"Diary Of Destiny"
pp. 49-50 · Read in the full issue
Pacific Moves by America in April, 1939
Prom Our Own Correspondent
Honolulu, May 10.
APRIL was a month of momentous American action in the Pacific.
Cataloguing the moves reads like a diary of destiny: April 6: The State Department in Washington announced a 50-years’ agree ment (with perpetuation rights) with the British Empire for the joint occupation and development of Canton and Ender bury Islands, half way between Hawaii and Australia. The agreement was hailed (privately) as a precedent for more U.S.- Empire accords and treaties in the Pacific.
Parlour isolationists gnashed their teeth.
April 12: U.S. Senate voted a record amount for development of navy air bases in the Pacific—an impregnable aerial Maginot Line from Alaska down to American Samoa, to rub shoulders with the British developments projected for the west and south-west Pacific. Wake Island, one of the new bases, will be only 1,900 miles from Tokio, an easy return jaunt for heavily-loaded bombers.
April 13: Outspoken Secretary of the Interior, Harold L. Ickes, the man who deflated German Zepp dreams by refus ing to export precious helium to Germany, announced the granting of a license to Pan American Airways to use Canton Is land. Said Mr. Ickes: “An important pro vision in the license insists that British airlines may use the facilities to be de veloped by us at Canton.”
Anril 14: British, Australian and New Zealand defence experts opened a secret conference in Wellington, considering a co-ordinated scheme for defence of West ern Pacific territories.
April 15: President Franklin Roosevelt— sometimes called “the greatest American admiral since Mahan”—suddenly, and
without explanation, ordered the U.S. battle-fleet back into the Pacific, from the Atlantic.
April 17: The U.S.S. “Bushnell”, navy survey ship, and two aircraft tenders, the U.SJ3. “Swan” and “Pelican”, suddenly departed from Pearl Harbour navy base, Hawaii, upon a secret mission iiiuo the Western Pacific. R.M.S. “Aorangi”, en route to Vancouver, noticed the ships in the vicinity of the Phoenix isles.
April 18: Washington announced a new Government position when it ap pointed Robert Campbell, noted American aviation expert, as Civil Aeronautics Authority director, to be stationed at Honolulu. He will oversee and regulate the construction of new U.S. air bases.
April 20: U.S. army and navy in Hawaii announced they would hold the first “black-out” attack upon the city of
Honolulu and island of Oahu, concen trating the full force of America’s assembled striking power.
April 21: Japan, at long last stirred by the new Yankee mood, turned in a re port, two years late, stating that no forti fications, etc., have been constructed in the Japanese mandated islands (Mariana, Caroline and Marshall Groups), April 24: Washington announced that another dozen brand-new navy patrol bombers would be mass-flown on June 28, from California to Hawaii bases. Al ready there are more than 100 of these bombers in Hawaii, Continually, they make training flights out to outlying bases like Midway, Wake and Johnston Islands, the “listening post” screen that protects the keystone of Hawaii.
An interesting and significant record for one month.
Mr. John Clement Munday, well known Inspector of Police at Ra, Fiji, died recently. Mr. Munday was born in England, and went to Fiji as a youth, working for the C.S.R. Co., and Henry Marks & Co., at Navua, before he en listed for service in the war. On his re turn to the Colony, he took up land at Tailevu, and subsequently joined the Fiji Constabulary as a head constable. Dur ing the period he was in the service, Mr. Munday served in Suva, Tavua, Bua, Savu Savu, Nadroga, Levuka and Ra.
Early in 1931 he was seconded for a time in the Registrar-General’s Department.
Mrs. D. McMillan, wife of the officer in charge of A.W.A.’s station at Wewak, Northern New Guinea, arrived in Austra lia recently by the “Macdhui”. Prior to her departure, this popular lady was given a grand farewell party at the residence of Miss Stock and it was attended by the entire female population of Wewak.