Mr. GILL. Mr. Chairman, I had an additional statement on H.R. 7730 which I can insert in the record, if you wish.

Mr. FEIGHAN. Will you give it to the reporter, and we will insert it at the proper place.

Mr. GILL. Thank you.

Mr. FEIGHAN. Thank you very much, Mr. Gill. It was very enlightening.

Mr. CHELF. It was very enlightening and very educational.

Mr. FEIGHAN. Our next witness is the Honorable Wayne N. Aspinall, of Colorado, who is also chairman of the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee. We are very glad to have you with us, Mr. Aspinall.

STATEMENT OF HON. WAYNE N. ASPINALL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF COLORADO

Mr. ASPINALL. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, it is a pleasure for me to be here with you at this time to present a statement in favor of the legislation now under discussion.

I am sorry that a previous commitment did not permit me to be with you at the beginning of your session because, least of all, I do not wish to be repetitive of anything that has taken place here. I have heard a member of my committee answer some questions, and it would seem to me he has pretty well covered the matter involved. I think the important aspect of the legislation is that presently we do have quotas. I think you will find the 2 percent to which Mr. Gill made reference in his answer to Mr. Moore's question had to do with entrance into all areas of the United States, and the Island of Guam is as much a part of the United States as the area in which we reside here in Washington, D.C. Two percent would be approximately 1,600 visitors. If you figure the number of boats that go in and out and the passengers they carry, together with the airplane transportation, I doubt that there would be over 1,600.

Mr. Chairman, in the interest of time, and noting the presence of a senior member of the Congress, one who visited this area before I did, I would ask unanimous consent that the statement I have— which explains the position of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs and its Subcommittee on Territories, which is an integralpart of our committee, the bill itself, and its relationship to the people of the islands and of the United States proper-be entered into the record as if read by the witness now testifying, with permission to refer to just one or two parts of such statement.

Mr. FEIGHAN. That will be done, Mr. Aspinall. (Mr. Aspinall's statement follows:)

STATEMENT OF HON. WAYNE N. ASPINALL

Mr. Chairman, I am most appreciative that you are holding hearings on my bill H.R. 7556. I introduced H.R. 7556 last year when it was decided that the question of free entrance of citizens of the trust territory into the United States should be handled by the Judiciary Committee rather than the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.

Early in the 88th Congress, our colleague, Representative Leo O'Brien, chairman of the Subcommittee on Territorial and Insular Affairs, introduced H.R. 3198, an omnibus bill to promote the economic and social development of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Section 3 of that omnibus bill contained the language that eventually became the language of the bill under consideration

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today. It was fully considered by the O'Brien subcommittee and carries the strong endorsement of its members.

Mr. Chairman, in 1947 the United States assumed responsibility for administration of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under a United Nations Trusteeship Agreement. For the past 17 years our Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs has been promulgating legislation for the territory and with the Office of Territories in the Department of Interior has been administering and supervising the now some 90,000 inhabitants of the almost 2,000 islands. The inhabitants are not American citizens or nationals and so far as I know are not likely to become citizens or nationals. They are citizens of the trust territory and wards of the United Nations. They do not have free entrance to the United States as do United States citizens residing on Guam or in the Virgin Islands nor do they enjoy the privileges extended to the U.S. nationals residing in American Samoa. Citizens of the trust territory have a unique status, a discriminatory status in some respects inasmuch as they are neither citizens or aliens in actuality. Their relationship to the United States is widely misunderstood, a situation which may or may not ultimately be conducive to their best interests.

H.R. 7556 would permit certain citizens of the trust territory to travel freely to and from their islands to the United States and to live and work here for the purpose of acquiring useful skills or attending school. It would place them outside the quota provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. I fully recognize that certain minor difficulties would be encountered in the implementation of H.R. 7556 but they would become routine within a few years inasmuch as there would be a relatively limited number of persons who would take advantage of the privilege of coming to the United States. Some of those coming would prefer to remain here and likely ask for citizenship; others would returň to their home islands upon completion of their visits.

This bill would not extend to the islanders the privilege of counting residency in the trust territory toward the residency requirement for naturalization, as is the case with noncitizen nationals coming to the United States from "outlying possessions" as defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act. The bill would, however, waive the quota and visa requirements for the islanders entering the United States for study and their entrance for that purpose would be considered as lawful admittance for permanent residence if they decided to petition for naturalization. A few islanders have become citizens under quota provisions in the United States itself but considerably more through naturalization proceedings on Guam.

I shall not elaborate on the precise procedures that would be followed if this bill is enacted but I do want to justify its provisions. Among the responsibilities we have to the inhabitants of the trust territory is to develop them toward a greater degree of self-government. Eventually, I believe, they should have legislative responsibilities. Today they do not have-nor should they have at this time those responsibilities. The tremendous area, 3 million square miles, and the isolated location of the 2,000 islands, with cultural and patriotic differences, have not developed the concept of a united territory, pan-Micronesia, if you will, into a cohesive group willing or able to develop a unity of thinking. Today they are island or community or district-minded but not territory or world-minded.

