The National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated stations present The Pacific Story. In the mounting fury of world conflict, events in the Pacific are taking on ever greater importance. Here is the story of the Pacific and the millions of people who live around this greatest sea. The drama of the peoples whose destiny is at stake in the Pacific War. Here, as another public service, is the tale of the war in the Pacific and its meaning to us and to the generations to come. The mighty Carolans, secret stronghold of the Japanese. Probably no one will ever know what happened to Hibbert. There are only a few men who ever penetrated the Japanese secrecy in the Carolan Islands. But Hibbert did. Hibbert is not his real name, but he was a real man, an American. He foresaw that the Japanese in the Carolan Islands could shut us off from the Philippines, that they could shut us off from the rubber and tin and oil of the Indies. He foresaw that the Japanese in the Carolans could not only keep us away from Asia and Indonesia, but that from the Carolans they could strike us a crippling blow. And that's what happened. Hibbert came to me just after the Japanese went into Manchuria in 1931. Now this attack of the Japanese in Mukden, more than a local incident. Yes, it probably is. It's the first shot of the Japanese against us. Why, we have no quarrel with Japan. Well, neither did Manchuria. Well, you've been an observer of world affairs all your life. Yes, most of it. Look at Japan's movements in perspective. In 1894, she attacked China and took Formosa. And less than 10 years later, she attacked Russia and then Korea and then... I know, Hibbert, but what do these things have to do with us? With the United States directly, I mean. What about the mandated islands, the Carolans, the Marianas and the Marshals? What do you mean? Well, the Japanese agreed after the last war not to fortify them. But do you think they haven't? Well, they've wrapped a tight cloak of secrecy over them. That much we know. What could be the purpose of that secrecy if they were not fortifying them? Well, it would be dangerous to guess about it. It's more dangerous to us not to know about it. Well, you seem determined, Hibbert, to link the secrecy and the mandated islands with what's happening in Manchuria. What's happening in Manchuria is a straw in the wind. It's not just a coincidence that the Japanese have kept everyone out of the mandated islands all these years since the last war. Well, there is a possibility that the Japanese are fortifying those islands. Exactly. And if that's true, we ought to know why. And we've got to remember that Guam is within the Japanese mandate and that Wake Island is just outside of it. You think that Japan has designs on Guam and Wake? Or don't you? I don't know why we should be so concerned about the Japanese having the mandated islands now. We had them once and we gave them away. We? The United States? Why, yes. At the time of the Spanish-American War. At that time, a great part of Micronesia, including the Carolin Islands, was held by Spain. When the war broke out, an American cruiser, the USS Charleston, steamed into the harbor of Guam and opened fire on the old Spanish fort. BANGING Lieutenant. Yes, sir? Is the fort replying to our fire? No, sir. That's strange. Shall I continue firing, sir? No, hold your fire. A boat's coming out from the shore. Hold our firing. Hold our firing. He's firing! Well, the American officers stood on the bridge and watched the approaching boat through binoculars. Every gunner stood ready aboard the cruiser. As the boat neared, the American officers could see that it was bringing out a group of Spanish officials. The Spaniards were received aboard the warship with the greatest courtesy. We have to apologize that we did not return the salute of the United States. But we have no ammunition. Our fire was not intended as a salute. Not... not intended as... Well, what then? Doesn't the governor know that the United States and Spain are at war? At war? Not the United States and Spain. It is impossible. Admiral Dewey has destroyed the Spanish fleet at Manila, taken the city. What? I demand the immediate surrender of Guam. I must confer with my... my government. That'll not be possible. There is nothing else to do. I am unable to defend Guam. We must capitulate. Very well. The United States will take immediate steps. All Spanish Micronesia and the Philippines fell into the hands of the United States. In those days, before the turn of the century, Americans were not yet conscious of the importance of the Pacific to them. I asked the senator, what does he propose that the United States do with these faraway islands in the Pacific? Does he propose to extend our borders to the shore of Asia itself? This was the attitude of many influential Americans in those days. Cries of American imperialism went up. The government was warned of America's historic foreign policy. Let us remember the principle of Thomas Jefferson, that nothing should ever be accepted, which will require the Navy to defend. I propose that we compromise, that the United States retain the Philippines and Guam, but