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. Hainan, century of the South China Sea. For more than half a century, Hainan, the great island that lies off the southeast tip of China, has balanced like a bomb on a fingertip. Here on this island, the interests of four nations were in conflict. Hainan must not be ceded to any foreign power without the consent of France. France said that. Nothing must happen to Hainan which will affect the British line of communication between Hong Kong and Singapore. Britain said that. Foreigners must remember that Hainan rise across Japan's main sea lanes to the South Seas, to India, and to Europe. Japan said that. The island belongs to China and China sought to control it. But today, after a decade of aggression, it is in Japanese hands. And today it has become a focal point in the war in the Pacific. Take a look at this map. This will give you some idea of the importance of Hainan. This is an American expert on Hainan. There's 13,000 square miles in area just off the southeast coast of China. That coupled with its strategic value makes it potentially one of the most powerful military bases in the Far East. The French were thinking of this and of business when they came out to this part of the Pacific back in the early part of the 18th century. We beg to report that we have charted all the waters in the vicinity of Hainan, also all the islands. The two companies we have established on Hainan are doing very well. Hainan means south of the sea, and the Chinese call it the tail of a dragon because of its relationship to the mainland of China. The French kept a weather eye on the island until 1885. Then they moved in and occupied it. Britain objects to the French occupation of Hainan. France has been at war with China, and therefore France has occupied the island. As perhaps you know, the issue has been debated in House of Commons, and I am here in consequence to lodge an official protest. We have been informed of the debate. Hainan commands sea routes between Hong Kong and Singapore, and this Britain cannot permit. France was having colonial difficulties elsewhere in its empire at this time. She was unable to prevail against the British objections. Behind the scenes in Paris, other steps were taken. Hainan is in France's sphere of interest in the Pacific, and this must be maintained. In the face of Britain, we cannot continue to occupy the island. If we lose control of Hainan, some other nation could conceivably seize it. Japan's interest in Hainan is already evident. Hainan controls the approaches to the ports of French Indochina. Should this control fall into the hands of an unfriendly nation, or into the hands of any nation other than France, we in Indochina would be in jeopardy. What then do you propose? I propose that France ask China to agree not to alienate or cede Hainan to any power. But there is as much danger of the Chinese provinces on the mainland bordering Indochina falling into the hands of foreign powers as there is Hainan itself. We must also ask that China agree not to alienate or cede these provinces to any foreign power. That was the deal. France was to clear out of Hainan, but was to get the assurance of China that neither Hainan nor the Chinese provinces on the mainland would be ceded to any other foreign power. China agreed. Then something else happened. According to an unconfirmed report, two French lieutenants were murdered by Chinese. While steps are being taken to apprehend the murderers, representations are being made by French officials to the Chinese, with respect to the lease of a port. And that was in compensation for the murder of two lieutenants of the French army. We demand the lease to France of Kuang Chau Wan on the Chinese mainland across the state from Hainan. It is the wish of the French government that immediate measure of the state... While the French have succeeded in getting China to agree not to lease any part of the provinces on the Chinese mainland bordering Indochina to any foreign nation, France itself has secured a 99-year lease on Kuang Chau Wan just across the state from Hainan, and in addition has secured the right to build a railway from French Indochina into Yunnan province in South China. Japan looked on grimly. France had anticipated her for the time being. The feeling between France and Japan was to grow more intense as France helped Russia against the Japanese in Manchuria. Now the Russo-Japanese war was rolling up, and presently Japan had demonstrated to the world that she was no longer a second-rate nation, that she was a world power capable of dealing in her own way with her problems. The surface differences between France and Japan were straightened out in the Treaty of 1907. Japan agrees to stay out of South China. In return for this, France agrees to give Japan a free hand in the Manchuria. Japan used her free hand in Manchuria, while France tended to her knitting in the vicinity of Hainan. While Japan built railroads in Manchuria and penetrated the great territory economically, France busied herself with her vast interests in the Far East. Between them, China was caught in a squeeze play. Why are you Frenchmen opposed to Chinese nationalism? It is dangerous. In what way? Well, the Chinese nationalists are against extraterritoriality for one thing. I imagine France is against extraterritoriality in France too, isn't it? The situation is not the same. And furthermore, Chinese nationalism may mean the spread of communism throughout the Far East. No, the Chinese nationalists are against the Chinese communists. Oh, there's little chance. This was the French view until the Japanese invaded and seized Manchuria in 1931 and 1932. The Japanese had made the most of their free hand in Manchuria, and now they were ready to look to the South again. Hainan would be a