon these coral reefs leather
shoes are of practically no benefit, and
heavy rubber soled shoes are the best, so
we have bought them. Other articles will
be white clothing, with a few blue denims
thrown in. For fishing, nets, spears and
gaffs have been procured, and a few hooks,
lines, rods, reels and other fishing apparatus....
"From the information I now have as
a result of reports had by the Department
of Commerce, the Navy, the Bishop Museum,
and the Department G-2, it is believed there
will be no difficulty in securing a plentiful
supply of fresh fish on the islands. For
lighting purposes, we have secured lanterns
which use kerosene, or, in their absence
will burn candles. Flashlights, with extra
bulbs and batteries, are being taken for
each group. In addi-tion to that, Corporal
Kline, of the Signal Corps, has developed
a method of getting electric light from small
batteries, and has agreed to furnish this
equipment in its simplest form. ... Due to
the expense of procuring the proper radios,
that item has been discarded.... Certain
meteorological instruments have been forwarded
from Washington... . As for other scientific
work, the Bishop Museum is sending along
materials and directions for collecting whatever
specimens they desire.
"As a precautionary measure and in justice
to all con-cerned, it was felt that a medical
and dental inspection should be made of all
men going on the expedition. [This was done
at Schofield Barracks.] It was also felt
that anyone with dental defects should be
fixed up before departing. The vision of
a man sitting on a desert island, on a hot
summer day, and having his molar pulled out
with a pair of Quartermaster pliers is not
at all enticing.
"One man made out a list of all the
things which might be essential for amusement
and recreation for a group of men under such
conditions. ... A special selection of books
for use on the ship, which apply to travel,
adven-ture, and scientific investigations
in the South Seas, will be taken. It is believed
that these amusements and sufficient reading
material, and the work of establishing camp
and keeping it up; the collecting of specimens,
the recording of observations made on meteorological
in-struments; maintaining a diary or log;
fishing and studying the habits of birds,
fish and other life, will keep the men fairly
well occupied as far as their time is concerned.
The notes from which this chapter was compiled
were made by a young Army Lieutenant, and
give an intimate picture of some of the preparations
made for these pioneer expeditions. Now,
nearly 40 years, and many experiences later,
Colonel H. A. Meyer (U.S.A., retired) adds
a short summary of these early expeditions
to the equatorial islands in the following
words.
The first four expeditions are the key to
the entire project. The first trip, organized
in secrecy and in haste, was for the purpose
of placing American citizens on the is-lands
of Jarvis, Baker, and Howland for an indefinite
period of time. Mr. Miller of the Department
of Commerce was directed by Washington to
conduct this expedition. His per-sonal request
for military assistance resulted in my being
detailed to help, and Mr. Miller placed me
in charge of most of the activities in connection
with the preparation and per-sonnel of the
trip. He says:
"At that time we placed Kamehameha boys
and soldiers on furlough on the islands,
and after a short cruise to American Samoa,
we returned to make sure that our plans were
in operation properly.
"The second expedition followed soon
thereafter, with the primary mission of replacing
the soldiers with Kameha-meha students. This
was directed from Washington as part of their
international policy.
"The third expedition was a follow-up
to the second to insure that the situation
was well in hand and that proper supplies,
equipment and health were in evidence.
"At that time we placed Kamehameha boys
and soldiers on furlough on the islands,
and after a short cruise to American Samoa,
we returned to make sure that our plans were
in operation properly.
"The fourth expedition, last of this
series, was based upon the fact that the
colonists residing thereon should be replaced
and given an opportunity to return to civil-ization.
After conversations with Dr. Peter H. Buck
[the Director of Bishop Museum and a distinguished
authority on Polynesian culture], Mr. Judd,
Mr. Bryan, and Dr. Barnes, it was felt that
a great opportunity awaited these colonists
if they could have a few days with the Polynesians
of American Samoa. It was finally arranged
-that the Ship would proceed to Samoa for
an indefinite 2 period of time. While in
Samoa, and acting upon the re-quest of the
Bishop Museum officials, I organized the
Hawaiian colonists into small groups and
personally made arrangements for them to
live with families throughout the island
of Tutuila. We were delayed in Samoa for
several weeks, pending a decision by Washington
to com-plete the establishment of the claim
to the islands. Dur-ing our return trip to
Hawaii, we took off all of the colonists
and supplies that were on the islands. This
completed the first phase, which might be
called the Department of Commerce expeditions
of colonization."
