 This is the story of the Pacific and its people of the peaceful sea and the lands and lives it touches and They're meaning to us and to the generations to come The Pacific story presented by the National Broadcasting Company as a public service and Dedicated to a fuller understanding of the vast Pacific Basin This broadcast series comes to you as another feature of the NBC Inter-American University of the Air with drama of the past and present and commentary by Owen Latimore authority on the Pacific and director of the School of International Relations Johns Hopkins University The islands of the Pacific Stands astride the islands of the Southwest Pacific Here the United Nations are battering against the outer defenses of our island Empire Here the Japanese have converted the larger islands into formidable fortresses and the smaller islands into fortified outposts The islands which had so long been isolated have become a part of the global war and give promise of playing an increasingly Important role in the Pacific era to come So many islands of the Pacific that their exact number is unknown Guesses have been made that there are 30,000 First human inhabitants of the mid Pacific Islands were the Polynesians the most daring deep-sea voyages and explorers the world has ever known The time has come oh hi one This is a Polynesian weatherman the gentle winds are blowing up from the southeast There's strong winds from the southeast oh hi one are the hurricanes past Yes, the hurricanes are safely passed So also are the variable winds of the summer and now that autumn is the favorable winds from the southeast have come We have waited long for them the time has come to sail Ship is ready. Oh hi one and well provision. We must have ample provisions captain food enough for 60 Enough for the voyage to the island over the horizon is already stored aboard You have food for the children and the women as well as for the men as much as our great ship can carry Oh hi one we must prepare for any fortune The dried and cooked food prepared these many months while the ship was building have been wrapped in bundles and Stored there is cooked breadfruit and sweet potatoes dried fish and shellfish Green coconuts for both food and drink Calabashes and bamboo joints filled with water that is good and to start the new island over the horizon We have chickens and pigs and dogs and these we can eat if our food runs out before we sight land Then we will fail at dawn pass the word and see that the ship is ready and nothing is forgotten Throughout the night the Polynesians prepared for their migration to the islands over the horizon The captain as the overseer gave the ship a final inspection The ship was a great double canoe more than 100 feet long joined by platforms and with deck houses built on top Towering up from the canoes were massed with sails of plated pandanus fiber and both canoes were equipped with paddles balers and stone anchors At dawn without compass or charts the Polynesians sailed into the open ocean The clouds are descending upon us oh hi one then we shall not have the stars to guide us tonight Not tonight. It will be black. How long will these clouds lie upon us? We shall not see the stars to them tomorrow night But perhaps we shall see them tonight after captain can we hold our course without the stars? We know the steady roll of the waves before the winds oh hi one by them We shall be guided and when the clouds have cleared the stars will again colors our way In two days the clouds had lifted and cleaning down in the Polynesian immigrants and the great expanse of the Pacific Where the stars they knew so well they sail through the nights and days Pull in this fish. Oh, it must be a big one. He is struggling Here it comes into the boat What's a fast one what a big one we must be thankful We may have used for it Help me here and pull this water into this caliber. Ah, this is a gift. We must lose none of it The days flipped away and the experienced Polynesians sailed directly on their course Each thing they saw had meaning to them there there. There is a piece of grip would get it Yes, sir stand clear while I throw this line The driftwood told them they were nearing land every eye scanned the sky and the sea that bird See it see that bird. Yes. Yes. It is a prover. We have seen birds of that kind before we cannot be far from land Day and night they sailed at night. They studied the stars which they have long since come to know They knew the various constellations and their positions in the sky at different seasons They knew the winds and the sea itself Captain over there on the horizon you you see that What is it that that color on the clouds that that faint color see it Clouds are strangely different. Yes. It is Green in color pale pale green a reflection. Yes a reflection captain I see it. I see it there far far away on our eyes. Yes. I see it now That is land land hidden over the horizon You see land. Yes, they're oh, I wonder she's the green reflection on those low-lying clouds. Yes Yes, I see land From Ireland to Ireland the Polynesian spread establishing their own society and culture to the north They spread to Hawaii in the east to Easter Island in the west to New Zealand here the white man found them Many of the islands were found my Magellan the first white man to cross the Pacific Scores war were found by captain cook at the time of the American Revolution American whalers put in for water and supplies. It's still others The Western nations came Portugal Spain the Netherlands France Germany the United States Britain and the islands of the Pacific were brought into the orbit of world politics World conflict At the time the United States was fighting its