Political Quotes

“this is the last opportunity that I will have to speak on the issue of Guam's liberation before its 53d celebration on Monday, July 21, 1997, which will be the 53d anniversary of the liberation of Guam from the hands of the Japanese occupiers when the marines landed on the beaches with the help of the 77th Army. What I would like to do is to tell a little bit about the story about Guam, and some legislation that I have introduced today to help rectify an egregious error, an egregious error that may be made about the experience of the people of Guam. The people of Guam experienced something that is very unique in the American framework. It was the only American territory with civilians who lived on it that has been occupied by a foreign power since the War of 1812. During World War II the Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska were occupied by the Japanese, but prior to that the civilians on those islands were evacuated by the military. In the case of Guam, what we had was approximately 20,000 native Guamanians, better known as Chamorus, who were at that time considered U.S. nationals. They were not aliens. They were non-U.S. citizens, but they were considered U.S. nationals. Of course, Guam was an American territory. They endured some 32 months of Japanese occupation.”