 The National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated stations present the Pacific story. In the mounting theory of world conflict, events in the Pacific are taking on ever greater importance. Here is the story of the Pacific and the millions of people who live around this greatest feat. The drama of the people whose destiny is at stake in the Pacific War. Here, as another public service, is the tale of the war in the Pacific and its meaning to us and to the generations to come. The Kuril Island, stepping stones to Tokyo. The Japanese would lose strategic advantage in the north. For here, the Japanese control the northeast in approaches to Japan. And should they lose the northernmost Kurils, they would probably be deprived of the rest of the chain and be compelled to withdraw to Japan proper. The Kuril got Japan's first line of defense. We are speaking of us, the Kuril, as men have talked to us for endless years. The Kuril stretched 750 miles northeastward from Japan to the great peninsula of Kamchatka. You're a chain of islands, mountain peaks, jutting out of the sea. In Palomashiro, the Japanese have built a powerful wireless station and a near base and a naval base. Yes, all these. And a great weather observatory. A weather observatory, yes. The nation that controls the weather observation holds the advantage in this fall on reach. Yes, for around us here, the weather is made. Northwest, we are washed by the cold Kuril currents. And on the southeast, we are washed by the Japanese current. We stand like sentinels, shrouded in fog most of the year. Kurils, Kurils. A Russian gave us this name, Kurils, Smoking Island. The Russians came from the north, from Kamchatka. They came in expeditions moving southward. The Japanese moved northward. They met on Hokkaido. Look at them. Here they come, the Japanese. From this ceremony, they regard us highly. They have not heard us yet. The chief of the Samurai has granted us this audience. This courtesan Japanese is in our honor. Wait till they hear us. The strange ceremony this is. They walk swiftly with downcast eyes and arms akimbo. Stopping before us. Yes. They are saluting us. The strange salute. They raise their hands to the forehead and bow their body to the waist. We must return their salute. Salute, chief. Samurai is honored. You will come with me to the chief. Come to you as offer of our imperial majesty, Catherine the Great of Russia. You have come here to establish relations with the land of Samurai? Yes. We have explored the islands to the north as we came southward. One island to another. The island should refer to as a property of the land of Samurai. The Russian Empire has claimed them for a near-century. Yes. And in 1711, their native peoples of the island took an oath of allegiance to the Russian expedition of Antiferov and Kottyrovsky. Japanese were on the island years before that. We come as friendly emissaries of our queen. The islands belong to Japan. What? Your land has need of trade. The islands have no need of trade. If you want trade with the land of Samurai, you must go to Nagasaki. They are far enough permitted to trade with the Japanese. The winds swept over our crags and the fogs settled upon us. The waters of the Pacific slashed against our rugged shores and mountains. In the years past, as we saw the Russians and the Japanese move in upon us. The Russians from the north, the Japanese from the south. Working men, fishing men, and soldiers. Always soldiers. We have come a long way on this mission. In a moment now, we'll go over the side, down into the boats. The fog will give us cover until we land. Each of you has instructions. The Japanese have refused friendship. They have refused to trade with us. When we went to Nagasaki with the Leze from Arzat, their taikun, they ordered our ship out of the harbor. They have taken the Russians prisoners. They've come now to right these wrongs. Every man, over the side. They came through the fog on Esoroku Island, up through the fog and crept on Shana Castle. Do not fire until I order. Shana Castle was burned. The Japanese soldiers who were not killed or captured fled to the hills. There in the gloom, to the sound of the eternal wind and the waves, the Japanese officer in command ended his life by hierarchy. As the wind and the waves sang joyfully year upon year, so the struggle went on. Russian against Japanese. Here was growing an enmity that was to last down through the years. In the name of the trial of the Russian Empire, I'm empowered to propose the exchange of the island of Sakhalin or the Kuril island. It is only basis we have agreed? Yes. Russia will cede all of the Kuril islands to Japan, and Japan will cede all of the island