turn the islands of Spanish Micronesia back to Spain, by taking this call. So Micronesia went back to Spain. But at this same time, another European power was angling for strategic bases in the Pacific. And almost as soon as the United States gave the islands back to Spain, the world was astonished by a formal announcement. Spain has sold the islands of Spanish Micronesia to the imperial government of Germany. MUSIC You remember, Hibbert, that Germany held these islands until the outbreak of the First World War. Yes, until the Japs moved in and took them in 1914. That's where the situation we have in the Carolins today stems from. You mean that the Japs got in and stayed there. I mean that Britain and France and Italy helped Japan stay there. You remember that the pretext for Japan seizing the Carolins and the other islands was that it had a treaty with Britain. Yes, the Anglo-Japanese alliance. After Japan had taken the islands from Germany, then Germany had a sensational streak of success in Europe. Yes, I know, they almost knocked out the allies. That was back in 1916. I was on the continent at that time. Presently we started hearing rumours that Japan was wavering in her allegiance to the allies. We heard that the Japanese were convinced that Germany was invincible and that she could do better for herself by tying up with Germany instead of with England. Yes, that was great for the allies when they were fighting with their backs to the wall. Well, Japan played her cards well. She knew that this was an opportune time to make demands on the allies, and she proceeded to do so. And therefore, for our continuance as an ally, Japan demands the support of allies at the peace table. Support of the allies in what sense? Japan wishes the allies to support its claims to possession of the islands north of the equator, which we took from Germany. What of the islands south of the equator? Japan will agree to support the claims of Britain to the islands south of the equator. Britain will support Japan in these claims. It will be a quid pro quo. One favour, return for another. But what of France? France will support the claims of Japan on one condition. What condition? That Japan will encourage China to come into the war on the side of the allies. This Japan will readily agree to in the interest of harmonious relations for the prosecution of the war. Japan wishes to be certain that... With these conditions, England and France and also Italy entered into secret treaties with Japan. This was before the United States entered the war. The treaties were kept secret until the peace conference. Then, when they were brought out into the open, the allies, including the United States, awarded the Japanese the Micronesian Islands under a League of Nations mandate. For all practical purposes, the islands were given to Japan. Well, that was not the intent. It was specifically set forth that the islands were merely to be under a Japanese mandate. But you remember that some distinguished Japanese said that a mandate is a temporary arrangement, but that Japan would find a way to make it permanent. Japan agreed not to fortify the islands. Do you know what has happened now? Well, are you guessing or do you know? Japan has outflanked us, both in Guam and the Philippines. Why, you assume that Japan and the United States must go to war. Well, here. Look at this map. Now, with air bases and naval bases scattered throughout these islands, Japan can defend herself in Asia from any angle of attack. And, uh, now, look here. Using these islands as bases, Japan can move against Pearl Harbor up here, against French into China, against Singapore, Malaya, against the Dutch Indies down here, and even against Australia and New Zealand. And what are we going to do about it, eh? What are we going to do about it? We talked things over like this for days. I saw that Hibbert had a deep, intuitive feeling that great danger was brewing for us down there. It was more than intuition. It was logic. He pumped me dry of all the facts I had on the Carolins. And then one day, not unexpectedly, he said, I'm going to go to the island and I'm going to go to the sea. And he said, I'm going to visit the Carolins. And then one day, not unexpectedly, he remarked that he was going to visit them. He insisted that I go with him. I myself, as a world observer, had long been interested in the Carolins. For a long time, I had been hankering to see them, too. We knew that foreigners had been barred from the Carolins since 1934, but we determined to go anyway. We talked to inform people about arrangements. There's no way to get there. All ships but Japanese ships are barred from the islands. And you can't get accommodations on a Japanese ship. Then they tell you that the waters around the islands are dangerous, that the sea is filled with treacherous reefs, and the weather's bad. They say that aboard the Japanese ships, if you should ever manage to get on one, you have to look for a place to stay. And if you do, you have to go to the sea. If you ever manage to get on one, you have to live on fish and things like that. They say there's no place for visitors to live on the islands. No