Those of us who know the islands and are acquainted with the islanders and their problems realize that they must become acquainted outside their immediate surroundings. During the first decade of our 17-year administration we emphasized the protection of the islanders from the complexities of modern living. I hope we were not overly protective. We have prohibited free access to the islands of either persons or capital. We still maintain a close security check on persons moving into the islands, and rightly so, but we now believe that restrictions on islanders wishing to visit and study outside the trust territory ought to be relaxed somewhat.

It is difficult to understand the responsibilities of the United States to the islanders without having visited the islands and having become acquainted with them. Members of our committee have been diligent in their responsibilities to the trusteeship. We visit the islands regularly. We bring trust territory representatives to Washington for briefings and consultations. We believe that eventually as provided by the trusteeship agreement that Congress freely accepted in 1947-the islanders must choose their own destiny. The United States must provide them with the standards and values which will enable them to choose wisely.

Today the islanders, because of their geographical location, are able to visit with relative ease a number of countries in the Far East. While some Far East countries have forms of government compatible with the concepts of the free world, some of them do not. Our committee members believe that the United States should encourage the citizens of the trust territory to visit, study, live, and work in our country. They can learn about the United States far better with an inside view rather than from the outside view they are presently enjoying.

This

We intend to attract American investment to provide the commerce and the facilities which the citizens of the trust territory cannot provide for themselves because of a lack of capital, but which is essential if the standard of living is to be raised. The people of the trust territory will participate fully in this development by furnishing their skills and labor in lieu of capital. However, extensive training in various skills will be a prerequisite to any such participation. training will in many instances need to be acquired in the United States, or an area over which the United States exercises jurisdiction, either as an industrial trainee program sponsored by an American company engaged in an enterprise in the trust territory, or as general training not related to specific operations in the trust territory. This would be difficult to accomplish as long as the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act are applicable to Micronesians.

The accelerated developmental program in the trust territory places great emphasis on education. Primary and secondary educational needs can be met in the trust territory by the institution of a proper program, but for some time, the need for higher education will have to be met by making educational facilities outside the trust territory readily available and easily accessible. H.R. 7556 would facilitate this, also. It would remove the requirement for obtaining a student visa and the attendant restrictions presently applicable to trust territory students, thus permitting any trust territory student to attend the school of his choice, if he is otherwise qualified, with a minimum of difficulty. It would also permit students lacking adequate funds greater freedom in seeking gainful employment for the purpose of financing their education.

For all of these reasons the enactment of H.R. 7556 is important. Further, if we, as the administering Nation, open the trust territory to Americans, in the interest of comity, we should likewise open the United States to the citizens of the trust territory. We do not believe that this will create problems of any magnitude. The population of the trust territory is approximately 90,000 men, women, and children. As a practical matter, by reason of education, financial status, and social customs, it is not likely that any great number of these persons would come to the United States. However, it is desirable that the young people, the intellectual and social leaders, and those others who will play a major role in making the final determination as to the status of the trust territory be given this opportunity.

It should be emphasized that this proposal does not confer American nationality upon the citizens of the trust territory and in no wise serves to annex the trust territory, nor does it obligate the Congress in any way to treat the trust territory differently in the future than at present.

I shall not discuss the details of H.R. 7556. Representatives from the Office of Territories in the Department of the Interior and from the Immigration and Naturalization Service will provide such precise information you may desire. I want to emphasize, however, that the concept of making U.S. facilities and philosophies available to citizens of the trust territory is sound and meets with the approval of a large majority of the members of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. I hope you will find it possible to enact this legislation.

(Mr. Aspinall's bill, H.R. 7556 is identical with H.R. 7669.) Mr. ASPINALL. May I say, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, that I had the pleasure of visiting this area and went throughout all of it, some 11 of the most important islands in 1954. I have returned to a part of the area since then. Members of our committee, including Mr. Gill, have visited the area. Other members of committees formerly having jurisdiction over the area have visited the islands.

I think Mr. Chelf's recommendation that the members of this committee visit the area, even though it is a hard trip, is perhaps the only way that the members of the committee could get a personal grasp of what is involved.

What is to happen to these islands in the future, none of us knows, but they are very vital, according to the information that comes to us, to our own security. With that in mind, knowing that a decision must be made sometime in the near future by the islanders themselves, because that is a part of our ideology, we should do all that we can in order to let them know what our civilization is and where they might be able to fit into our civilization, not only for our benefit but also for theirs.

