Micronesian Monthly 1951 V01 02

Micronesian Monthly 1951 V01 02. Micronesian Monthly (Report). Fort Ruger, O'ahu, HI: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. December 1951. p. 26.

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Abstract: Beginning in 1951, the Headquarters for the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) regularly published a magazine that detailed its work in the region. From 1951 through the first issue of 1956, the magazine was known as the Micronesian Monthly; from the second issue of 1956 through the end of the run in 1980, it was known as the Micronesian Reporter. From 1951 through December 1967, publication cycles varied: For the most part, the magazine was produced monthly, though certain issues cover two or more months. Starting in 1968, the magazine was formally shifted to a quarterly publication cycle, which continued through the first quarter of 1980, when publication ceased.

The second issue of Micronesian Monthly reported extensively on the first field visit of High Commissioner Elbert D. Thomas, who accompanied members of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee on a tour through the Trust Territory, Guam, and Japan. It also covered the visit of Secretary of the Interior Oscar L. Chapman, who praised the newly assembled staff as “far above average” and emphasized the importance of the Territory in demonstrating democratic governance to the world. Other lead stories announced the official opening of the Territory to foreign press correspondents, described expanding medical training opportunities in Fiji, and recounted an island-hopping inspection of hospitals and clinics. The issue also contained district news, holiday celebrations, shipping updates, and cultural items, aiming to tie together administrative priorities with everyday experiences across the islands .

Notable articles and items included Chapman’s headquarters address, stressing U.S. obligations under the U.N. trusteeship; Thomas’s reflections on transportation shortages, supply difficulties, and postwar devastation across the islands; and an editorial noting the significance of congressional visits for securing adequate appropriations. Reports detailed the operation of the Tinian leprosarium, hospital improvements in Truk, Ponape, Majuro, Koror, and Yap, and the expansion of nursing and public health training. District notes covered fires in Koror, school projects in Ponape and Truk, Majuro’s launch of the schooner Mata, and phosphate mining negotiations on Angaur. The issue also highlighted the publication of Legends of Micronesia for use in schools, the Trust Territory Christmas card fundraiser for the scholarship fund, and the impending introduction of the new federal leave act for overseas employees .

The people and organizations featured included Secretary of the Interior Oscar L. Chapman; High Commissioner Elbert D. Thomas; Deputy High Commissioner James A. McConnell; Donald Heron, Director of Political Affairs; Frank Mahony, anthropologist; and numerous district administrators and medical staff such as Ray Dowidat (Tinian), Clark Richardson (Truk), Fred Pills (Ponape), John Brown (Majuro), and Leo Rettinger (Saipan). Institutions highlighted were the Trust Territory Headquarters at Fort Ruger, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, the Central Medical School at Suva, the University of Hawaiʻi, the Department of Education, and district hospitals and schools. Community groups and missions—such as the Holy Rosary School at Likiep—also appeared prominently, alongside cultural producers like Eve Grey and Tambi Larsen, who authored and illustrated the new legends reader.

Volume One, Number Two (1951) Index: Angaur 7, 13 Clendenen 24 Economic 7, 17, 25 Education 4, 6, 8, 14 – 15, 20, 22, 24 – 25 Germany 15, 19 Guam 1 – 3, 5, 8 – 9, 13 – 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 25 Japan 1 – 2, 19 – 20 Japanese 7, 15, 19 – 20 Kwajalein 19 – 20, 23 Language 19, 23 Majuro 3, 5, 7, 23, 25 Navy 19 Palau 3, 8 Phosphate 7 Pingelap 15, 18 Ponape (Pohnpei) 5, 15 – 16, 18, 23 – 25 Spanish 10, 13, 15 Stone Money (Rai Stones) 11 Truk (Chuuk) 5, 8 – 9, 14 – 15, 18, 23, 25 United Nations 1 – 2, 17, 19 Yap 9 – 11, 13, 20 – 24 Yapese 11, 20