valuable asset to Japan. With the possession of this island, Japan could destroy British power in the Far East by controlling communications between Singapore and Hong Kong. With the prospect of having the Japanese in Hainan, the attitude of the French toward China changed. We are pleased to note that Chinese nationalism is opposed to communism. The Japanese ambitions in the South were becoming more and more apparent in the middle 30s. Intelligence from remote points brought startling information. The Japanese are putting in military installations on the island of Formosa. The Japanese are fortifying the mandated Carolina Marshall Islands, contrary to their agreement not to fortify these islands. Japanese naval officers posing as fishermen are surveying and charting the Paracel Islands and the Spatly Islands and the South China Seas. Japanese business and professional men, especially photographers, are coming to Hainan in ever increasing numbers. While the French and the Chinese became increasingly uneasy, behind the scenes the Japanese poured over maps and information. The length of the island, from here to here, is 160 miles. Oh, 160 miles. And how wide is it? It is 90 miles wide. These pictures show how rugged some parts of Hainan are. Oh yes. What is this, a volcano? No sir, this is one of the mountain groups. There are two mountain groups. How high are these mountains? These are from 5,000 to 6,000 feet high. This is the central range, which they call Wu Qishan. Oh yes. And these pictures, these are other mountains? Yes. These are called the mountains of the red mist. And this picture here, this is Smoking Mountain. Mountains. Yes. What are the approaches to the island? Some of the approaches are dangerous. They are rocky and the tides and the wind are so treacherous that arraindings are sometimes impossible. But up here, here in the north, there are coastal plains. And here the waters are shallow. Oh. Oh yes. And what is this, this city here? That is Hoi Hau. That is a principal port. Hoi Hau. Yes. Hoi Hau. By this time, Japan was at the throat of China. And presently Hoi Hau on the north coastal plain of the island of Hainan was in the news. Hoi Hau has been threatened by the Japanese. We are in danger. Is Paris going to commit this to pass without making strong representations to Tokyo? There is no telling what Paris will do about the outbreak. Has Paris lost sight of the declaration of 1897 with China and the twitty of 1907 with Japan? Japan blustered about arms and supplies being sent into China through French Indochina. And the Japanese Ministry of War issued a statement. Whether it will be necessary for Japan to occupy Hainan depends on whether the shipment of supplies to China through Indochina is stopped. Japan's boldness forestalled any determined move by France. And from this Japan took its cue. Japanese naval forces have again shelled Hoi Hau, northern port of the Chinese islands of Hainan. Packing up this blow, six Japanese men-of-war today steamed into the harbor of Yulin on the great island. France and Japan were moving toward direct conflict. Japan's intentions in Hainan were now clear. And France saw the dire meaning of Japanese control of the Gulf of Tongqing and the sea lanes to the ports of French Indochina. But now France was facing a crisis in Europe. This was the year of Munich. Japan has no intention of occupying Hainan. This was Japanese Foreign Minister Ugaki. Besides, occupation is different from annexation. Therefore, the present operations in the vicinity of Hainan have no connection or whatever with the treaty of 1907 between our front and Japan. Half way around the world, Foreign Minister Ugaki's statement was received with some difference of opinion. The Japanese won't go into Hainan. And as for the small islands in the vicinity of Hainan, what earthy good are they? They can be used for bases for submarines and seaplanes to cut our sea lanes through the China Sea. Oh, no, no, no, no. No, those islands are little more than atolls. They're utterly worthless. These islands will give the Japanese a line of communications to the south. And that is the direction in which they are moving. My good man, take my word for it. The Japanese are much too intelligent to stretch their lines of communication that far to the south, or even for that matter as far south as Hainan. But to China, owner of Hainan, the threat to the island was grave. Yet she was in the agonizing throes of war with Japan, and she could do nothing. And now Foreign Minister Ugaki made another statement. Japan is at war with China. In order to destroy Shungai Shack, it may be necessary for Japan to occupy the island of Hainan. The wires buzzed with the threat. Hurried and special conferences were called in the capital cities of the world. Messages were exchanged between Paris and London. The taking of Hainan was not only a matter of great moment to China and to France, it was also a matter of tremendous importance to Britain. His Majesty's government and the French government will support each other in handling of any undesirable complications resulting from the possible occupation of the island of Hainan by Japan. This was the joint British-French note to Japan. It was a clear hands-off warning, and for the moment Japan observed it. But Japan's great forces were now in motion. Now that Hitler had thrown down the gauntlet at Munich, the Japanese were emboldened to drive on to the south. Here's a cable just came in. Says that the Japanese have warned the French they had better withdraw their police from the Paracel Islands. Hmm, Paracel Islands. About 150 miles south of Hainan. France has a lighthouse down there, doesn't it? Yes, and a meteorological station. Uh-huh. We can expect the Japanese here in Hainan any time now. The Japanese plan was unfolding. Soon they occupied