(and a small hang in the Cooks)

A Big Boom At Mururoa

The detonation by France of a nuclear device over Mururoa Atoll, 800 miles south-east of Tahiti, early in July has caused a strange, political bang in the Cook Islands where the editor of the Cook Islands News recently took a paid-for advertisement in his own newspaper protesting that a story of his about the French tests had been censored.

The editor, Walter H. Hambuechen, ho recently gave up his American ationality to become a New Zea nder, had prepared a story for the ews, stating that New Zealand had rongly protested against the French uclear tests and that the Cooks had ways supported New Zealand by mcelling the visits of dance teams ► Tahiti for the Bastille celebrations, e said in his story: “It now remains i be seen whether the Cook Islands overnment will again support New saland by similar action.”

Before the story had been printed member of the News staff, acting i government orders, had deleted e reference to the dance team.

Iso deleted was the poser . . . “it mains to be seen . . .” (The story, as printed, read: “NZ is strongly protested the test, and e Cook Islands’ Government has pported this protest.”) Mr. Hambuechen made inquiries >out the censorship and was told at the views expressed in his story sre “against government policy”, t the same time he learned that the igh Commissioner had been sending dios to Tahiti in an attempt to cure transport (presumably French ir Force) to send dance teams to ihiti for the Bastille celebrations.

Moral issue

So then he put in his paid adver lement to explain his stand. In s advertisement, Mr. Hambuechen ked: “Is this an economic issue, is this a moral issue?”

He pointed out that the dancers obably didn’t care whether the Dok Islands protested at the French its or not. Their interest was to rn money by dancing at the istille celebrations.

“But,” wrote Mr. Hambuechen, le moral issue goes far deeper than oney. Just a few days ago America, igland and the Soviet Union agreed . . to the matter of stopping the read of atmospheric nuclear test

ing. Some years ago, they had agreed to stop atmospheric testing them selves. New Zealand . . . was one of the first to support this agree ment. . .

He reminded his readers that French Polynesians had been vig orously protesting at the tests, both at home and in France, and he asked: “In joining the Bastille celebrations are we deluding ourselves that we support our Tahitian friends —or are we actually supporting the French —against whose bomb tests we supposedly protest?”

Although Mr. Hambuechen didn’t mention it, another reason for the Cook Islands reluctance to upset the French could be that the Cooks and Tahiti have recently em barked upon new trade relations. (In June, the Magga Dan shipped 1,008 boxes of Cooks tomatoes to Tahiti as a result of a trade mission, led by the Hon, William Estall).

'Negative step'

Meanwhile, in the wider world outside the Cooks, Western Samoa has officially protested over the tests in the Pacific, Prime Minister Fiame Mataafa describing them as “a negative step in the progress towards world peace and understanding”.

Western Samoa realised that it could expect little reaction from its protest, “but a thousand small voices together will make a loud outcry,” he said.

Japan has requested France to suspend the tests.

French experts insist that the tests present no danger to human life since they are being carried out far from populated areas. A release issued by the French Embassy in Can berra in July said that “. . . after the two previous series of tests (in 1966 and 1967) the most impartial inter national foreign authorities have agreed that the French nuclear tests represent no risk to the health of the populations in the Southern Hemisphere.”