III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 239 

Acknowledging the contributions and sacrifices of the young men who served 

as colonists on behalf of the United States in the Federal occupation 

of the islands of Howland, Baker, Jarvis, Canton, and Enderbury from 

1935 through 1942, facilitating the United States claim of jurisdiction 

over such islands. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 26, 2011 

Mr. AKAKA (for himself and Mr. INOUYE) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Acknowledging the contributions and sacrifices of the young 

men who served as colonists on behalf of the United 

States in the Federal occupation of the islands of 

Howland, Baker, Jarvis, Canton, and Enderbury from 

1935 through 1942, facilitating the United States claim 

of jurisdiction over such islands. 

Whereas in the mid-19th century, the Guano Islands Act (48 

U.S.C. 1411 et seq.) enabled companies from the United 

States to mine guano from a number of islands in the 

Equatorial Pacific; 

Whereas after several decades, when the guano was depleted, 

such companies abandoned mining activities, leaving the 

islands open to British exploitation; 


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•SRES 239 IS 

Whereas in the 1930s, military and commercial interest in 

Central Pacific air routes between Australia and California led to a desire by the United States to claim the 

islands of Howland, Baker, and Jarvis, although the ownership of such islands was unclear; 

Whereas in 1935, a secret Department of Commerce colonization plan was instituted, aimed at placing citizens of 

the United States as colonists on the remote islands of 

Howland, Baker, and Jarvis; 

Whereas to avoid conflicts with international law, which prevented colonization by active military personnel, the 

United States sought the participation of furloughed military personnel and Native Hawaiian civilians in the colonization project; 

Whereas William T. Miller, Superintendent of Airways at the 

Department of Commerce, was appointed to lead the colonization project, traveled to Hawaii in February 1935, 

met with Albert F. Judd, Trustee of Kamehameha 

Schools and the Bishop Museum, and agreed that recent 

graduates and students of the Kamehameha School for 

Boys would make ideal colonists for the project; 

Whereas the ideal Hawaiian candidates were candidates who 

could ‘‘fish in the native manner, swim excellently, handle 

a boat, be disciplined, friendly, and unattached’’; 

Whereas, on March 30, 1935, the United States Coast Guard 

Cutter Itasca departed from Honolulu Harbor in great 

secrecy with 6 young Hawaiians aboard, all recent graduates of Kamehameha Schools, and 12 furloughed army 

personnel, whose purpose was to occupy the barren islands of Howland, Baker, and Jarvis in teams of 5 for 

3 months; 


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Whereas in June 1935, after a successful first tour, the furloughed army personnel were ordered off the islands and 

replaced with additional Kamehameha Schools alumni, 

thus leaving the islands under the exclusive occupation of 

the 4 Native Hawaiians on each island; 

Whereas the duties of the colonists while on the island were 

to record weather conditions, cultivate plants, maintain a 

daily log, record the types of fish that were caught, observe bird life, and collect specimens for the Bishop Museum; 

Whereas the successful year-long occupation by the colonists 

directly enabled President Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue 

Executive Order 7368 on May 13, 1936, which proclaimed that the islands of Howland, Baker, and Jarvis 

were under the jurisdiction of the United States; 

Whereas multiple Federal agencies vied for the right to administer the colonization project, including the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Interior, and 

the Navy Department, but jurisdiction was ultimately 

granted to the Department of the Interior; 

Whereas under the Department of the Interior, the colonization project emphasized weather data and radio communication, which brought about the recruitment of a number of Asian radiomen and aerologists; 

Whereas under the Department of the Interior, the colonization project also expanded beyond the Kamehameha 

Schools to include Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians from 

other schools in Hawaii; 

Whereas in 1937, in preparation for Amelia Earhart’s arrival 

on Howland island, the colonists constructed a landing 

field, readied a shower and bedroom for her, and preVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:26 Jul 26, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR239.IS SR239

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pared a performance for her, but she never arrived, having disappearing en route to the island on July 2, 1937; 

Whereas in March of 1938 the United States also claimed 

and colonized the islands of Canton and Enderbury, 

maintaining that such colonization was in furtherance of 

commercial aviation and not for military purposes; 

Whereas the risk of living on such remote islands meant that 

emergency medical care was not less than 5 days away, 

and such distance proved fatal for Carl Kahalewai, who 

died on October 8, 1938 en route to Honolulu after his 

appendix ruptured on Jarvis island; 

Whereas other life-threatening injuries occurred, in 1939, 

when Manuel Pires had appendicitis, and in 1941, when 

an explosion severely burned Henry Knell and Dominic 

Zagara; 