of Sakhalin to Russia. Japan will accept. Japanese took us in 1875, all the Kuril islands. Now more ships came, cargo carriers and fishing boats and hunting schooners. Hunters came from places as far away as America, to hunt seal and sea otter. They crossed the seas in their schooners, and from the schooners they went out in their hunting boats. Six men went out in each boat, four men to row, one to steer, and one to hunt with a gun. Near the two boats about 700 yards of sternum. Look at that sea, smooth as glass. Yeah, almost down to the water. Well, when you've hunted as long as I have, you'll know that's what makes you good. 250 feet above the water. Hey, notice how milky it makes the sea look. So, what's the good of that? Well, you can spot an otter a long way off on a sea like this. Hey, pipe down you there. Hunter must have his eye on something. Well, how does he know it isn't a sea lion or a bird? Come on, pipe down, I said. Yeah, lay on those doors here, sir. They're pipe down. Shut them up, sir. Pipe down. We've been pipe boat this season, and I propose to keep a pipe boat. We can't keep on bringing in otters, you keep wrapping. That's for you. Laying up there on his back. Lift your paddle. Signal the other two boats. Right. The other two boats got the signal. They're lifting their paddles, too. Now, straight ahead. Now he dives. All right, straight ahead. Straight ahead. Lay on those doors. Probably swimming straight for us under the boat. I'm watching this stern. Come on, lay on those doors. Slow the boat down, sir. We've got to keep that otter between the three boats. All right, he's up there. Did he get him? No, the otter dives. Keep your eyes open now. He's liable to come up anywhere. He's out of the water swimming and jumping and swimming. He's going away from us as fast as he can make it. He's making his long dive now. Now, lay on those oars. It's got to get him. When he comes up this time, we're going to load him. Lay on those oars. Lay on them, will you? The balance up there and the power of the boat and hit anything with that rifle while we're going like this is more than I can see. I got him. Got him. All right, pull straight ahead. Okay, he's up. He's up there. feather your oars. Yeah, that's it. All right, now come on. Give me a hand and pull him aboard. That otter to hold out much longer, I would have given up. All right, come on. Give the hunter a hand. Yeah. Let me get a hold of it. All right, come on. Here we go. All right. Hold on to the side. Up he comes. Hold on to the side. All right, that's a beauty. Boy, it was a good runner, dude. Yeah. Well, what do you think of this one's worth? Well, it's a pretty good size one. About four and a half feet long. Well, I'd say around 80 pounds. The dark one, too. That means it's worth top price. Well, I'd say this one on the London Market ought to bring from 1,500 to $2,000. See, otter hunters came year after year. We saw them go away loaded with pelts. Many of the schooners with all their pelts were lost and their crews drowned. The Japanese hunted them down wherever they were. And at last, the rocky points and reefs where the sea otters lived were nearly barren. The sea otters had been hunted almost to extinction. The Japanese built fishing villages and fished our waters for herring and salmon. And ships from other nations, commercial explorers and adventurers came to our waters. Well, you have some more, got it, Captain. Got it. That's a word. Thank you. Oh, pasta must have made you all finished, please. There you are. Ah, thank you. Hey, half a mouth. What's that, that sulfurous smell? Oh, I don't smell it. Oh, I do. Must be powerful coming right into the wardrobe like this. This is your first cruise up here to the Coral of the Westby. It's your first time up in these waters, it is, Captain. Well, those fumes are coming from the volcanoes. They were there on the islands. Way out here. We're closer to those islands than you think. Ah, is it safe to be this close? Yes, the islands are surrounded with fields of kelp. Some of that kelp grows down to 150 feet. Yes, it usually gives you warning that you're near land. I can't see, I... Hey, what's that? The old vessel is trembling. Oh, we entered the kelp? I've got a feeling that we've done a great job. Yes, it felt like we ran into something. Feel the vessel tremble? No, sir, I didn't feel anything. Yes, I suppose you heard that hissing sound. Look out, did you hear that hissing sound? Yes, sir, I didn't hear anything out of the orbs, no? Yes, I suppose that was, Mr. Hawkins. I just understand. Everything ship shape up here don't take. Hey, there it is again. Yes, trembling in the east. Take in the old vessel. That's an earthquake, or a sea