Wei Island, 80 miles from the Indochina frontier. Soon they captured Canton. And with this, the Chinese military forces in Hainan, unable to defend the island against the oncoming juggernaut, left the island. If the French are afraid that the Japanese will move in and take Hainan, why don't they move in? Well, France is facing a crisis in Europe. Besides, France may not have enough force out here in the Far East to hold Hainan against the Japanese. The Japanese knew this well, and to France's feeble remonstrances, they issued a ruthless reply. We cannot deal properly with France unless France stops arms assistance to China. This was Foreign Minister Aretha. We may consider that no legitimate international relations exist between Japan and France. Unless France changes her attitude, the cowardly action of the French government comes from her own domestic political conditions. In diplomacy, France only maintains her position by cringing to the coattails of Britain and America. France cringed under the ruthless words. France has nothing of her own and is bound to take a most sneaky, foxy attitude toward this country. This was the bluntly spoken attitude of the Japanese. It was the policy out of which came the announcement of the Japanese Minister of the Navy, Admiral Yonai. Japan must occupy Hainan. At 3 a.m. on February 11, 1939, lights were sighted offshore on the western side of Hainan. Well, we've been waiting for them. They're here. As dawn broke, the silhouettes of Japanese warships loomed out of the sea off Hainan. And from the heavy transports came columns of Japanese troops. Good heavens! When are they going to stop coming? This will give you some idea of their intentions. Those are some of the biggest Japanese I've ever seen. Yes, they're Marines. Look at the equipment they're bringing with them. Armored cars. And look at the trucks and machinery. They came here to set up a military base. They've anticipated everything. The Japanese flotted along the coastal roads and into the strategic centers of the island. By mid-morning, they have taken Hainan's capital, Gyeongshan. And almost at the same moment, the Japanese flag was raised over the city they had twice bombarded, Hoi Hau. Well, they've been a long time in getting around to it. And now they've got it. Without the loss of a man, Japan took China's biggest island possession and one of the strategic strongholds of the Far East. Men of machinery and material poured in. With them came experts to develop and exploit Hainan. Meanwhile, secret communications buzzed back and forth over the cables between Europe and the Americas and the Far East. France demands an explanation for the occupation. It is simply a matter of military necessity. In what sense is it a military necessity? Hainan has been used as a base for smuggling military supplies into China. The present Japanese operations on Hainan are for the purpose of exterminating the Chinese military forces on the island. The Chinese forces withdrew from Hainan last year. Besides, under the Treaty of 1907, Japan agreed to maintain Hainan as neutral territory. The Japanese operations on Hainan have nothing to do with that Treaty of 1906. Britain as well as France had sought to forestall the occupation of Hainan. It has been said here that Japan would not extend her lines of communication as far south as Hainan. Now, she has extended them to Hainan and far beyond them, to the south, to the Spratly Island. And it is my judgment that a British man of war be dispatched at once to that vicinity. I'm afraid you're over-emphasizing the situation. There's no need for a show of naval force there. And let me warn you, Japan at this moment is on the threshold of Singapore. And now Americans began to see the gravity of the Hainan situation. Here, look at this map. The Japanese are here in Hainan. From the air bases here, they can bomb China's last two lines of communications with the outside world. Is that a railroad you're pointing to there? Yes, that's the railroad from Indochina into Yunnan province here in South China. That's with an easy bombing range of Hainan. And here, you see this line here? That's the Burma Road, isn't it? That's right. And the Burma Road is also within bombing range of Hainan. Well, if I know the Japanese, they're going to be cracking down to knock out both of those lines. There's more to it than that. Look over here to the east, across the China Sea. The Philippines, eh? Yes. Hainan is only 800 miles from Manila. But at this stage, what was happening in and around Hainan off the southeast tip of China was like a sideshow compared to the big show that was rolling up in Europe. This was 1939. The attention of the world was focused on Hitler, who was soon to strike into Poland. It was focused on the phony war of the winter and spring of 1939 and 1940. And when France fell in Europe, it likewise fell in the Far East. From Hainan, the Japanese invaded and took French Indochina. Japan made good use of Hainan. Excellent maneuver, Colonel. These troops have now been trained in all the tactics of amphibious warfare. They have made dozens of practice landings like this through the ships. Ah, yes. When will they be ready to move out? In another week. Ah, good. The conditions of our landing here on the beaches are about the same they will face later. I understand. Prepare to train another contingent as soon as this one is moved out. Yes, sir. Bandai, Bandai, Bandai, Bandai, Bandai, Bandai, Bandai, Bandai, Bandai, Bandai, Bandai, Bandai. Where the water was shallow, the Japanese trained invasion troops. Where it was deep, they moved in technicians and construction workers for another task. Ah, good job. Ah, you see, there are the new docks over there. When we are finished here, we will be able to service and repair vessels of all sizes. We will need these