MASSIE TRIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 115, 17 May 1932, Page 7

MASSIE TRIAL.

EVENTS AT HAWAII.

Honolulu Position "Bolt from the

Blue" to U.S.A.

BITTER FEELING AROUSED

"My investigations disclosed that it was not a case of racial antagonism. There was no such thing in the Hawaiian Islands up to the time of the outrage, but racial antagonism has certainly been brought about by the situation that developed."

This statement was made oil tlie Niagara last night by Mr. P. Kinsley, a representative of the Chicago "Tribune, who spent -three months in Honolulu "covering the Massie trial" and investigating "the social conditions in the islands. He has now been assigned to write a series of articles on the social and economic conditions of Australia and New Zealand. He intended starting with the Dominion, but the political situation that has developed in New South Wales since he left Honolulu has decided him to go on to Australia with the Niagara and to return to New Zealand later.

"The Honolulu position struck the Stiites like a bolt from the blue," said Mr. Kinsley. "Nobody 'in. the community imagined that there was anything approaching a bad situation out there. The criminal assault case last September in which the young wife of Lieutenant Massie, a naval officer, was concerned was only briefly reported, and in the dispatches we received no names were mentioned. Everything was hidden, 011 account of the Navy and the tourist agency interests. We knew very little until the murder of Kahaliawai 011 January 8.

"The Navy then came out with big reports, which were made public, in which was recorded the whole history of the case with the statement that Honolulu was unsafe for white women. "Organised Propaganda." "I suppose there is no other community in the world where such a peculiar situation could arise. I found Honolulu a hotbed of gossip and violent opinions. A great body of opinion was to the effect that the wrong people had been identified, the implication being that an innocent man had been killed, and the Navy led into a trap. That was the first thing I had to investigate. There was a strong belief that a tragic error had taken place. "Many people firmly believed that, and still believe it. There was organised propaganda against the girl and her story, a tremendous effort being made to discredit her. Lots of people said there had been 110 criminal assault; that the girl had been going about with naval officers and that the whole thing was a 'cover up.' These statements could not be laid to any particular group or race. Navy Versus Civilians. "Racial peace has been put back for a long time by this case, which became a straightout conflict between the Navy and the civilian population. The naval element is very strong in Honolulu. It has 10.000 men, and plant worth hundreds of millions of dollars in Pearl Harbour; while the Army is 10,000 strong, a full division being quartered in the islands.

"During the whole case the Army stood in the background and said nothing, but was ready to back up the Navy had it become a fight between the Navy and the townspeople. The latter are dominated by the white business element, consisting of the old missionary group and their descendants, who have full control of banking and of the two basic industries —pineapples and sugar.

"Many of them feared that the Navy wanted to supplant the territorial form of government by some form of Commission Government dictated from Washington. There was an intertwining of interests with Hawaiian politics, the great majority being opposed to the suggestion of interference by Commission Government. As a matter of fact, the position that arose over the Massie case has been to alter the former elective system of public prosecutor and chief of police, these officers now being appointed by the Governor. The whole atmosphere was surcharged with intrigue, politics and public policy. All Sorts of Pressure. "Normally one would think that a white community would support the story of the girl and demand the conviction of the criminal," said Mr. Kinsley. "The white community, however, did not do that. There were seven white men of the jury which brought in a verdict of manslaughter against those charged with the murder of Kahahawai. The jury, you must understand, had nothing to do with the sentence.

"Washington and Congress had all sorts of pressure brought to bear on the Governor to pardon the offenders, and the sentence of 'not more than ten years' was commuted to one hour's imprisonment by the Governor, Lawrence Judd, who was forced into making that decision. It was not the will of the Hawaiian people that was being considered. They were sore at this action and regarded it as a travesty of justice.

"The aftermath is bitter feelings between the Navy and the townspeople, and a deep distrust of the Hawaiian Government 011 the part of Washington. Several bills have been presented to Congress since the case seeking to further deprive the Hawaiian people of local power, and the chances are that there will be some form of Commission Government instituted to take the place of the present Government. There is one big element in Honolulu, composed of missionaries and church groups, aided by Japanese born in the Islands. For yeais they have been conducting a campaign to bring the territory into status of a State. This movement has had a great jar as the result of the Massie trial, and I think it will now have to be abandoned. 1 Statehood seems to bo out of the question for an indefinite period."

Mr. Kinsley said, in conclusion, that there could be no retrial of the criminal assault case without Mrs. Massie being present to give evidence. She left Honolulu for America, defying the authorities and eluding subpoena servers by the aid of the Navy, who, by force, prevented the police from serving Mrs. Massie.