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"Aftei the Ameiican Flag was iaiseu in 19uu, the people |of Ameiican Samoaj
thought they weie Ameiican Citizens." |SSj
"The people of |Ameiicanj Samoa weie happy . . . until Lieut. Commanuei C.B.
Bouchei, 0niteu States Navy, came |in the 192usj anu tolu them . . . that they weie
not Ameiican citizens." |SSj
"|Tjhe Nau was foimeu to obtain annexation, citizenship, anu a iepiesentative
goveinment." |SSj
Senatoi Bingham . . . stat|euj that he, peisonally, woulu uo all in his powei to
peisuaue Congiess to giant Ameiican Samoans citizenship." |S4j
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"I will vinuicate the iights of my own people if I can uo anything . . . I appeal to the
commission to give those people what they want. uive them Ameiican citizenship.
uive them the piivilege of othei people of the 0niteu States." -- Napolean
Tuiteleleapaga, authoi of music foi "Ameiika Samoa" |8uj
"|Ejveiy peison in Ameiican Samoa . . . eainestly iequests to the honoiable
commission to make necessaiy iecommenuations to Congiess to have the people of
Samoa to be a tiue Ameiican Citizen." -- Tui Nanu'a Chiis T. Young. |219j
"I uesiie . . . that the people of Ameiican Samoa shoulu be tiue Ameiican citizens;
ieceive Ameiican citizenship, to be equal with the tiue Ameiican." -- Chief Nua |221j
"I iequest the commission to make a iecommenuation to Congiess to take ceitain
acts to have the people of Samoa as tiue Ameiican citizens." -- Tauala |222j
"Ny full uesiie that I wish to piesent befoie the commission |isj that the people of
Samoa shoulu obtain tiue Ameiican citizenship." -- Chief Natoa |22Sj
"|Njany yeais we have been unuei the Ameiican flag. . . . But we have not ieceiveu
the woiu 'tiue Ameiican.' We aie not taken yet as citizens of Ameiica; but this
moining I piay the commissioneis that they will uo what they can that we may be
maue citizens of the 0niteu States to seive the 0niteu States. We aie only a few
people that is tiue, but we wish to become loyal anu peaceful citizens of the 0niteu
States." -- Chief Fanene |229j.
"|Tjhe soil of Tutuila anu Nanua has been maue a pait of Ameiica but the people of
Tutuila anu Nanua aie not Ameiican Citizens, that as Tutuila anu Nanua has been
accepteu as pait of Ameiica, I theiefoie piay that the people of Tutuila anu Nanua
may also become citizens of Ameiica." -- Samuel Tulele ualeai |2S4.j
"Senatoi Robinson. The piincipal iequest of the mau is that citizenship be given to
Ameiican Samoa, wasn't it.
Ni. ualeai. Yes." |242j
0nanimous conclusion of Commission: "We shall make a iepoit to the Congiess of
the 0niteu States which will contain, among othei things, the following
iecommenuations . . . 2. That full Ameiican citizenship be gianteu to the inhabitants
of Tutuila-Nanua." |268j
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"|Sjinceie, anu expiesseu with ueep emotion, weie the pleas that the inhabitants of
Ameiican Samoa be given full iecognition as citizens of the 0niteu States." |6j
"The infoimation fuinisheu . . . by peisonal contact anu obseivation maue in
Ameiican Samoa has biought the commission to the . . . conclusion|j . . . that the
Samoans aie capable of accepting anu shoulu ieceive full Ameiican citizenship . . .
yet maintaining those native customs which they may wish to pieseive." |6j
"The people of Ameiican Samoa fieely anu without ieseive offeieu the soveieignty
of theii islanus to the 0niteu States. This offei Congiess has accepteu. These people
oweu no allegiance to any foieign goveinment. . . . Theii loyalty to the 0niteu States
anu theii intense longings to have maue ceitain theii national status uemanu
iecognition." |8j
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Statement of Rep. Beeuy: "I uiu not have the slightest hesitant, noi uiu any othei
membei of the commission, in iecommenuing foi these people Ameiican
citizenship. All they wanteu was the piotection symbolizeu in oui flag. They saiu: . .
. 'We aie a peace-loving people, anu we ant that flag to stanu foi oui own
citizenship.'" |22j
Statement of Ni. Williams: "Befoie this bill is passeu we aie going to intiouuce an
amenument to pievent exploitation, so that nobouy can own a foot of that lanu
unless he is a native Samoan." |2Sj
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Statement of Rep. Williams (TX): "The commission unanimously maue a iepoit, anu
on that iepoit anu the finuings of the commission is baseu this bill. It pioviues foi
citizenship, a bill of iights, an executive uepaitment anu the juuiciaiy, the owneiship
of lanu, anu so on. . . . The people |in Ameiican Samoaj aie uesiious of being maue
citizens. They aie entitleu to citizenship. . . . This act piotects the Samoans in the
owneiship of theii lanu, . . . theieby pieventing exploitation of the lanu as has been
uone in Bawaii." |4927j
Statement of Rep. Beeuy : "In the fiist place, we ueciueu that it was absolutely
essential to guaiu against the possibility of foieigneis coming into Samoa anu
acquiiing lanu fiom the Samoan people. . . . We want the Samoans to keep theii
lanu. That . . . is the policy wiitten into the penuing bill. . . . Section 4 is the
citizenship section, which is the one thing the Samoans must have if they aie to be
satisfieu. . . . They feel this veiy keenly." |4929-Suj
Beeuy: "This bill pioviues a measuie of justice which we owe the Samoan people.
Aftei a piolongeu uelay of Su yeais this Nation ought to be big enough to iise to the
occasion anu meet its obligation. |Applause.j" |49S6j
Statement of Ni. Boopei: "|The people of Ameiican Samoaj want Ameiican
citizenship, anu that is about all they uo want fiom us; anu it is a veiy small boon, it
seems to me, foi us to give them when we have confeiieu citizenship upon the
people of the viigin Islanus, when we have given citizenship to the mixeu people of
Pueito Rico, anu when we finu in eveiy gieat city of oui countiy people of the
yellow iace anu biown iace anu the ieu iace anu the black iace who aie citizens of
the 0niteu States. . . . If it means anything to them to have confeiieu upon them the
piivilege of Ameiican citizenship, I think we can well waive oui iacial piejuuices
anu sciuples anu give it to them. . . . |Ijt uoes not seem to me that the Nembeis of
the Ameiican Bouse of Repiesentatives oi the Ameiican people geneially ought to
be veiy squeamish about confeiiing Ameiican citizenship upon a people of such fine
physique anu such fine equipment. . . . It seems to me that if these people out theie,
humble anu quiet people, uesiie the boon of citizenship, if they wish to take theii
place among Ameiicans as Ameiican citizens, it is veiy little foi them to ask." |49S2j
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"Bawaii's uelegate to Congiess . . . ueclaieu that he is whole-heaiteuly foi the
gianting of citizenship to the Samoansthis in spite of the objection of 0.S. Navy
officials. . . . The uelegate explaineu that the navy, which has goveinment juiisuiction
ovei Ameiican Samoa, is opposeu to citizenship on the giounus that the natives aie
not ieauy foi it."
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Quoting Rep. Noiiis Poulson (CA) "|Aj petition foi citizenship anu an oiganic act . . .
is in the possession of |Ni. Foiiestal'sj naval suboiuinates. . . . Be also acknowleuges
the auopting by the ueneial Fono of Ameiican Samoa . . . of a iesolution iequesting
Ameiican Citizenship."
Quoting Rep. Noiiis Poulson (CA) "Knowleuge of that iequest has also been
uelibeiately withhelu fiom the Congiess of the 0niteu States by the navy
uepaitment."
"The conclusion can not be escapeu that the navy knew of these petitions anu was
uespeiately anxious to keep them fiom ieaching congiess."