Whereas in 1940, when the issue of discontinuing the colonization project was raised, the Navy acknowledged that 

the islands were ‘‘probably worthless to commercial aviation’’ but advocated for ‘‘continued occupation’’ because 

the islands could serve as ‘‘bases from a military standpoint’’; 

Whereas although military interests justified continued occupation of the islands, the colonists were never informed 

of the true nature of the project, nor were the colonists 

provided with weapons or any other means of self-defense; 

Whereas in June of 1941, when much of Europe was engaged 

in World War II and Imperial Japan was establishing 

itself in the Pacific, the Commandant of the 14th Naval 

District recognized the ‘‘tension in the Western Pacific’’ 


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and recommended the evacuation of the colonists, but his 

request was denied; 

Whereas, on December 8, 1941, Howland Island was attacked by a fleet of Japanese twin-engine bombers, and 

such attack killed Hawaiian colonists Joseph 

Keliihananui and Richard Whaley; 

Whereas in the ensuing weeks, Japanese submarine and military aircraft continued to target the islands of Howland, 

Baker, and Jarvis, jeopardizing the lives of the remaining 

colonists; 

Whereas the United States Government was unaware of the 

attacks on such islands, and was distracted by the entry 

of the United States into World War II, which delayed 

the retrieval of the colonists; 

Whereas the 4 colonists from Baker and the 2 remaining 

colonists from Howland were rescued on January 31, 

1942, and the 8 colonists from Jarvis and Enderbury 

were rescued on February 9, 1942, 2 months after the 

initial attacks on Howland Island; 

Whereas, on March 20, 1942, Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of 

the Interior, sent letters of condolence to the 

Keliihananui and Whaley families stating that ‘‘[i]n your 

bereavement it must be considerable satisfaction to know 

that your brother died in the service of his country,’’ and 

subsequently urged the families to submit claims for compensation; 

Whereas in April 1942, the claim of the Keliihananui family 

was denied because there were no ‘‘qualified dependents’’ 

to submit claims; 

Whereas during the 7 years of colonization, more than 130 

young men participated in the project, the majority of 


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whom were Hawaiian, and all of whom made numerous 

sacrifices, endured hardships, and risked their lives to secure and maintain the islands of Howland, Baker, Jarvis, 

Canton, and Enderbury on behalf of the United States, 

and 3 young Hawaiian men made the ultimate sacrifice; 

Whereas none of the islands, except for Canton, were ever 

used for commercial aviation, but the islands were used 

for military purposes; 

Whereas in July 1943, a military base was established on 

Baker Island, and its forces, which numbered over 2,000 

members, participated in the Tarawa-Makin operation; 

Whereas in 1956, participants of the colonization project established an organization called ‘‘Hui Panala‘au’’, which 

was established to preserve the group’s fellowship, to provide scholarship assistance, and ‘‘to honor and esteem 

those who died as colonists of the Equatorial Islands’’; 

Whereas in 1979, Canton and Enderbury became part of the 

republic of Kiribati, but the islands of Jarvis, Howland, 

and Baker still remain possessions of the United States, 

having been designated as National Wildlife Refuges in 

1974; 

Whereas three quarters of a century later, the Equatorial Islands colonization project has been nearly forgotten; 

Whereas May 13, 2011, marks the 75th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order proclaiming United States jurisdiction over the islands of 

Howland, Baker, and Jarvis, islands that remain possessions of the United States; and 

Whereas the Federal Government has never fully recognized 

the accomplishments, contributions, and sacrifices of the 


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colonists, less than 6 of whom are still alive today, and 

most of whom are in their 90s: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) acknowledges the accomplishments and sac3 rifices of the Hui Panala‘au colonists and extends 

4 appreciation on behalf of the people of the United 

5 States; 

6 (2) acknowledges the local, national, and inter7 national significance of the 7-year colonization 

8 project, which resulted in the United States extend9 ing sovereignty into the Equatorial Pacific; 

10 (3) recognizes and commends the accomplish11 ments, sacrifices, and contributions of the more than 

12 130 young men, the majority of whom were Native 

13 Hawaiian, who participated in the Equatorial Pacific 

14 colonization project; and 

15 (4) extends condolences on behalf of the United 

16 States to the families of Carl Kahalewai, Joseph 

17 Keliihananui, and Richard Whaley for the loss of 

18 their loved ones in the service of the United States 

19 and apologizes for the lack of compensation afforded 

20 to these families. 

Æ 


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