Colonel Meyer goes on to say that he had
encouraged these colonists to keep diaries
of events on the islands, written day by
day, and that he feels that these provide
a valuable source of material, showing the
reactions, tempera-ment, accomplishments,
psychology, integrity, loyalty, and development
of a group of young men placed definitely
under leaders on desert islands. These reports
have been given to Bishop Museum for safekeeping,
and excerpts from some of them are reproduced
in this publication. Colonel Meyer states
enthusiastically that the duties of these
colonists were performed in a magnificent
manner.
With regard to the visit to American Samoa,
made during the fourth trip, Colonel Meyer
says:
"The impact of this group of Hawaiian
lads upon the society of the Samoans is worthy
of study and development. I can attest to
the personal admiration, respect and friendship
that these young men received while guests
in that far off area. To my knowledge throughout
those weeks there was not an unpleasant,
unfortunate, or un-toward incident of any
kind resulting from their stay. On the contrary,
all records, oral and written, will un-doubtedly
show that the Bishop Museum, in sponsoring
this part of the project so wholeheartedly,
was justified in its desire to secure information
and add to the knowl-edge of the well being
of the Polynesian people.
"In addition to the Samoan activities,
two of the Kameha-meha boys volunteered,
even though they had spent a year as colonists,
to stay for several weeks on Swains Island
to give assistance so badly needed as a result
of a great hurricane. The detailed reports
of these two men are some of the most thorough,
most revealing, most meticulous, and most
soul satisfying of all the projects with
which I was associated. The amount of good
these boys did can never be measured in strict
terms.
At the end of these four expeditions Captain
Meyer returned to duty with troops at Schofield
Barracks, believing that he could now give
his attention to military activities. This
was not to be. A few months later he received
a trans--Pacific telephone call from the
former officials of the ex-peditions, stating
that President Roosevelt had just annexed
the islands of Jarvis, Baker, and Howland,
and that these islands should be re-colonized
at once. He was informed that he would be
in full charge of this expedition, that he
would use his own judgment in every respect,
that the ex-pedition would be kept secret,
and that messages were going -to all government
agencies concerned to give full cooperation.
Said Captain Meyer:
'This expedition, the fifth, was organized
along the same lines as the previous ones.
Before the day was over, I had secured the
services of my former enlisted personnel,
and all the Kamehameha boys volunteered to
return to the islands. Sergeant Collins took
charge of the group going to Jarvis on U.
S. C. G. Tiger, under command of Lt. H. J.
Doebler. The U.S.C.G. cutter Itasca, under
-command of Commander F. T. Kenner, took the groups full speed to Howland and
Baker. They arrived one day ahead of the
warship of a friendly nation, which was heading
for those same islands.
Under the reoccupation of these three islands,
jurisdiction over them passed from the Department
of Commerce to the Department of the Interior.
Both William Miller, representing the Commerce
Department, and Richard B. Black, of the
Department of Interior, made the Sixth Cruise.
Thereafter the person in charge of island
personnel and their supply represented the
Interior Department. Gradually the camps
were made more permanent and more comfortable,
with radio communication and better facilities.
There were 23 regular cruises in all, with
two other special trips, both to Jarvis Island,
to meet emergencies. On the twelfth cruise,
March 1938, colonists were placed on Canton
and Enderbury Islands, in the Phoenix group.
In October 1940, the colonists were removed
from Canton Island, the Pan American Airways
manager there taking over the duties of representing
the Department of the Interior. Following
the advent of World War II, two of the colonists
were killed by air attacks on Howland Island,
and all personnel was re-moved from the four
islands during February 1942.