facilities as soon as the construction crews are off them. We know of the urgency. They are working a 24-hour day. This naval base is a key development in our plan. Yes, sir. The Japanese turned every resource on the island to their advantage. More and more experts of all kinds were brought in. Experts in agriculture, experts in forestry, scientists to experiment in the growing of rubber, coffee, quinine, cotton, tobacco, and experts in the handling of livestock. Drive them down into the pens there. Keep them moving. They are fine-looking cattle. Yes, sir. And they are even more here than we thought. So? We have more cattle and pigs to hear on high-nose than on all of our other Pacific islands put together. Oh, yes. How many without beef at all? We can count on at least 100,000 head of cattle from Hainan each year and almost as many pigs. Good. We will count the beef and the pork, and the hides will help meet our need for leather. The hides are good. Most of the cattle are a cross between the small yellow cow of China and the powerful big stable of Hindu China. Good, good. Can we continue to expect livestock in these numbers? Yes, sir. The weather conditions here are ideal not only for raising feed for the stock, but also for raising at least three quarts of rice a year for the men. In the more than two and a half years from the occupation of Hainan to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had converted Hainan into one of the most powerful, one of the most strategic strongholds of the Pacific, and they used it to its full advantage. The Japanese troops were trained on the beaches of Hainan. The Japanese ships based in the newly constructed bases of Hainan supplied by the food of Hainan. These teamed up with the air forces of Hainan against the United Nations. Japanese forces from Hainan played an important role in the conquest of the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaya, and Singapore. A cloak of silence fell upon Hainan. Hardly a word came out of the island for three years. Then in the spring of 1942, secret information began to fill her out. The Japanese are beginning to have trouble with Chinese underground forces. The Japanese are not able to cover all the strategic centers, and that's where the trouble is brewing. Chinese underground forces are operating in the vicinity of the Sanin Kang Railroad from the southern part of the island. We have only a few minutes. Let us check details. Explosives are placed under two locomotives and the fuses ready. Very well. Next. Explosives are in place under the coaches and the fuses ready. Very well. Next. In ten years, I've finished and ready one of the cases of gasoline on the barracks of the enemy. Very well. Now listen closely and remember, you will go to your assigned post. At the sound of my pistol, Yu Chang will set off the dynamite under the locomotive. Yes, sir. The instant you others hear the explosion, you will blow up the coaches and set fire to the gasoline and the barracks. Yes, sir. The enemy will become active at once. We will wait for the garrison to come out and then from our machine gun positions, we shall break them down. Any questions? Then go. The young Chinese commander walked toward his command post. Suddenly, from out of the shadows behind him, stepped a Japanese sentry. Halt! Halt! Tell where you are! The Chinese knew that if we were captured now, the plot would fail. He ran in the darkness. Halt! Stop there! Tell him where you are. The Chinese fell. The Japanese sentry came up to him. A Chinese bandit, huh? So you thought you could escape? What is that? What is that? The gasoline is bathing! The barracks are bathing! Two locomotives and more than twenty railroad coaches were blown to pieces and a gasoline dump and the Japanese barracks were destroyed by fire at Tsang Chiang railway station in the southern part of the island of Hainan by Chinese underground forces. Heavy losses were suffered by the Japanese when they rushed into a Chinese trap laid for them by the underground forces For the first time the peaceful defenseless island had come to life against the Japanese. Now the Japanese knew that they had an active, however weak, enemy within the island. And within a matter of months they would have learned that the enemy outside the island was no longer too far away to harm them. Bombs from American liberators cascaded down upon the big natal base. Bombs smashed the great air base at Tamma. Well, did you see this in the paper? About your old stamping ground getting bombed? Yes, I was just thinking about that. It says here that it was the biggest raid so far in the war in China. They must have plastered that island plenty. Yes, I guess they did. But Hainan's a big island. Yeah, they'll probably go back and give it a steady paste, probably. But what you've got to remember about Hainan is this. Four nations squabbled over Hainan for half a century. Each nation saw the value of Hainan to its interests. Now Japan has the island. Japan knows that just as the island can be used to her advantage, so also it can be used against her. When Japan loses Hainan, she loses her strongest strategic position in this section. You can be sure that whatever the cost, Japan will hang onto Hainan to the last. 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. For a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send 10 cents in stamps or coin to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. For a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send 10 cents in stamps or coin to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. The Pacific Story is written by Arnold Marquis. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Thomas Peluso. Your narrator, Gain Whitman. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is the National Broadcasting Company.