civil war over the issue of slavery The same issue was taking form in the islands of the Pacific here is where we will establish our cotton plantation This is captain the honorable Robert Towns a merchant of Sydney, Australia We will call this plantation townsville. This will be an excellent location, sir here near Brisbane But I deal for growing cotton. I was not thinking of that sir That's all that need concern us as foreman I must think of securing labor should be ample labor available immigrants The white man cannot stand to work here in tropical Australia captain towns not plantation work at any rate news islanders There are not enough of them here. Oh, then we must get them There are plenty of islanders available in the ships were fitted out to make calls on the islands and to bring back workers for the Plantations of Australia and the Fiji Island They dropped anchor off the islands and waited for the islanders to come out in boats Look at them coming out in boats captain. There's a good lot of them. Mr. Grison Look at all those standing there on the beach watching us. We must give no sign that'll make them suspicious I've warned every last man of the crew everything's ready. The hatches are open all of them Sir and the tinder biscuits are down in the holes and playing view might no false moves and be a no hurry You understand mr. Grison. I do sir. I'll have a man here each edge I'll give you a signal and then be answered about that. It's all right, sir With any sort of luck we should be That's one of the islanders in that closest boat. What did he say sir? I couldn't make it out. He said something about shipy He said where's shipy come? I'll answer him They understand they don't watch a mean I they're coming up alongside in their boat. Good man Fall in that first boat. They're coming up over the side There's the first one coming aboard. You're warned the men to make them welcome. All right, sir. Good. Oh There's six eight nine boats coming alongside watch yourself. We want as many as we can get They're coming up on deck one after another All right Good man are instructed to make them feel at home Oh, they've spotted the open tinder biscuits down in the hole. Hi, sir. What day after? Are you going to get them singing in this time may not be necessary this time They've taken our word for it with a missionary ship. They keep right. I'm coming All right, and they'll follow the others right down through the edges to the biscuits like a line of air I guess that's about all of them sir. Just a few stragglers. Hey Those last two over there. They're stalling. He looks suspicious. Yeah They're not going down through the edge. They'll warn the others if they see anything Look at that Will we wait? No Betting on the edges Button down the edges Look out there. I'll fill that one with this for my insist Now you're below there look down there man. They're trying to get over the side Mr. Grayson, our bank can and get on the way at once. All right, sir Thanks for the question to our bank, sir. Give me every inch of canvas here Up she's heading into the winter It's the islanders below deck, sir. Do you know what to do, mr. Grayson? That I do service. I could kill some of them. We can't have them screaming like this Here you give me a hand down over the side. All right. He's him over the side He's island some sir, but I'm afraid we've killed some of them shooting into the mess or something like that Wait 10 minutes then open the edges drag out the dead ones and throw motherboard We've no time to waste. We've got to get back to australia black birding The practice of kidnapping islanders and taking them to work on plantations continued for years The slave traffic brought replies from the islanders who clubbed white men to death ate them and sent pieces to all the many villages Murders and atrocities multiplied until the traffic was at last brought to a halt Through this practice the islanders came to know the white man The white man had his day in the island of the south pacific until 1914 world war one Then the shadow of japan fell across them In the high councils of the allies the next japanese step came to life Of course, japan came into the war against germany through her treaty with britain. That is true That was it not understood that japan would limit itself to uh, well That's a naval action. That was the understanding was it not? Yes Chasing german submarines in the pacific and the purpose of that was to uh Is split the areas of japanese state? But now japan has seized the carillon islands the marianas and the marshals Japan has assured britain that it has no territorial ambition Then why has japan approached muskau for assurances that russia will support the claims for these islands at the peace table So japan has asked britain for the same assurance and france and legally it can only mean that japan means to keep those islands Japan has approached each of the allied nations It is as if she was demanding these assurances as the price of remaining in the war against germany That is precisely what she is demanding while we are busy in europe gentlemen This problem must be resolved at the peace table. We are engaged on the continent and at this same time At the close of world war one the league of nations gave japan only a mandate over the island Instead of out and out annexation Japan was in honor bound not to fortify them but years later Hello, hello, hello. Yeah, uh, did you get the name of my favorite? Come on. Come on. Don't spend that phone all day I don't want to keep your shirt on. Well, yeah, I just no no no. I was talking to this guy behind me Yeah, now look here's the cable. Look bud. This is the only phone available here separate I love a mic. Will