[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 84 (Wednesday, June 24, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7021-S7022]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 254--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE RECOGNIZING 
      100 YEARS OF GUAM'S LOYALTY AND SERVICE TO THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. AKAKA submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources:

                              S. Res. 254

       Whereas the Chamorro people have inhabited Guam and the 
     Mariana Islands for at least 4,000 years and developed a 
     unique and autonomous seafaring agrarian culture, governing 
     themselves through their own form of district government;
       Whereas in 1565 the Kingdom of Spain claimed the islands of 
     the Chamorro people, which were named the Ladrones by 
     Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and renamed the Marianas by the 
     Jesuit missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores in 1668, to 
     secure the trans-Pacific route of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon 
     Trade, then, upon San Vitores's death in 1672, the islands 
     were placed under military governance;
       Whereas in 1898 the United States defeated the Kingdom of 
     Spain in the Spanish-American War and acquired Guam, Puerto 
     Rico, and the Philippines by virtue of the Treaty of Paris;
       Whereas in signing the treaty, the United States Government 
     accepted responsibility for its new possessions and agreed 
     that Congress would determine the civil rights and political 
     status of the native inhabitants, as stated specifically in 
     Article IX;
       Whereas, President William McKinley, by Executive Order 
     108-A on December 23, 1898, placed the island of Guam under 
     the administration of the United States Navy, which 
     administered and governed the island, initially as a coaling 
     station, then as a major supply depot at the end of World War 
     II;
       Whereas a series of rulings popularly known as the 
     ``Insular Cases'', issued by the United States Supreme Court 
     from 1901 to 1922, defined Guam as an ``unincorporated 
     territory'' in which the United States Constitution was not 
     fully applicable;
       Whereas the United States Naval Government of Guam was 
     forced to surrender the island of Guam to the invading forces 
     of the Japanese Imperial Army on December 10, 1941, after 
     which Japanese occupation and control of Guam lasted until 
     the United States Forces recaptured the island in 1944;
       Whereas Guam is the only remaining United States territory 
     to have been occupied by Japanese forces during World War II, 
     the occupation lasting for 32 months from 1941 to 1944;
       Whereas the people of Guam remained loyal to the United 
     States throughout the Japanese occupation, risked torture and 
     death to help clothe and feed American soldiers hiding from 
     enemy forces, and were subjected to forced labor, ruthless 
     executions, and other brutalities for their support of the 
     United States;
       Whereas upon liberation of the people of Guam, the island 
     was returned to United States Navy governance, which, like 
     its prewar predecessor, limited the civil and political 
     rights of the people, despite numerous appeals and petitions 
     to higher authorities and Congress for the granting of United 
     States citizenship and relief from military rule;
       Whereas in 1945, upon establishment of the United Nations, 
     the United States voluntarily listed Guam as a nonself-
     governing territory, pursuant to Article 73 of the United 
     Nations Charter, and today Guam continues to be included in 
     this list;
       Whereas on March 6, 1949, the House of Assembly, the lower 
     house of the popularly elected 9th Guam Congress, which was 
     merely an advisory body to the Naval Governor of Guam, 
     adjourned in protest over the limitation of its legislative 
     rights granted to it by the United States Department of the 
     Navy in 1947 and refused to reconvene until the United States 
     Congress enacted an organic act for Guam;
       Whereas the Organic Act of Guam (64 Stat. 384) passed by 
     Congress and signed by President Truman on August 1, 1950, 
     statutorily decreed Guam's status as an ``unincorporated 
     territory'', established a three-branched civilian government 
     patterned after the Federal model, and conferred United 
     States citizenship upon the people of Guam;
       Whereas since the granting of American citizenship, the 
     people of Guam have greater participation in the American 
     democratic processes and some measure of self-government;
       Whereas the people of Guam, who strongly adhere to the 
     belief that a government should derive power and right from 
     the governed, successfully gathered enough support to push 
     for the passage of the Elective Governor Act (Public Law 90-
     497) on September 11, 1968, and in which Congress granted the 
     people of Guam the right to elect their own governor and 
     lieutenant governor;
       Whereas the Congress enacted the Guam-Virgin Islands 
     Delegate bill on April 10, 1972, allowing for Guam to have a 
     nonvoting delegate in the United States House of 
     Representatives, and although the delegate is not accorded a 
     vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, it is 
     still one of the benchmarks in Guam's political evolution and 
     heightens Guam's visibility in the national arena;
       Whereas although Congress authorized in Public Law 94-584, 
     the formation of a locally drafted constitution, the 
     subsequent Guam Constitution, it was not ratified by Guam's 
     electorate through a referendum on August 4, 1979;
       Whereas concerns regarding Guam's political status led the 
     Twelfth Guam Legislature to create the first political status 
     commission in 1973, known as the Status Commission, the 
     Thirteenth Guam Legislature in 1975 created another 
     commission, known as the Second Political Status Commission, 
     to address Guam's political status issue and explore 
     alternative status options, and in 1980, the existing Guam 
     Commission on Self-Determination (CSD) was created to 
     identify and pursue the status choice of the people of Guam, 
     and in 1996 the Twenty-Fourth Guam Legislature created the 
     Commission on Decolonization to continue pursuing Guam's 
     political status;
       Whereas the CSD, after conducting studies on 5 Guam 
     political status options, proceeded to conduct a public 
     education campaign, which was followed by a status referendum 
     on January 12, 1982 in which 49 percent of the people of Guam 
     voted for Commonwealth, 26 percent for Statehood, 10 percent 
     for Status Quo, 5 percent for Incorporated Status, 4 percent 
     for Free Association, 4 percent Independence, and 2 percent 
     for other options;
       Whereas on September 4, 1982, a runoff was held between 
     commonwealth and statehood, the top options from the January 
     referendum, with the outcome of the runoff resulting in 27 
     percent voting for statehood and 73 percent of Guam's 
     electorate casting their votes in favor of a close 
     relationship with the United States through a Commonwealth of 
     Guam structure for local self-government;
       Whereas in 1988 the people of Guam first presented the Guam 
     Commonwealth Act to Congress to meet the various aspirations 
     of the people of Guam, which bill has been reintroduced by 
     Guam's Congressional delegates since 1988 until the present;
       Whereas Congress has continued to enact other measures to 
     address the various aspirations of the people of Guam, while 
     considering legislative approaches to advance self-government 
     without precluding Guam's further right of self-
     determination, consistent with the national political climate 
     that emphasizes decentralization of the decision making 
     process from Washington to the local governments and a 
     relationship with the Federal Government that is based on 
     mutual respect and consent of the governed; and