quake, at the bottom. Earthquakes are frequent along the islands. How long do these things usually last? Oh, no telling. Listen to that. Sounds almost like thunder. That must be a bad quake down there at the bottom. Hey, will you look? Look there ashore on that black mountain. What, Mr. Westby? That mountain's there. Well, the old side of it's breaking up, you see? The entire slope, right down to the sea. Yes, that's what's happening. Why, sir, not people. Look at those rocks rolling right down off the mountain into the sea. Which is if a big animal of some kind is burrowing under that mountain. Well, there's a steam and smoke coming out of it now. Yes, just this thing out of it. Loads of them rising and screaming from their mouths. We'll change our course and put out the sea, Mr. Hawkin. Hey, sir, I'll take the wheel. Or, uh, how long will that go on, Captain Brewster? They go on for weeks, or even longer. We'll put out the sea in return when it's safer. We have seen our mountains thunder and stir and change like this. The boats and ships went out to sea. And when the mountains had stopped moving, they came back. Two of the men came ashore. Lucky, these rocks are war, Captain Brewster. I can feel them right through the soles of my shoes. Yes, yes, they've been heated deep down on the earth. Their eruption broke up this rock as if it was broken by a great hammer. There's the entire topography. Hey, there's our vessel out there, Captain. Ah, it looks mighty small, ain't it? They're all alone down there. That's the safest place for it. Tomorrow we'll let Mr. Hawkins and some of the other members of the crew come ashore. Ah, sir. Well, will you look at this? Oh, a warm spring, eh? Why up here in the northern wilderness? Warm water. How cold is the sea out there, Captain? Oh, I should say it's about 36 degrees Fahrenheit. What it usually is in the summer if it's parallel. Look at that! Warm water runs down and fills up those hollows in the rocks. Yes, they're like steaming bath dubs. You want to take a bath, Mr. Westby? Well, Captain, I don't know. Well, it's been your last chance for a long while. Well, you too, Captain Brewster? Well, yes, it might be a good thing for me too. Well, I know. That's a cold wind coming up. That it is. Uh, maybe it's too cold to undress and get into this warm water. Eh, eh, eh, eh, yes. Hey, bully that. Look at that vessel out there. Come on, Mr. Westby. Let's get back to the ship. Aye, sir. Well, there before she could move. We are the Ainu. We have been on these islands for centuries before the Japanese came. The samurai came and hunted us down like animals. They hunted and killed us for the sake of glory. Once there were many of us, I know. Now there are few. From far across the sea came to study the Ainu. They watched them hunt and fish, by which means the Ainu lived. And they made notations of the strange character of the Ainu. Now, look at that fellow there. You see, he is notably whiter than the Japanese. Yes, considerably more like us. You see, they are broad-shouldered and stocky, very stalwart. If they were washed and combed, they'd not be so wild of countenance. But look at that hair. I've never seen such beards and shaggy heads. They're not so hairy as I've heard reported. Contrast is probably with the Japanese and Chinese. The hair makes them look ferocious. But if you look closely, you will see that they have a gentle expression. See, the large, brown eyes. The villagers have a population probably between 10,000 and 15,000. But in the population and the military installations, that is another thing. Over the past years, the Japanese have been coming in greater numbers. They come with great machines and strange confidences never before seen on our island. They put a rock packet with a strange substance, and then they run from it. They process again and again. Then they come with powerful machines that roar as they scrape the surface of the land. And then come air flake. The machines that pound drive piles into the ground that the waters edge. And upon them soon the Japanese are securing strong timbers building walls. Out of the ships that move up to the walls come more Japanese. Great steel arms lift out war machines that rumble and shoot out death. On Paramushiro and our other northern islands, the Japanese are working and building and digging in. From the mountain slopes down to the sea, where the Japanese are looking. Looking out across the waters, looking up into the skies, and listening for the drone of airplanes. Five minutes, Colonel. Hello, Captain. Is the ability seems to be good? Better than usual, sir. Our position is right at this point on the map now, sir. Thanks, Lieutenant. You see, the island of