Palmyra:

Polynesian Paradise

An article on plans to devel( Palmyra Island as a tourist r sort, published in PIM in Se

tember, p. 67, has brought

reply from Mr. A. Maxw( Klum, chairman of the board Polynesian Paradise Inc., of L

Angeles—the organisation han

hng the development.

OALMYRA, an atoll comprising .

A sma H islets with a total area 1,000-odd acres, is 1,070 miles sou of Honolulu and 3,000-odd mil from San Francisco and Los Angek pie atoll is owned by the Fullard-L< family, who have leased all but oi small islet for 80 years to Polynesij Paradise Inc. Here is Mr. Kluir letter: Dear Sir, —This letter is designed correct the distorted conclusions staff writer on your magazine dre in writing an article on our plans f« the development of Palmyra Island.

The article, which appeared your September, 1962, issue, w; based on what your unidentified writ said were “several lavishly illustrate brochures, designed to induce work weary Americans to invest in a pla to develop Palmyra Island into luxurious pleasure resort”. You writer failed to identify these bn chures clearly but instead chose t draw a number of hasty conclusion on the basis of what they containet For your information, an extensiv cost estimate and engineering stud and projection of our Palmyra Islan development was prepared jointly h Belt, Collins and Associates, Ltd., an Wimberly and Cook Architects, Ltd of Honolulu, Hawaii. Both are widel respected and highly regarded in thi field.

For the Future One of our brochures has bee specifically prepared to solicit chart© members for a club that will be buii in connection with the developmenr the Royal Polynesian Club.

The historical sketch on buries treasure to which your staff write made mocking reference was takes from documented research by thd Honolulu Advertiser, a daily newr paper in Honolulu, Hawaii. A tecH

;cal study of the traffic potential rich your writer derides was pre ired to simply guide us in our plans, has been especially valuable. We ive already secured from one tour uerator in the Pacific area a larantee of 300 persons per day to dmyra when we complete our de lopment.

With respect to the “purple prose” »ur staff writer alluded to in describ g one of our brochures, one of the ilmyra developers, Richard Paris, is university graduate who majored in ithropology and who has specialised Pacific anthropology. Because of s knowledge in this field and his :perience in Pacific travel, we be ;ve he is extremely well qualified assisting us with the development : the native village we plan. Further ore, we put a great deal more store , his knowledge of Pacific history id anthropology than we would in ie knowledge of your staff writer.

The “mouthwatering” photographs i which your staff writer referred ere actually taken at Palmyra. And ie “realistic” drawings mentioned in ie article were based on actual sites n Palmyra.

Nowhere in our material have we iggested that the Palmyra Island de elopment exists a fact that, for some ;ason disturbed your staff writer.

What the Navy Did Finally, your writer showed great ancern over the “estimated 3,000dd daily visitors” our studies have rojected. As a matter of fact, the fnited States Navy has comfortably ccommodated 6,000 persons on almyra.

We find it terribly disconcerting for our magazine to have permitted such n article to be published. An article f this type does no service in the romotion of Pacific travel and resort evelopment, an objective that con ames the interest of all members of tie P.A.T.A. which includes your lagazine.

While there exists in the Pacific rea many resorts similar to that /hich we are planning for Palmyra . . in Hawaii, in Rotorua, New 'ealand, at the Barrier Reef Islands iff Australia, at Fiji, Tahiti and New Caledonia, we sincerely believe Pal nyra has the finest setting of all.

Contrary to your staff writer’s ground ess reports on fresh water, Palmyra las and always has had an ample upply. The climate is ideal, the set ing especially attractive, and the >roximity to Hawaii favourable.

May we suggest that in any future liscussion of our Palmyra develop nent your magazine take a more con itructive approach and that it utilise i bit of imagination to help us who

iwe the initiative and the foresight , contribute to the expansion of acific travel.

At the very least, we would expect factual report without mocking (inclusions based on a set of con ived distortions. In this connection e would like to refer you to South acific Airlines route and tariff chedule which includes Palmyra, nd we would like to refer you to i attached list of the officers and irectors of Polynesian Paradise. All re reputable businessmen, recognised Aperts in the travel field and par cularly well-known in the Pacific rea.—Yours, etc.,

A. Maxwell Klum,

Chairman of the Board, Polynesian Paradise. lonolulu. • Editors’ Comment: While we are leased to give Mr. Klum this oppor anity to reply, he may be terribly dis oncerted to learn that we are not at 11 unhappy about our decision to üblish our staff writer’s article; nor o we agree that this type of article oes no service in the promotion of ’acific travel and resort development. *lM’s long experience with the South leas as it really is, and not how the lublicists would like to have it, has nade us at least realistic.

We certainly do not agree that all he brochures made it clear that the lub house, marinas, golf course, ennis courts, playgrounds and com nunity store had not yet been built, [his was the angle our writer found nost disturbing.

Popular Impression

Most readers of some of the jrochures would certainly gain the mpression that they had been built. 3ne brochure, for example, says “you ;an dine, dance, play games, watch novies, huddle in intimate parties in he comfortable Clubhouse”. Another (peaks of marinas “built within the agoons”.

In writing of the 3,000-odd daily /isitors expected at Palmyra in 1968, PlM’s writer correctly pointed out hat this would make the island too crowded for people who like to escape from crowds. He did not say the Palmyra resort would not suit gre garious sypes.

We have a few experts of our own, with all respect to Mr. Paris, and our experts say Palmyra was discovered by a merchant ship, not a naval ship; that there is no reference to the treasure in any reliable book on Palmyra, and that there has not been one authenticated case of

Peruvian treasure being buried on a Pacific Island.

Our writer did not suggest there was no water on Palmyra—merely that the captain of the Palmyra, who discovered the island, was dis appointed because he had been un able to find any fresh water. This was in 1802.

And Mr. Klum still does not pro vide us with any information about the Polynesian culture history that his literature says is to be perpetuated at Palmyra, “with its enthralling music and dancing and exquisite

carved and woven handicrafts .

Palmyra does not have a native population.

We also disagree with Mr. Klum that there are many resorts in the Pacific similar to the one planned for Palmyra. The resorts on all the islands he mentioned are in areas with permanent populations and are hardly on the same scale he envisages.

We wish Polynesian Paradise suc cess with its venture, without sacrific ing our right to comment on any or all of its schemes, and schemes like it.