The Ulithi Encylopedia

Vollbrecht, John; Phillips, Gordon; Bernato, Frank; Fuller, Alton; Rohwer, John (1945). The Ulithi Encylopedia.

• Has attachment: File:TSHTR93G.pdf

Abstract: Unofficial wartime publication produced by members of the United States Navy as a guide for sailors and servicemen stationed on or around the Ulithi Atoll. The volume includes a brief history, cultural details, and a short word list.

This book is based on material originally presented in the Ulithi Encyclopedia, a series of Sunday evening talks broadcast on Armed Forces Radio Station WVTY. “The great demand for copies of the radio script brought about this book as a ‘Command Performance.’” The material is presented largely as it was originally broadcast and is arranged by general interest rather than by topic.

The book was edited by an Ulithian, Hatae, the third-ranking native of Fassarai (also spelled “Federai”), an island on Ulithi. Dr. Marshall Wees reviewed the original proofs with Hatae, correcting errors and adding substantial material. In preparing the Ulithi Encyclopedia, the author expresses thanks to Dr. Wees, Passarai Medical Officer, for his extensive notes on Ulithian culture; to Lt. (jg) Ray Erickson for permission to use his notes on Ulithi fauna and flora; and to Chaplain Korton, Lt. (jg) George Read, the mimeograph crew of the Ulithi Port Director’s Office, and Hatae for invaluable editorial assistance.

Note: This copy of the Ulithi Encyclopedia was issued to—and is marked—“Francis B. Wilson, 810 Elm, Lodi, CA 95240.” Wilson was the author of Some Useful Words as Spoken by the People of Fassai (“Federai”), Ulithi, the earliest known English-language account of the Ulithian language. He served alongside Marshall Paul Wees on Ulithi during the Pacific War. The two were sent by the U.S. Navy to address a severe outbreak of yaws afflicting the people of Ulithi. Wilson’s son, Luke Wilson, preserved and shared this digitized copy.