The question Mr. Moore asked relative to what is to happen to the people who come over to the United States is a very important question, because we do not want to have all of the people of the trust islands coming over here and leaving the islands without the necessary skilled personnel and intelligence left in the islands to carry on their civilization, even though it remains to a great extent purely subsistence economy. I do not think it will. I do not think it can. I think it has to be brought into our own economic life. We just cannot permit a drain of the intelligent people of the islands from the islands.

Having visited the islands of the Marshalls to the east, all of the important islands, the islands in the middle, the Carolines, and the islands to the west, the Marianas, and those to the north, some which are under another mandate that we have at the present time, I can readily understand why we must bring them into closer contact, but we must send back to these islands the best of their educated and skilled personnel that comes over here for education and training.

I have a statement, Mr. Chairman, from Mr. Amata Kabua, who is one of the progressive citizens of this area. He is unable to be here today. He has been in Washington. I would ask unanimous consent that his statement be made a part of the record at the conclusion of my testimony, and that I might be permitted to refer to his statement in answer to Mr. Moore's very important question.

Mr. FEIGHAN. Will you please supply that to the reporter for our consideration.

Mr. ASPINALL. Mr. Kabua, who has been in and out of the United States, says:

It is only reasonable that questions are raised as to the possibility of the trust territory losing its best people in the future by virtue of this legislation, thus its enactment may prove detrimental. While it is very difficult to predict the consequences in the course of a distant future, one can fairly reason that it would be equally difficult for a Micronesian to leave his tropical islands and his easy way of living for taking up permanent residency in an advanced and more complicated society. Whether it is because of financial reason, lack of confidence, or love of home, climate, environment, or the people, one can only guess. A number of young Micronesians had spent 3 to 5 years in the United States for the purpose of furthering their education and serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. All of these people returned home with the exception of a few who will certainly be returning in the not too distant future. Also, it seems that when a person of any nationality has stayed in the trust territory for a year or so, it would be almost impossible for him to leave. It is especially true in the case of the U.S. civil servants in the trust territory government. Some of them have lived in the territory for nearly 20 years; and some are past due for retirement but still hang on to their jobs to remain in the islands.

There is a certain hope that these islands have for people who become acquainted with them. In my visitations I have found people who have gone out of the islands, not to the United States necessarily. It is easier for them to go to some other areas close by. They invariably return home in order to use their advanced skills, whether it

be medicine or dentistry or teaching or even instruction work. They invariably return to these islands.

It is my opinion that in the future they will do so. But in order for them to have a feel of the United States as they make their decisions some time in the future, it seems to me that we are taking no chances at all in permitting these people to come in under the provisions of the bill now under discussion.

Again I thank you. I would be glad to try to answer any questions that you may have. I am not an expert, but I certainly have done my best to learn these islands, because I love this part of the world.

Mr. FEIGHAN. Mr. Chelf.

Mr. CHELF. No questions, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. FEIGHAN. Mr. Poff.

Mr. POFF. Mr. Chairman, as one member of the subcommittee, I want to express what I believe to be the sentiment of all members of the subcommittee, a sentiment of appreciation for the kindness of the distinguished chairman of the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee and the insight which his actions reflect in yielding to this subcommittee on this important matter of jurisdiction at the last session of the Congress. Sometimes those jurisdictional disputes are not so easily settled.

I say we want to thank you, sir, for making it possible for us to deal with this subject definitively.

Mr. ASPINALL. May I reply to my good friend from Virginia that it was a pleasure to yield, under the circumstances. The bill came to our committee because of our jurisdiction over territorial matters. When we found that we were involved in a jurisdictional matter, that there was another committee more learned in the provisions of this particular section of the bill than our committee could possibly be, it was the natural thing for us to do. We try to do that with all committees. Once in a while, though, because of this complicated operation in Congress, we do get mixed up in jurisdictional matters, but we do not do it intentionally.

Mr. CHELF. I would like to associate myself with the statement of the gentleman from Virginia, if you will permit me to do so. I, too, am very much pleased. I feel that we have, if anything, a deeper and a more sincere and lasting obligation upon ourselves here, since the gentleman has been so magnanimous and so cooperative and helpful, to go into this thing as carefully as we possibly can. For one, I want to express my sincere appreciation to the gentleman for his cooperation, his courtesy, and his kindness. I can assure him, speaking for myself and I feel the other members will join with me-that this is a matter that needs deep study of the committee. While I have never heretofore seen fit to want to fly out into the Pacific, I have had many occasions as a member of this committee to have gone to many places across the Atlantic, busy doing something else, but this is one time I believe I would like really and sincerely to go take a look and see what makes this end of the world tick.

I think I would be far better able to legislate as a result of such a trip. I appreciate what the gentleman has said in this respect. Mr. ASPINALL. Thank you very much.

Mr. POFF. I believe without stretching my imagination unduly I could suggest one example of the sort of jurisdictional dispute to which the gentleman made reference a moment ago, but since it would not