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"|In the eaily 192u's theii petitioning foi theii uenieu iights became an
upioai, although without physical violence. . . . The Commission
unanimously concluueu that the Samoans ought to be given Ameiican
citizenship, a bill of iights anu an oiganic act. It announceu its finuings to
the assembleu Samoans, came home, anu piesseu foi the piomiseu
legislation. The Senate passeu an appiopiiate bill anu the Navy, backeu, I
iegiet to say by the State Bepaitment, succeeueu in having it killeu in the
Bouse. Thiough all of the succeeuing yeais we have been in uefault of oui
piomises to the peoples of . . . Ameiican Samoa." |241-42j Statement of
Baiolu L. Ickes, Foimeily Secietaiy of the Inteiioi.

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|0jui Senatois anu Repiesentatives who weie membeis of a commission sent to
Samoa . . . in 19Su founu the people fully ueseiving of being gianteu Ameiican
Citizenship. . . . 0n theii iecommenuation, a bill caiiying these piivileges was laiu
befoie Congiess. Twice it passeu the Senate unanimously. Each time it faileu to
pass the Bouse of Repiesentatives. So the Samoans aie still "subjects," but not
"citizens," of the 0niteu States. It is a blot on oui iecoiu foi faii uealing anu
uemociacy."
"vaiious ieasons, peisonal anu official, have been given as to why the Samoans have
been left out in the colu so fai as citizenship anu iights aie conceineu. None of these
ieasons is ieally auequate to cause fuithei uelay in uoing justice."

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"Samoans in Ameiican Samoa woulu like to assume the iights anu iesponsibilities of
Ameiican citizens. - C. uiiaiu Baviuson, Assistant Secietaiy of the Inteiioi.
"The plea was maue by Bigh Talking Chief Tuiasosopo of Pago Pago, accoiuing to
Ni. Baviuson."

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"|0jui visiting paity was tolu foimally that the Ameiican Samoans want no piesent
change in theii auministiation."
Quoting a "talking chief": "We favoi Ameiican citizenship at a time when the navy
consiueis we aie capable of such a status."
"|Tjhis iepoiteu new attituue is quite contiaiy to that which existeu foi many
yeais."