Paramushiro is about 60 miles long and 14 miles wide. Paramushiro and these two other islands here, Shumashu and Arayutu, these are the eyes of the Japanese here in the north. Yes, sir. From the airfields on these islands they can observe any movement around them. Even the movement of the Russians up here in Kamchatka. Paramushiro is the biggest of these northern islands. Chances are it is the most heavily armed. Of course, the weather is one of the major problems in our operations up here. Yes, sir. But the weather is as much an ally of ours as it is of the Japanese. Except that the Japanese have a weather observatory here and that gives them an advantage. The weather in a great part of this area is made here. The cold, curiled current comes down here through the Okhotsk Sea, along the northwestern side of the islands, and the Japanese current comes up here along the southeast side. And the confluence of these two streams is a great deal to do with the making of the weather here. And the weather goes out from the Kurils in all directions, doesn't it, Colonel? That's right. So the Japanese who are right here are more about what the weather will be around the Kurils than anyone else. And that's important in the control of the air route between North America and the Far East. One thing in our favor, sir, is that we know the exact location of that weather observatory. Yes. The weather observatory is on our list, Lieutenant. We also know that the two best seasons out here are May and October. And October is really the best, Captain. The winds are fairly boisterous in May. Pilot to Captain Addison. Listen for you, Captain. Yes. Captain Addison. Pilot, go ahead. Taiyaba at 12 o'clock. Taiyaba at 12 o'clock. Over. We've picked up Taiyaba? Yes, sir. Deadhead, Lieutenant. Yes, sir. Cameras ready? Yes, sir. Manual guns? Yes, sir. We should get a good view of Karamashiro on the other northern islands, Colonel. The mountains are pretty well solid with fog. It's better today, sir, than I've ever seen them before. Look at that water down there. Rough. Yes, sir. The currents are swift and treacherous. The wind whips them up into a froth. Not too rough for submarine bases. What's that down there? That's straight. That's Karamashiro's straight, sir. Sometimes it's called Little Kuril's straight. Can't be more than about a mile wide. It's a mile wide at this narrowest point, sir. Five miles long. Some good anchorages down there. Shelters are good many vessels. But you have a good country, Colonel. Yeah. Look at that peak there. Yes, sir. Dangerous in the fog. Drops off in a sheer cliff right down into the sea. Yes, sir. Notice that massive mountains on this northern end of the island? The highest on the western side. Oh, I see. They're bolder and steeper to the west. And the coast facing the Pacific Ocean is lone rocky. It's fun, sir. They're opening up with ACAC. That's ACAC, all right. You'll have it from now on, and it'll probably get worse as we go along. Looks like every rock down there has an ACAC gun on it. You can expect Jeff's fighters to come up after us now. They'll be up after us, all right, but we'll keep red ongoing. Check on the fighters, sir. Two o'clock. How many of them? Three of them. So, four. Four enemy fighters. Two o'clock. Here they come. Yes, sir. Keep directly on the planned force or objective. Stuck the cameraman and the rest of the crew to keep their eyes open. One of these days we're going to be coming back here. The fighting is in the skies above our peaks. One day, perhaps, it will be in our treacherous waters and on our rugged terrain, under our shroud of fog. One day, other peoples may fight their way on to our islands. For it has been said that should the northernmost corals be taken, the Japanese lose the northern corals. They would probably be deprived of the rest of the shell to withdraw to Japan proper. Wind on the waves flash against our fogbound islands. Someday, we may be stepping stones to Japan. The Pacific Story, presented by the National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated independent stations as a public service to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable the crosscurrents of life in the Pacific Basin. For a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send 10 cents in stamps or coins to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. We repeat, for a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send 10 cents in stamps or coins to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. Written and directed by Arnold Marquess. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Thomas Palusso. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is the National Broadcasting Company.