living accommodations whatsoever, except living in huts with natives who they say are savages and headhunters. They discourage you in every way... But through people who are friends of influential Japanese in Japan, we managed to get there. On the islands, we were permitted to walk around pretty much at will. It's beautiful out here. Utterly beautiful. Yes, there's probably no more beautiful place on earth. Look at that quiet lagoon. Yeah. And see the coral reef out there. See the white surf breaking over it? Why, if tourists were permitted here, they'd come by the thousands. Now, there won't be any tourists here for a good many years to come. Every one of the small islands is crowned with those tall coco palms. Yes, and notice up on the hills the tropical growth, mango trees, breadfruit, papaya. Orange and banana, lime trees. Yes, this is the land of the lotus eaters if there ever was one. I, um... I haven't seen any military installations. No. No, only the same things you'd see on any South Pacific islands. Few stores, post office, few government buildings. But you notice there's a hospital, good-sized one too. And a school. Yes, you don't put in hospitals, especially good-sized ones and schools without a purpose. Let's walk down to where the reef broadens out. You know, I got an idea. Come on. What? Here comes our bodyguard. You can't turn around without one of those Jap policemen suddenly turning up and following every footstep. Quiet, quiet, quiet. Good morning, gentlemen. Good morning. Good morning. Could I help you in any way? No, no, no. We were just looking at the scenery. It's beautiful. Very beautiful, yes. Yes, we were just about to stretch out a little, take a little walk. Good. I will be your guide. Oh, no, that isn't necessary. We're just strolling. Oh, no trouble at all. Which way you wish to go? Well, we thought we'd walk down to the broader part of the reef down there. Very well. The view is very interesting from that point. You come along with me and I'll show you. This is the kind of place that most men only see in their dreams. Very beautiful, oh, yes. Those hills rising out of the sea, I suppose they're the tops of mountains, aren't they? Yes, a very high mountain standing on a froth of ocean. Well, they're not really very high above the level of the sea. Like a small mountain above the sea. They, um, they provide very good shelter for the lagoon inside the atoll, though, I imagine. Uh, well, maybe they do. Uh, yes, maybe. Yes, yes. Yes, you see how smooth the lagoon on the inside is. Almost glassy. Oh, yes. Have you ever seen such color in all your life as there is down there in the lagoon? Corals and sponges. Oh, yes. Some of sponges are red and some are yellow and some are green. And see many corals of fish swimming down there. Yeah, yeah, that's very interesting. Yes, and look at all the different colors and shapes of the sea plants down there. Do you ever see anything so brilliant? Oh, very gorgeous. Uh, here is broad part of reef. Ah, yes. Hmm. Quite a development you have here. Docks, warehouses. Oh, for handling the produce from irons. Uh, mangoes, breadfruit and other fruits. Mm-hmm. Yes, you have to have facilities for that. Yes, nice airfield and hangars. Do you fly out the fruits? No, uh, oh, maybe some day. Airplanes only use for communication now. That's all. Well, I can see that you have great possibilities here. Yes, great possibilities. We saw the Carolans. We saw their incredible beauty. But we were adroitly kept from seeing much more. By inference, we knew there was much more. Wherever we went, Japanese were present to help us, as they said. They never forbade us to see anything. They merely saw to it that we did not see it. When we wished to see certain atolls, there were always reasons why this could not be done. In all cases, the reasons were that they, the Japanese, were looking out for our safety. But from their unwillingness to let us see certain places, we knew which places were important. What I had seen opened my eyes. When we got back, Hibbert and I talked for days. You've been an observer in almost every part of the world. Have you ever seen anything like this? Well, there's probably no other place in the world like it. Well, there isn't. What's important isn't what we saw, but what we did not see. So far as I'm concerned, the most important thing was the most obvious. You mean the lagoons? Yes. They're miles deep, many of them. The waters are smooth and quiet. Perfect harbors for every kind of naval craft. That's exactly what I was thinking. They're sheltered by those mountainous islands. Japanese warships and those lagoons could never be attacked by other naval craft. No, particularly since the Japanese have probably mounted good-sized guns in those mountains. The only way ships in the lagoon could be attacked would be by airplanes, bombers. Yes, that's another thing. Those lagoons are perfect for seaplane bases. That's what I was getting around to. What do you mean? I mean, airplanes are probably more important in the Carolines than surface craft. Yes, I should think that would be true. At least in time to come, if not now. That means they've got hundreds