you keep quiet? No. No. No. Now listen. Now here's the cable never mind about saving words Um Matsuoka has torpedoed the league of nations Matsuoka just walked out with the entire japanese delegation Everybody is stunned the japanese made it clear that even though they are holding those south pacific islands under a league of nations mandate If the league should try to withdraw the mandate that japan will hold the islands by force get that Yeah, yeah and send that cable out fast. You can't don't serve a horse throughout the world Political observers were alive to the meaning of this japanese coup You know what it amounts to japan's defying the league of nations. She defying the world The league took the hint and didn't even discuss the possibility of withdraw What could it do? Well, it did this much It didn't commit itself to the idea that it could not withdraw the mandate That just means that the question is still wide open and that it will crop up later The only way anybody's ever going to get those islands away from japan is to take them away Why do you say that? What do you think japan has been doing in those islands all these years since world war one? He doesn't permit anybody to go there while the seeds of world war two were ripening The islands of micronesia were being transformed into as much a part of the japanese empire as yokahama or kiyoto For years even while japan was ostensibly at peace with the world Travelers who tried to secure visa. I'd like to get a visa To visit the caravan island. Oh So sorry No visa for the caravan islands are available. Well, I'm a i'm a sort of a world traveler Globetrotter man like to get out understand But it is impossible So sorry Japan closed the door of these islands to the world But some information about them did leak out Chook is perhaps the biggest naval base in the pacific outside of pearl harbor It's in the caroline islands, and it's a natural naval base. It forever was one It is surrounded by high rocky islands, and it has a lagoon 40 miles wide Here at chook the japanese have built naval installations And that is the largest of the islands. It is 410 miles east of truck It has a protected anchorage below a cliff 900 feet high In this anchorage american whalers used to put in for water from the streams and the valleys And around this anchorage on the north side of the island the japanese have built their naval installation Japan has fortified an entire line of islands The japanese call this line their lifeline to the south By this they mean the defense of asia and behind this line and the islands to the north The japanese plan to build their empire into the greatest power on earth Japan had so well entrenched herself behind this her great wall That in september 1941 less than three months before pearl harbor We are actually only in soft defense This is japanese rear admiral sosa You americans are strengthening your strategic positions in the pacific to blockade japan's seaporn trade And eventually to throttle japan. What positions do you refer to admiral sosa hawaii such abba Guam and the abba But it will make no difference. You don't think the united state is going to attack japan japan Is now defended solidly along 4 000 nautical miles by various strategic systems Which would be extremely costly to break through then japan has fortified the islands of micronesia You have advanced spaces in pearl harbor manila on singapore true But in case of an emergency all of your advanced spaces would be deprived of their value before Reinforcements could be sent if in spite of this reinforcement should be sent by land or sea So japanese army or navy would only have to lie in wait to destroy them as they come Yes, but admiral sosa all this is on the assumption that japan and america must go to war No matter what route the american navy may choose the strategic position of japan and our work of defense Scattered all over the seas of east ager Enable our empire to defend or attack in any direction The islands of the pacific the untold thousands of islands so long isolated from the world have become a part of the global war The thousands of islands have become forces of steel And promised to be stepping stones to the greater era in the pacific that lies ahead The importance of these numberless islands to the war effort is daily becoming more apparent And here to discuss their significance to us Is oan latimore authority on the pacific and director of the school of international relations john's hopkins university mr. latimore Up to now we have been talking in the pacific story About the lands around the pacific the great countries with many millions of people Today we are concerned with the islands far out in the pacific itself Not the big islands and island groups like the philippines and netherland india and hawaii But the thousands of little and tiny islands that have scattered across the widest waters of the vast pacific These islands have never been very real to americans Few people now remember what robert louis stevensson wrote about the south sea islands A generation ago jack london used them as the setting for some of his most romantic tales of adventure About explorers and plantation owners and mutinous plantation laborers Captured from savage head hunting tribes martin and oza johnson before they became famous for their films about big game hunting in africa Made some of their early travel travelers down in the islands But all that seems very far away and unreal and different from the pacific islands in which young americans From your hometown and mine are fighting and dying Not for adventure and romance, but as part of the most terrible war in history Which is reaching into every home in america