CONCEPT OF A PACIFIC FEDERATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00423R001800250005-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 22, 1999
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: May 22, 1956
• Content Type: REPORT

For Release 1999/09/10 : CIA-RDP83-00423R0018002W405A_~)7-/
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INFORMATION REPORT
This material contains Information affecting the
National Defense of of the United ed States within the
meaning of the Espionage Laws. Title 18, U. S. C.
PREPARED AND DISSEMINATED BY
Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation
of which in any manner to an unauthorized per-
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
son is prohibited by law. 25X1A2g
COUNTRY
Southeast Pacific Islands
REPORT NO.
SUBJECT
DATE DISTR
Concept of a Pacific Federation
NO. OF PAGES
NO. OF ENCLS.
;. ? r
MENT TO REPORT #
PLACE ACQ
UIRED (By source) s r ? ,,.- v
RESPONSIVE TO
75X1 X
Fi iA Islands
oD/c-
DATE ACQUIRED (By source)
DATE OF INFORMATION (Date or dates, on or between which,
events or conditions described in report existed)
Early Feb 55
SOURCE
1.
The author of a little book.-'tntroduci he B itish acific Islands (pre-
pared by the British Colonial Office) Ts se divisions of Melanesia,
Micronesia and Polynesia re not racial ter ght compartments, because
centuries of migrations,between isla al ov r the Pacific have resulted
in a mixing of peoples. Thus there ure Polynesian islands in the
heart of Melanesia, ,dnd there are 'ant si colonies well inside the geo-
graphical boundarit of Polynesianic onesia,"
2.
The mid-Pacific .licronesians a e a a xture of Polynesian and Mongolian. The
Fijians are predominantly Me nesan, ut many of them possess a Polynesian
strain which is sometimes ye. fro .. The little island-group of Rotuma,
although paw of the Crowd Fiji, is Polynesian with a strong Mon-
golian fstrs in.
3.
Most of the island la a ha, a borrowed words and expressions from one
another, in the same s Elish and other European languages have borrowed
and otill borrow amoz th -es.
Ii-.
Th re a
k a rlumtae fof Simi r3tief~ in the life and society of the Pacific
r
oples . e book mentiozfs several of them in its pages. (I. Breadfruit
~
re Ammo thoughout the Pacific Is lands . Pig is a desirable
:'arid pa aws
delicay ese claly-for Christmas . )
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5.
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econom
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life is still preva3,iing in many of the communities which the tourist agents
describe as !'idyll bf the South Seas". Since they are under different admin-
istrations, t heir ,6.evelopment cannot be uniformly progressive. They still
lack in collullunicationss and mutual contacts. (2. A letter posted. in Moscow
reaches sometimeb I Suva earlier than one posted at Raratonga.)
6.
The United Kingdom Government is now actively interested in the promotion
of a Caribbean federation consisting of Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica
including Windward and Leeward Islands. The continental UK territories
that were invited to join the Federation-British Guiana and British Honduras--
seem to be not very enthusiastic for this scheme for reasons of their own.
7.
A similar federal scheme can be successfully promoted by the UK Government
for the British Pacific Islands. It has already created a federation of
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Central Africa. East African Federation is on the move. Why not a South
Pacific Federation under the auspices of Britain? (3. Cook Island: Area
100 sq miles; Pop. 15,000. Products: citrus, pineapples, tomatoes.
Gilbert & Ellice Island: Area 375 sq miles; Pop. 40,000. Products:
pandanus palm. New Hebrides: Area 5,700 sq miles; Pop. 47,000. Products:
cocoa, coffee, bananas, sugar cane, orange, Kauri pine. Niue: Area 100 sq
miles; Pop. 1+553. Products: bananas, kumalas. Solomone; Area 11,500 sq,
miles; Pop. 90,000. Products: rubber, sweet potatoes, pine apples, bananas,
gold. W. Samoa: Area 1133 sq. miles; Pop. 70,000. Products: bananas,
citrus, cocoa. There are other French and US possessions in the South West
Pacific. All the islands without exception export copra and concas sic,
conch (?)" shell. The totapopulation of all Pacific Islands is less
than a million and the population of the British Pacific Islands is about
half a million. Fiji area 70+5; pop. 33,000; Products: gold, manganese,
sugar, pineapples, bananas, etc. Tonga: Area 269; Pop. 47,000: Product:
bananas.)
Smaller insular territories by becoming part of a bigger federation of
their own become stronger as links in a chain. This will help them to break
their shackles of isolation and loneliness. It will open the gateway for
progress and advancement through the greater mutual contact, communication and
education.
9. Fiji, New Hebrides, Solomon, Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Cook, Phoenix
and others including the smaller groups like Fanning, Tokelau, Santa Cruz,
Mashiki, etc. may be included in this South West Pacific Islands Federation.
Other territories like Samoa, Tonga and other groups may also be invited to
join. It is a viable scheme.
A federal government consisting of these territories can be expected to
take a greater and abiding interest in their economic, social and cultural
progress. A government by the people for themselves has no other axe to.
grind. It can afford to pay good salaries for real experts. to advise and
guide them. At present most of the island administrations find it difficult
to keep proper experts to serve them. For a small government it is too
expensive.
11. The federal goverment will need guidance for a long time to come. And
there is no other country better suited than the United Kingdom with its
vast experience in colonial administrathn and good government. It has
developed several backward colonies to full self government even in the so-
called "dark'continent. It is now supplying the senior officers for the
administration in most these island territories. It can still do the same
service.
12. All these territories need economic development. Rain fall is plenty. The
soil is very rich in most of the territories. Most of the economic crops
have not been introduced to many of the islands. The exceptions are Fiji
which produces sugar and Samoa which produces cocoa. Bananas have been
recently introduced to these islands to cater for the market in New Zealand.