of air bases, lagoons, I mean, in addition to the landing fields on the islands. Yes, quite likely. The only way you could find out how extensive this development is is by flying over the Carolines. Flying over the Carolines? Well, you're not thinking of that. Are you, Hibbard? Yes, why not? Well, where could you get a plane these days? And who would fly it for you? Well, I believe that could be managed all right. Well, Hibbard, you'd never get near the Carolines. The chaps would be on your neck as soon as you approached. Oh, tell me, would you be willing to go? To fly over the Carolines? Yes. Oh, from where? Well, that's the detail. Would you go? Well, yes, yes, I'd go. That's all I wanted to know. All right, I'll take care of all the details. You just leave everything to me. I had many misgivings after I had agreed. But there was something about Hibbard's courage and clear thinking that reassured me. If we were forced down, we would probably never get back. Particularly since the Japanese knew us from our visit. Hibbard made all the arrangements. We loaded the plane with everything we could think of, including some good camera equipment. We took off with a pilot, a co-pilot, and a navigator. Navigator. Yes, Mr. Hibbard? How soon should we be siding Truke? Oh, I'd say in a matter of minutes. Minutes, huh? Good. Well, let me know once, will you? Yes, sir. Just look at the islands down there. Yes, you can get a good perspective on them from this altitude. That gives us some idea of the number of islands in Micronesia. Oh, there are thousands of them. And every island is an observation post. That means that the Japanese are able to keep a constant eye on about 3 million square miles of the Pacific. Oh, yes, at least that. Some of them are certainly going to spot us. Well, one thing, our altitude and speed are in our favor. If they should spot us, we'll just have to... We flew over hundreds of small islands. As we approached Truke, all of us could sense the tenseness among us. I went up forward to talk with the pilot and the co-pilot. Well, how's it looking, boys? Oh, looks all right from here. Well, so we don't have trouble from below. Great day for us. Weather's clear. Just a few clouds. Yes. Interesting down there, isn't it? Those atolls down there are like a coral reef around a small island. Yes, except that the reef itself is made up of many small islands. There are many islands within the reef. If they use every one of those atolls down there as a seaplane base or a naval base, I don't see how anybody could get through them. They can't. All I want to do is get over them. Hey, there's Truke ahead of us. Isn't that our landfall? Yeah. Yeah, that's it. See it up there? Yes, that's it. Inform Hibbert. Okay. Navigator. Navigator. Yes, this is the Navigator. This is the Navigator. We've just sighted Truke. Get ahead. Tell Mr. Hibbert. Get ahead, huh? Yes, I'll tell him right away. Yes, there it was all right. Truke. I recognized it from what we had seen when we visited there. I went back into the cabin to see Hibbert. Ah, yes. Now, this is the view I wanted to get. Navigator. Yes, sir. You have your camera equipment ready? Yes, sir. It's all in order and ready for operations. Good. Take as many pictures as you can. Yes, sir. Look at that. A lagoon about 40 miles in diameter. Yes, big enough to hold the entire Japanese fleet. Battleships, cruisers, destroyers, submarines and all. That reef is made up of 245 mountainous islands covered with trees. That's what I told you. The Japanese fleet in there would be sheltered from attack by any other warships. Look at that opening down there in the south. Sort of a passageway. Oh, yes. That's Otter Pass. It points toward Australia. And there's another to the northeast. See it there? Yes, I see it. That one aims at Pearl Harbor. And there's one up on the west. That points to the Philippines. And that opening up on the north end points to Japan. Any ship that tried to get through those passageways without a chart would be gashed open on that sharp coral. That's right. Get some pictures of that, Navigator. I'm getting them. There are some good-sized islands down there. And every one of them has airfields on it. Yes, and notice the anchorages around them. Navigator, be sure to get good shots of the islands enclosed by the reef. I'm photographing each one as we pass over. Mr. Hibbert. Mr. Hibbert. That's the pilot, Hibbert. Yes, pilot. I've just spotted a plane about 4,000 feet below us to the right. Can you see it? Uh-uh. Wait a minute. You see anything of a plane below us to the right? Oh, I can't see anything. I see it. I see it right down there. You see? Yes. It's climbing straight for us. It's after us, all right. There are two more coming up behind it. Yes, I can see them. Now three of them. Pilot, this is Hibbert. There are three planes out there. Full speed and head for those clouds. Okay. Hang on. Here we go. We're in a bad way, Hibbert. We haven't got enough gas to continue at this speed very long. Oh, and the worst thing about it is that we have to clear out before we get what we came here for. The plane roared into the clouds. We knew that the three Japanese