Hope Deferred

For almost 50 years the simple, brown-skinned peoples of two early U.S. possessions in the Pacific--Guam and Samoa*--have lived in hope that some day they would be accepted in the family as U.S. citizens. The 22,000 Chamorros of Guam and 16,000 Polynesians of Samoa have been governed by men (Navy governors), not by law. Congress has never provided a constitution for either place. Classed only as "U.S. nationals," their peoples have had no inalienable Bill of Rights, no appeal to federal courts.

Guamanians complain that they are even denied the Four Freedoms which General MacArthur is bestowing upon the defeated Japanese, who oppressed the Guamanians during the war.

Liberation brought the Guamanians physical woes to aggravate the spiritual. Now, 60% of their island is occupied by U.S. armed forces; their cities are still in ruins, and their legitimate war-damage claims are snarled in red tape.

Such grievances were embarrassing when the U.S. was applying for sole trusteeship over 48,000 other backward peoples on former mandated islands (TIME, Feb. 24). So Navy Secretary James Forrestal appointed a civilian commission* to advise what should be done.

This week the commission reported bluntly that the time was overripe for giving citizenship to both Guamanians and Samoans, and redressing their other grievances. "Indeed," it said, "an apology is due the Guamanians for the long delay and they are also entitled to the Nation's thanks and recognition for their heroic service rendered during the recent war. The people are in all respects worthy of being welcomed into full brotherhood of the United States. . . ."

Others had urged similar measures in the past, but for the first time the Navy was shamed into acquiescence. Secretary Forrestal promised to bat the commission's main recommendations up to Congress. All was not lost for the Navy. The island governors would still be Navy men.

* Guam, captured from Spain in a bloodless operation by the cruiser Charleston, June 20, 1898, became a U.S. dependency under the Treaty of Paris, Dec. 10, 1898. Samoan Islands were partitioned between the U.S. and Germany by treaty in 1899. New Zealand now has the former German holdings.

* Dr. Ernest M. Hopkins, former president of Dartmouth College (chairman); Massachusetts' Ex-Governor Maurice J. Tobin; the University of California's Professor Knowles A. Ryerson.

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