What are american soldiers and sailors and marines finding down there? Besides war and japs and malaria and dysentery What are the little pacific islands like and the peoples of the Pacific of the islands? These islands have been part of the great gamble of empire building and power politics ever since the 18th century When america consisted of 13 colonies along the atlantic coast But they were never the blue chips that were pushed out on the table when the big bets were laid They were just not big enough in terms of land or people or resources In most of them there were not enough people to provide labor on a large scale In many of them the people fought savagely to escape being forced to labor on tantations Consequently the islands have largely been left to the enterprise of individuals from the civilized countries Without much planned development by the governments of the great powers An island or an island group for which one country would hesitate to fight another Could often provide good money-making opportunities for individuals or corporations It only needed a handful of managers and overseers In charge of unskilled native labor to produce thousands of tons of coconut oil from plantations on hundreds of little islands That nobody ever heard of We are proud of our superior civilization But on the whole the record of our civilization in the pacific island Is something to make us pause and consider our responsibilities as well as our achievements The white man's burden was once a romantic phrase, but there is an ugly side to it The white man has often himself been a burden on the shoulders of the people he has conquered and exploited In large measure this was due to the heedless and lusty way in which men made use of new instruments of power Like cannon and steam driven vessels When new lands and islands were discovered and new peoples who had no power to resist The discoverers thought first of how much they could grab and get away with How they could get rich quick It reminds you of the ancient gag about the pilgrim fathers landing and discovering the indians in north america They first fell on their knees and then on the aborigines Even religious and god-fearing men had standards for the behavior of civilized men toward other civilized men But much lower standards for behavior toward uncivilized men It was a long time before we began to have what you might call a collective conscience about the consequences of our actions And the responsibilities of civilized men collectively toward uncivilized societies collectively For a long time the peoples of the south seas were fair game for anyone who had the power to seize and to hold No one had and no one in those days could expect could be expected to have a sense of social responsibility Take for example the diseases which the white men brought to the pacific Many people still act as though good health or disease Were nothing more than the good luck or bad luck of the individual The social idea of health control is quite recent A lot of diseases that we think quite unimportant like measles or the common cold Have been deadly scourges in the pacific islands because they never existed before the white man came and the people had no resistance Take just one example According to the smithsonian institution as late as 1875 an epidemic of measles Killed 40,000 people in fiji 40 percent of the population We are now on the threshold of a new time No one can soberly doubt that jangkai shek of china Spoke for the conscience of the world when he said that after the war the world must have a single standard of freedom Some people are still not civilized enough to have full freedom But that only puts the challenge up to us We cannot legalize a permanent double standard of freedom and servitude The problem is to raise the standard of those who are not free Until they can understate take the responsibilities of freedom America accomplished this in the philippines More recently the russians have accomplished it in the arctic and in central asia Where in one generation primitive and semi primitive peoples have been made literate civilized modern That is our real problem for the future Islands in the wide pacific can be important as bases for air routes But in the long run they are even more important as a test of whether man can make the world fit for mankind To give a pint of milk a day to every hot and taut would be no solution for anybody's problem The solution is to enable the hot and taut and the folloman islander To reach a standard of his own and for himself that includes health education progress and eventually freedom Thank you. Mr. Latimore You have just heard the 10th program of the new series the pacific story Next week at this same time over most of these stations the 11th will be broadcast World war one in the pacific with drama of the past and present and commentary by oren latimore authority on the pacific and director of the school of international relations johns hopkins university You may secure an illuminating handbook of the pacific story with background information on each program in this series With suggested further reading This pacific story manual will be sent to you for 25 cents in coin to cover cost of printing and mailing Addressed the university of california press berkeley california The pacific story is written and directed by arnold markwood the musical score is composed and conducted by thomas paluso Your narrator gain whitman This program has been presented as a public service and another feature of the inter american university of the air By the national broadcasting company and the independent radio station associated with the nbc network This is the national broadcasting company