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DRAFT PLAN
FOR A VISITOR'S PROGRAM FOR MIDWAY ATOLL TO BE RELEASED BY THE
USFWS
In early 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) service
plans to release their draft plan for public review. If those
comments are supportive, officials would then submit the plan
for approval to the USFWS's regional director, according to the
Washington Post on November 27, 2006. The Post article may
be reviewed by going to the newspapers' web site at
www.washingtonpost.com.
The International Midway Memorial Foundation (IMMF), which
has been working closely with the USFWS on the 65th anniversary
of the Battle of Midway Ceremony on Midway Atoll in June 4, 2007,
will review the draft plan as an interested party. The Foundation
applauds the USFWS' interest in having a visitor's program, and
for its efforts in formulating the draft plan to enable such a
program. At the suggestion of the Service, the draft plan will
be published on the Foundation's web site
(www.immf-midway.com)
when it becomes available.
UPDATE ON THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION OF THE BATTLE
OF MIDWAY:
Plans for the 65th anniversary commemoration of the Battle
of Midway in Hawaii and on Midway Atoll continue. Robert Folliard
has initiated contact with the Halekulani Hotel as the primary
meeting site for the activities of the week, including the
cocktail reception on May 30, the two-day symposium May 31-June
1 and the Midway Night Dinner on Sunday, June 3. He will also be
contacting the USS Missouri for the event of Saturday, June 2.
The coming symposium should be particularly interesting because
of new information that has come to light regarding both the
attack on Pearl Harbor and the battle of Midway. To anyone
interested—especially if you plan on attending the
symposium—I recommend that you read the following books:
"Day of Deceit" by Robert Stinnett and "Shattered Sword" by
Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. These books contain
declassified material from the National Archives and new
information from the War History section of the Japanese Defense
Agency, which is highly regarded for its comprehensive treatment
of the campaigns and its general lack of bias. Dr. William
Dudley, former Director of the Navy's Historical Center,
recently reviewed "Shattered Sword" in Naval History and wrote,
"The virtue of 'Shattered Sword' is that...Parshall and Tully
have opened an entirely new chapter...on the battle of Midway
by bringing to light more Japanese sources and interpretations
than were previously available to most historians of World war II."
Plans for the ceremony on Midway Atoll are more of a challenge
as the USFWS has had difficulty is securing air transportation
from the commercial airline industry. The Foundation encountered
the same difficulty. As a result, the Foundation, with a letter
of support from the USFWS, will approach the U.S. Navy to assist
in this regard (see attached).
The plan is to secure air transportation from the Navy as a
backup if commercial air transportation availability becomes
untenable.
The USFWS has invited President Bush to attend the ceremony
on Midway Atoll on June 4, 2007 and asked that the IMMF extend
the same invitation, which we did. Enclosed is a letter of
response from the White House
(see attached).
***THE WINTER ISSUE OF THE NEWSLETTER WILL CONTINUE TO
UPDATE YOU ON THESE ISSUES.
CLOSING MESSAGE:
Chris and I send our warmest regards and wish you all a Merry
Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year. We will be in North
Carolina and Washington, D.C. during Christmas week.
EDITORIAL STAFF:
JAMES M. D'ANGELO
M. CHRISTINE SIMS
(240) 460-0041
ADDRESS:
IMMF
1767 LAKEWOOD RANCH BLVD
BRADENTON, FL, 34211-4906
WEB PAGE:
WWW.IMMF-MIDWAY.COM
E-MAIL:
IMMF42@aol.com
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