[[Page S7022]]

       Whereas the people of Guam are loyal citizens of the United 
     States and have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to 
     the American ideals of democracy and civil rights, as well as 
     to American leadership in times of peace as well as war, 
     prosperity as well as want: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes 100 years of Guam's loyalty and service to 
     the United States; and
       (2) will use the centennial anniversary of the 1898 
     Spanish-American War to reaffirm its commitment to the United 
     States citizens of Guam for increased self-government, 
     consistent with self-determination for the people of Guam.

 Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise to submit a resolution to 
commemorate the centennial anniversary of U.S. relations with the 
territory of Guam, which was acquired by the United States as a result 
of the Spanish-American War in 1898. The Philippines and Puerto Rico 
were acquired at the same time under the terms of the Treaty of Paris, 
but the Philippines has since become an independent nation and Puerto 
Rico is a U.S. Commonwealth. The island of Guam remains an 
unincorporated U.S. territory and is geographically located in the 
western Pacific.
  As we commemorate this historic moment in U.S.-Guam relations, I 
think it is fitting that we recognize the contributions and sacrifices 
that the people of Guam have made to our country, and the strategically 
significant role that Guam continues to play in the western Pacific. 
Guam is the only remaining U.S. territory that was occupied by Japan 
during World War II from 1941 to 1944, and served as a significant 
staging area for our military conflicts in World War II, the Korean 
War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. The people of Guam also 
served our nation well in assisting our efforts to resettle thousands 
of refugees affected by these conflicts. The island continues to be 
used by the U.S. military as a strategic post in the Pacific. We need 
to commend the people of Guam for their loyalty and their sacrifice to 
our country.
  Because of Guam's great distance from the continental United States 
and close proximity to Asia, it is often difficult for Americans to 
remember that Guam is even a part of the United States and her people 
are U.S. citizens. Moreover, given Guam's history, isolation and small 
size, it is not easy for Americans and Congressional policymakers to 
understand the aspirations of the people of Guam and the issues 
confronting her political leaders.
  That is why I am pleased that President Clinton recently acknowledged 
that the federal government has a duty to fully consider the unique 
situation Guam faces on political status and land issues. I 
wholeheartedly agree with the President and urge that we engage the 
Government of Guam in a constructive discussion on Guam's quest for 
commonwealth status and the return of federal excess lands. One point I 
would like to make clear, however, is that I believe that federal 
excess land issues can be addressed separately from commonwealth 
negotiations. The resolution of Guam's political status should not 
hinder the federal government's efforts to redress longstanding land 
issues. In fact, last year the Senate passed S. 210, an omnibus 
territories bill, which includes a provision which provides for the 
transfer of certain federal excess lands in Guam. With one third of the 
land in Guam controlled by the Defense Department, I think that the 
people of Guam have more than shouldered their burden as part of U.S. 
national security in the Asia-Pacific region. The federal impact on 
land use planning is more evident if you consider that Guam is just 30 
miles long and nine miles wide. Let's recognize this year's centennial 
by enacting S. 210 and show that we do care about Guam's needs.
  Mr. President, for the past 100 years, the people of Guam have served 
as loyal citizens to our country. They have worked hard to develop a 
private sector to supplement the jobs created by the presence of our 
U.S. military bases. They have done their best to promote economic 
self-sufficiency. They have been there for us all these years and I 
think it is time that we recognize this and show our appreciation. I 
believe that the United States should take this opportunity to give 
back to the people of Guam by seriously engaging them in political 
status and land issues. It is the last we can do for all that Guam has 
done for our country.

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