Has Anybody Eve [?]

Found Cat Islands

HAS anybody ever found 0 Island, and what has happen to the tired American ne T papermen who planned to lot. eat there after eliminating the c with the US Navy’s poison g; plaintively asks a correspondent; Tahiti.

Apart from a disturbing suspic: that somebody was pulling son body else’s leg when Cat Isis was fished up and later identif as (of all places) historic Tetiai near Tahiti, nothing seems to hi developed since PIM noted American excitement several ye ago.

In July, 1949, an Ament magazine came up with a sti about an island in French Ocea which, it was alleged, was ov run by cats. Anybody who ca could take possession, but the o were so ferocious that little h was held out.

On the strength of this imag ative excursion, some Los Angj newspapermen are reported to h organised an expedition to ell the atoll in the name of Greater Los Angeles Press Club a sanctuary for tired newspai men.

The late Frank Morgan, and owner-skipper of yachts, recruited to provide transport, just as the party was about to i in September, 1949, Morgan c At the same time, a Fre Colonial Office cablegram sts with regret, that there “probably no such island.”

In November, 1950, an Arnei? digest-type publication stated: . newsmen were granted rif to make the attempt in 1949, document duly signed by <1 Thoussiant, of the French Cola Office. US naval authorities agreed to make available cen poison-gas missiles which coulo lobbed on to the island from an. shore position for the purpose, liquidating the cats.”

Morgan’s death had held up i project, but another shock occui with the statement that a mem after research at Paris, had ess lished that the name of the is.< was Tetiaroa —“one days saj due south of Atiu, longitude latitude 20, almost on the Tk of Capricorn.” (The solid fact is < if anybody can find land at point he may well be welcomi it, cats or no cats. Tetiaroai course, is almost within cooeij Papeete and nowhere near the I tion stated). , , The burble continued; The real difficulty is that Talix Royalty has granted a part oft island to a British dentist, , Walter Johnstone, although t is no record of Johnstone s having accepted the land gm (This tangle can perhaps be sod

-ut by way of the fact that the eference is obviously to Dr. W. J.

Villiams, who was in practice at ‘apeete for many years and was Iritish Consul for a time. Dr.

Williams was most certainly in vested in Tetiaroa).

In November, 1950, it was further iaimed that the Cat Island Asse rtion, Inc., was being formed in alifornia. “Membership,” it was ated, “will be opened to Ameri m and Canadian newsmen for two jllars. When sufficient funds are [hand, an estimated 40,000 dollars, Cat Island Expedition will again i organised, with an eight-man ew selected by lot from the asso ation’s membership.”

Recent reports from Tahiti in cate that Tetiaroa is still un plested by American newsmen id that cats are no problem to le people legally Occupying the land.

No information is available about e 40,000 dollars, or whatever irtion of the fund may have been ised.

From the American viewpoint, twever, it was probably quite a od story while it lasted.