There are vast tracts of land where coffee, rubber, tea and several other
tropical products can be successfully grown. An overall scheme for the
development of these islands, eliminating overlapping, and probing into new
avenues, can be undertaken only by a federal government which can command
respect in Wall Street and City to raise necessary money for capital expenditure.
13. Though there is no scope for big irrigation schemes, yet there are possi-
bilities for smaller schemes to bring more land under cultivation. Phosphate,
gold, manganese are already mined in great quantities. Iron, copper and zinc
are found in the main island of the Fiji group.. Proper survey has not been
made even in the most economically advanced colony in these territories.
When the work is undertaken it may reveal further mineral wealth.
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14+. A federal government can do a great deal which is not being done today.
It can
tl
i
ffi
y.
en
c
it can take greater responsibility and do things e
venture in-bigger schemes of development.
itories get themselves attached to bigger countries,
r t
err
1f these smalle
they can expect only Cinderella's treatment for they are small and can be
ignored easily. Unless the bigger units find something for their own
advantage in them (in the small outlying.islands) they will not get any
And for the tropical
u
liftin
p
g
extra special treatment needed for their
isle;Ads of the Pacific there is no country nearby which has a population
racially or culturally or in any other way similar to them to get them-
selves incorporated as a part of the bigger country.
The world war has shown that the islands people would not be left to
their idyllic life of loneliness. If even the guns may not roar near
them, the economy of the modern world is such that they have to seek out-
side contacts for their own better living. The principal cash crop is
copra and they have to sell it to the world market. World price trends
affect them more deeply than others for most of the islanders depend on
this only cash crop.
17. They have acquired new tastes and wants. And for these they want good
prices for their produce. Only a government of their own can plan and
investigate alternatives to the present dependence on the prices of a
single crop. Outside administrations can only think of giving some doles
during the period of depression.
18. The South Pacific Federation being a union of maritime colonies, can raise
a good navy. Some of the islanders like the Fijians have shown their met-
tle during the world war. The reputation of their young men in Malaya is
very high. Given proper guidance and training, the islands people can give
a formidable navy though small.
19.'[ raised an efficient and powerful army in India which stood in good
stead in the world wars and earlier. It was readily available on the
European theatre when the bugle of war was sounded on the banks of the
Rhine. A navy of the Pacific Islands Federation can play a similar if not
better part on the Southwest Pacific.
20. Britain is principally a sea power. And so she can easily build a navy
nse of the
f
d
i
e
e
n
in the Federation which can be counted as a fortress
South West Pacific. Like the ancient Sri Vijaya of role. or the Malta
of the medieval ages, the federation can play a
21. Fiji being a part of the Federation and also being the most advanced in
the group can be expected to play a major part in the scheme. The Federa-
tion will not inherit such awkward problems as the "racial dilemma in
Indian community which may become a majority community in course of years
if the present racial rate of growth is maintained, will have to become
only a .minority in the Federation. Others--people of Kava and Taro -will
be in the majority. They are closely related to each other racially as
well as culturally.
22. Inauguration of the Federation will be a golden opportunity for the islands
people to grow under proper guidance in their own way and genius not losing
their valuable traditions and customs. UK has been helping these people
individually to good government. Nov she must come forward to help them
to live together.
23. The Federation can stand on its own legs after a few years of help and
assistance. The investors who are now shy to invest in little Fiji or a
tiny Samoa or the small Solomons may become really interested in the
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any developed language. Hence English (not pidgin) can be made the lan-
guage of the people in course of years. Fiji has shown that it is possible.
At least English can be kept as the official language. Since these people
live between English speaking peoples (Americans and Canadians on the East
and Australians and New Zealanders on the West and South),. it will be an
advantage. to them to adopt English as their own.
28. The presence of Indians in Fiji is a blessing to the indigenous Fijians.
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Federation for it will consist of several territories and greater scope
for their economic activity, These territories, though surrounded by
vast sheets of water, still import canned fish, prawn and other sea pro-
ducts. If proper training is given in deep sea fishing, these can become
an exporter of fish. Now the Japanese trawlers are slowly entering the
Pacific waters. The potentialities are great and it can take additional
population when developed. The average population of these islands is
less than the average population of Fiji. The latter has only 45 per
square mile,
24. The Pacific Islands Month a publication from Sydney has pleaded for
"United Samoa noV' in an interesting editorial last January. I join
with it and plead for a United Pacific Federation it for betterment of
the Islands people. They are not stepping out of their infancy, and
entering adolescence. They must be put together and taught together for
self-government and advancement under the tutelage of UK.
25. In less than a century.the Fijian has adjusted himself to a revolution
in thought, habit and social conditions greater than the people of Europe
underwent in 1,000 years. The transition is still incomplete and one of
the great problems is now to find, a way of ensuring that the Fijian is not
called upon to sacrifice too much of his traditional way of life and, his
own splendid character in the struggle to meet the competitive conditions
of today.
26. ..This This applies to other islanders also. The best solution is to put them
together under the guidance of the guardian who has brought them to ado-
lescence from infancy.
27. Though these islanders possess some common traditions, they do not have
29.
awned estates in Fiji, as the local Fijians were not fit to work as t:
nineties and the first decade of this century to work in the European
Indians from India were brought from India under indenture system in early
were'' primitive then. The presence of Indians who are also of their
comer gave them the confidence that they could master the modern arts and
science provided they were given the proper guidance and training. And
UK has ably fulfilled this trust.
The federal territories can be developed at least to the level of Hawaii.
Unless these territories are close together and work togethe' under a com-
mon administration of their own they cannot expect appreciable improvement
in their economic status and welfare. Here is an opportunity for UK.
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