Editorial Note
The South Pacific Commission, composed of representatives (“commissioners”) of the Governments of Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, was established in 1948. The Commission acted as a consultative and advisory body to the participating governments in matters affecting the economic and social development of the non-self-governing territories [Page 85] of the South Pacific region within the scope of the Commission and the welfare and advancement of their peoples.
Under the auspices of the South Pacific Commission, delegates from 14 non-self-governing territories (including American Samoa) met in Suva, Fiji, from April 25 to May 3, 1950. Members of the Commission attended solely as observers. The Conference arrived at a number of recommendations to the Commission on a variety of social and economic topics. In the opinion of the American observers, the Conference, without precedent in the South Pacific region, marked “the beginning of a program of combined endeavor among the island territories of inestimable significance for them.”
The South Pacific Commission held its Fifth Session in Suva from May 11 to May 19, 1950. The Commission evaluated and reviewed the recommendations of the South Pacific Conference and also took up a number of organizational and administrative problems. The American Commissioners reported that the session was “a hard-working and harmonious one.” The Commission held its Sixth Session in Noumea, New Caledonia, October 23–November 2, 1950. Considerable attention was given to the problem of developing a special technical assistance program for the South Pacific area.
For an authoritative account of the proceedings of the South Pacific Conference and the Fifth and Sixth Sessions of the South Pacific Commission, including the composition of the United States Delegations, see Department of State Publication 4216, Participation of the United States Government in International Conferences: July 1, 1949–June 30, 1950 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1951), pages 54–58, and Department of State Publication 4571, Participation of the United States Government in International Conferences: July 1, 1950–June 30, 1951 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1952), pages 39–40. For a detailed description of the origin, development, and organization of the South Pacific Commission, see Department of State Publication 3665, International Organizations in which the United States Participates: 1949 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1950), pages 197–201. Documentation on the South Pacific Commission is included in the files of the Department of State under 790.0221.