In Micronesia

Four Governorships Under USA Admiral

IT was announced on August 5 that the following will be the American admin istrative set-up over the Micronesian archipelagoes, taken from the Japs in the recent war by United States forces; The High Commissioner for the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands, Ad miral Louis Denfeld, will be in general control.

Under him there will be four areas each in charge of a Governor, as follows; Mariana Islands East Caroline Islands West Caroline Islands Marshall Islands For the time being, naval commanders in these areas will serve as civilian gov ernors. Directly under them will be civilian administrators, |who, for the pre sent, will also be naval officers. However, they will wear civilian clothes when per forming duties connected with adminis tering the Trust Territory.

The proclamation ordered the retention of all mandates, laws and orders previ ously enforced by the United States mili tary government, except those not in agreement with President Truman’s executive order calling for civilian rule of the areas.

History Of The Groups

THE more important of these archi pelagoes were colonised by the Span iards 400 years ago, and they were generally regarded as Spanish Territory.

Germany tried to seize the Western Caro lines in 1885 and finally was given trad ing rights; and in 1899 Germany bought all three groups except Guam from Spain for 4,000,000 dollars. Guam became an American naval station.

Japan did not take much part in World War I, but in 1914, as an ally of Britain, the Japanese moved in and took posses sion of the three archipelagoes. In 1921 Japan was given the Mandate over the Territories. About 1933 Japan withdrew from the League of Nations and de nounced the Mandate, and stated that the islands thenceforth were wholly Jap anese.

Between then and 1941 Japan fortified the islands heavily. She introduced some 70,000 or more Japanese settlers, mostly sugar growers, and established them gen erally in the Marianas and the Western and Central Carolines.

The Americans, in their northward and westward advances upon Japan, occupied the Marianas, but bypassed most of the Carolines and Marshalls and isolated the Jap garrisons there, and mopped them up after Japan collapsed in 1945.

There were then in the three archi pelagoes about 47,000 Kanakas, 3,500 Chamorros and perhaps 60,000 Japanese.

There is no indication of what the Americans are going to do with the Japs.