Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
1947–1994
Anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner"[1]
Location of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in the Pacific
Location of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in the Pacific
StatusUnited Nations Trust Territory under the administration of the United States
CapitalSaipan
Common languagesEnglish (official)
Micronesian languages
Chief of State 
• 1947–1953 (first)
Harry S. Truman
• 1993–1994 (last)
Bill Clinton
High Commissioner 
• 1947–1948 (first)
Louis E. Denfeld
• 1981–1987 (last)
Janet J. McCoy
LegislatureCongress
Historical eraCold War
• Trusteeship
July 18, 1947
• Termination of administration (Marshall Islands)
October 21, 1986
• Termination of administration (Micronesia)
November 3, 1986
• Free Association and De jure independence of Palau
October 1, 1994
CurrencyUnited States dollar
ISO 3166 codePC
Preceded by
Succeeded by
South Seas Mandate
Marshall Islands
Federated States of Micronesia
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
  1. Clinton was President when Palau's Compact of Free Association took effect. Ronald Reagan was President when the final status of the RMI, FSM, and CNMI took effect.
  2. McCoy retired as High Commissioner in 1987. As Palau was still a part of the TTPI, it was administered by officials in the Office of Territorial and International Affairs until 1994.
Map of the TTPI from 1961

The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the US during the Pacific War, as Japan had administered the territory since the League of Nations gave Japan a mandate over the area from Imperial Germany after World War I. However, in the 1930s, Japan left the League of Nations and invaded additional lands. During World War II, military control of the islands was disputed, but by the war's end, the islands had come under the Allies' control. The Trust Territory of the Pacific was created to administer the islands as part of the United States while still under the auspices of the United Nations. Most of the island groups in the territory became independent states, with some degree of ties kept with the United States: the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau are today independent states in a Compact of Free Association with the US, while the Northern Mariana Islands remain under US jurisdiction, as an unincorporated territory and commonwealth.

  1. ^ An Act To make The Star-Spangled Banner the national anthem of the United States of America (H.R. 14). 71st United States Congress. March 3, 1931.