Show Report From Washington r r By Representative LAURENCE J. J BURTON Ja ter R Utah R-Utah Utah t. t A few weeks ago I had interI interesting interesting inter inter- esting experiences on two United States controlled Pacific Islands Guam and Guam is a I US U.S. Territory while is headquarters for the US U.S. Trust Territory of Micronesia administered administered administered admin admin- with United Nations sut supervision supervision su- su t and consisting of the 2 former Japanese held Pacific Islands which we conquered 4 from them in World War II II f r The House Interior Committee f has jurisdiction over both areas f The Chairman of the Committee i asked me to go with th him to f 1 Observe what progress was r being made in the Trust Territory Territory Terri Terri- tory and to meet with their naI native native na- na tive Legislature H I 2 2 To hold hearings on Guam Guamo GuamI I o to see if they should be allowed to elect their own Governor now nowa f. f a Presidential appointee t The Trust Territory consists 5 of island chains spread over an J oceanic area that is larger than x continental United States but 7 contains less than people and has thirty or forty different languages and dialects The is island is is- f land groupings are in six chains Marianas Carolines Marshalls and Yap f We ought to figure out a way to get the United Nations out of the supervisory role it now plays because it affords Russia and e some of her commie friends an excuse to nose around in our Pacific business far too much r Some of us think a referendum where we let the native vote on their future is the answer But the question arises Vote Yote on what Independence Territorial Territorial Ter- Ter status Just what will we we allow those natives to vote for or against on those is islands islands is- is islands lands that were purchased with blood of American servicemen If we give them a choice of US U.S. affiliation or independence I believe some of the six chains would vote to join us and some would vote to leave us They are too important strategically for us to turn any of them loose and they are surely hard to gov gov- ern For example in the Yap district district district dis dis- dis- dis the natives still vigorously pursue a caste system If one is lucky enough to be born in the top caste it its s great and if not its it's tough The head chief de- de who will serve in the island legislature and who will do something something something some some- thing else We were told of the time a big conference was being held between the islands and the chief had appointed a certain representative from the second lower caste to be their delegate The delegate got a little high at the official reception one evening evening evening eve eve- ning and was having a little too much fun to suit a lady from the same island and she was of the top caste In order to chasten and embarrass her fellow islander island island- er of lower caste she went up to him with the whole assemblage assemblage assemblage assem assem- blage looking on and said Dance for me Freddie Dance for me right now And Freddie did in fact dance for her right now when officially he was the top man at the conven conven- tion Needless to say such customs cultures and social rules mystify fy most Americans trying to administer administer administer ad ad- minister the areas In order to help straighten them out we sent the Peace Corps to them few months ago After having been there Im I'm sure not that the natives arent aren't doing more for the Peace Corpsmen than they are for the natives Our meeting with the Legislature Legisla Legisla- ture of Micronesia was ing There were nine of them and anci I sat fascinated a as as two of the Senators sat with us as we discussed our mutual problems and they chewed big green beetle nuts little larger than walnuts for three hours These nuts turn the teeth black and cause the inner mouth to go brilliantly red and supposedly produce a mild narcotic effect However the two Senators seemed pretty lively and alert to me On the government has haslet haslet let a contract to clean up the northern end of the island where the Japanese held off the Marines Marines Marines Ma Ma- rines for nearly a month It has been off limits for years I got special permission to tour the area with one of the native policemen policemen pol pol- icemen and couldn't believe my eyes The area was littered with crashed planes ours and tanks both sides ration cans helmets helmets helmets hel hel- mets both sides Saki bottles and general battle debris There were special crews there here digging up the old bombs and Sand shells loading them in trucks and driving them to a nearby cliff where they were dumped like garbage over the side into the sea This is the same cliff where thousands of the Japanese defenders jumped to their deaths in the last days rather rat cr than surrender to the hated Marines Would you believe I kicked up a spent shell on the beach That is something one has to see to believe and what's more all this 24 29 years after the battle for was fought |