planes would be swarming around us in no time. Our pilot cut in and out of the clouds, and suddenly the door swung open. The door swung open. Watch out! There goes the camera! And one of the cameras with all its pictures went sailing out. The navigator slammed the door and saved the other camera. Those were some of the most exciting moments of my life. But Hibbert sat there cool and undisturbed. In the light of what has happened since, I know he felt that he had failed. Well, there they are. That's all the pictures we got. Well, they're good ones, but they don't tell enough. They don't tell the story. Well, you'll probably never get any more. No, I'm afraid not. Not that way. Not that way. But shall I tell you something? What? The Carolins are the very core of the Japanese strategy in the Pacific. You know, I have an idea that Truk is the most important base in the Carolins. It could be Ponepe. We hardly more than skirted that. It's important for us to know which is the primary naval and air base, Truk or Ponepe. Truk has military installations, ammunition dumps. Yes, but no white man has ever seen them. Well, the same could be said of Ponepe. Well, yes. That's another reason why we must go back. Go back to the Carolins? You mean you and I? I want to bring back pictures, drawings, measurements. No, not I, Hibbert, not I. We wouldn't fly over this town. We'd go by boat. Why, by this time, every Japanese official in Micronesia was informed about the plane that escaped their fighter planes. Every Japanese in the islands would be on guard. All right, but against that, we must weigh the fact that Micronesia controls the approaches to the Philippines, Southeast Asia, Malaya, the Dutch Indies, Australia. Well, Hibbert, you can't go back there again. You mean you, uh, you won't go with me? Well, this is a time for sober consideration of all the factors. This is no time to... Well, I'll... Goodbye then. You're going back there alone? I'll, uh, I'll see you when I return. Well, goodbye and thank you for all your help. There have been many stories about the Carolins since then. Many stories about Truc and Ponnapay and Yap and Kusay. Most of them have been conjectures, but Hibbert was right about many things. He was right about the Japanese, about the outbreak in Manchuria in 1931 being a straw in the wind, a foreshadowing of events to come. The story of Japanese aggression since then is history now. Today the insignificant Carolins have become the mighty Carolins. Today we know that this screen of hundreds of islands, each a fortress, shelters the Japanese Pearl Harbor. And this super fortress, with its nests of warships and its swarms of dive bombers and fighters, is a key toward victory in the Pacific. Today the Carolins are the subject of sober discussion around war planning tables. The Carolins are probably one of the most inaccessible military bases in the world. Oh, yes. They're protected on all sides. Over here, 1,200 miles to the east toward Pearl Harbor, we're moving in on the marshals. Up to now they've been a protection from a drive from that direction. Before Truc and Punape can be attacked, it'll be necessary for us to have bases in these outlying islands. That is a vital consideration. We might turn these islands against them as they use them for operations against us. Yes, just as the Japanese use them for bases for attacks on Pearl Harbor, Wake, and Guam, and Philippines. So we might use them to advantage against Japan. That's why Japan calls Micronesia its lifeline to the south. In any operations we contemplate, we must keep that in mind. And we must recall also that Admiral Suetsugu said that the Micronesian islands were made to order for Japan, and that the balance in the Pacific could only be maintained if Japan holds them. Look at this point. It is my opinion that we should move in this direction toward the side of the island. The action in the Pacific is moving in the general direction of the Carolins. As the operations and the marshals progress, most of us are becoming aware of the importance of the Carolins. We know that Truc is not only a powerful fortress, but also the supply base for many of the outlying Japanese island strongholds. We know that sooner or later Truc must be stormed or bottled up on the road to Tokyo. And all this Hibberd foresaw. He foresaw what the Carolins would mean to the Japanese and to us. Hibberd went back to the Carolins that last time, and no one has ever seen him since. You have been listening to the Pacific Story, presented by the National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated independent stations as a public service to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable the cross-currents of life in the Pacific Basin. A reprint of this Pacific Story program is available at the cost of ten cents. Send ten cents in stamps or coin to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. The Pacific Story is written and directed by Arnold Marquis. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Thomas Paluso. The principal voice was that of Edgar Barrier. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is the National Broadcasting Company.
