IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 388 
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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 5, 2011 
Ms. HANABUSA (for herself and Ms. HIRONO) submitted the following 
resolution 
SEPTEMBER 6, 2011 
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
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; 
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Whereas after several decades, when the guano was depleted, 
such companies abandoned mining activities, leaving the 
islands open to British exploitation; 
Whereas in the 1930s, military and commercial interest in 
Central Pacific air routes between Australia and Cali-
fornia led to a desire by the United States to claim the 
islands of Howland, Baker, and Jarvis, although the own-
ership of such islands was unclear; 
Whereas in 1935, a secret Department of Commerce col-
onization 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 pre-
vented colonization by active military personnel, the 
United States sought the participation of furloughed mili-
tary personnel and Native Hawaiian civilians in the col-
onization project; 
Whereas William T. Miller, Superintendent of Airways at the 
Department of Commerce, was appointed to lead the col-
onization 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 grad-
uates of Kamehameha Schools, and 12 furloughed army 
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personnel, whose purpose was to occupy the barren is-
lands of Howland, Baker, and Jarvis in teams of 5 for 
3 months; 
Whereas in June 1935, after a successful first tour, the fur-
loughed 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, ob-
serve bird life, and collect specimens for the Bishop Mu-
seum; 
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 pro-
claimed 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 ad-
minister the colonization project, including the Depart-
ment 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 coloniza-
tion project emphasized weather data and radio commu-
nication, which brought about the recruitment of a num-
ber of Asian radiomen and aerologists; 
Whereas under the Department of the Interior, the coloniza-
tion project also expanded beyond the Kamehameha 
Schools to include Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians from 
other schools in Hawaii; 
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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 pre-
pared a performance for her, but she never arrived, hav-
ing disappeared 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 col-
onization project was raised, the Navy acknowledged that 
the islands were ‘‘probably worthless to commercial avia-
tion’’ but advocated for ‘‘continued occupation’’ because 
the islands could serve as ‘‘bases from a military stand-
point’’; 
Whereas although military interests justified continued occu-
pation 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-de-
fense; 
Whereas in June of 1941, when much of Europe was engaged 
in World War II and Imperial Japan was establishing 
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itself in the Pacific, the Commandant of the 14th Naval 
District recognized the ‘‘tension in the Western Pacific’’ 
and recommended the evacuation of the colonists, but his 
request was denied; 
Whereas, on December 8, 1941, Howland Island was at-
tacked 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 mili-
tary 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 com-
pensation; 
Whereas in April 1942, the claim of the Keliihananui family 
was denied because there were no ‘‘qualified dependents’’ 
to submit claims; 
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Whereas during the 7 years of colonization, more than 130 
young men participated in the project, the majority of 
whom were Hawaiian, and all of whom made numerous 
sacrifices, endured hardships, and risked their lives to se-
cure 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 es-
tablished an organization called ‘‘Hui Panala‘au’’, which 
was established to preserve the group’s fellowship, to pro-
vide 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 Is-
lands colonization project has been nearly forgotten; 
Whereas May 13, 2011, marks the 75th anniversary of Presi-
dent Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order pro-
claiming United States jurisdiction over the islands of 
Howland, Baker, and Jarvis, islands that remain posses-
sions of the United States; and 
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Whereas the Federal Government has never fully recognized 
the accomplishments, contributions, and sacrifices of the 
colonists, less than 6 of whom are still alive today, and 
most of whom are in their 90s: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) acknowledges the accomplishments and sac-
rifices of the Hui Panala‘au colonists and extends 
appreciation on behalf of the people of the United 
States; 
(2) acknowledges the local, national, and inter-
national significance of the 7-year colonization 
project, which resulted in the United States extend-
ing sovereignty into the Equatorial Pacific; and 
(3) recognizes and commends the accomplish-
ments, sacrifices, and contributions of the more than 
130 young men, the majority of whom were Native 
Hawaiian, who participated in the Equatorial Pacific 
colonization project. 
Æ 
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