The establishment of formal N.Z.-U.S. diplomatic relations and the arrival of American military forces in Aotearoa in 1942 were events of great historical significance that helped transform the region, but they were also very personal events that directly touched the lives of millions of people.

My colleague Laura is a research whiz who has devoted a great deal of time and effort to giving our 70^th anniversary celebrations this year the authentic, human context that they deserve. Since she’s the expert, I’ve asked Laura to talk today a bit about 1942. Take it away, Laura.

*   *   *

LM: Thank you, Ambassador. I’m going to paint you a picture.

It’s 1942. Mrs. Miniver has won best picture at the 14^th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Glenn Miller rules the charts with “String of Pearls,” “Midnight Cocktail,” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” a gold disc winning single selling 1 million copies. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees to win the World Series. ‘Archie’ comic books make their debut. Casablanca will be released later in the year and earn an iconic place in cinematic history.

Against this backdrop of cultural milestones, the world is at war. The United States has just entered the conflict following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and now there are American troops far from home in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. Rationing has been instituted by the Office of Price Administration and all are encouraged to “make do with less.”

Voice of America’s William Harlan Hale begins his broadcasts across the world. Rosie the Riveter is encouraging women to join the war effort:

 All the day long,
Whether rain or shine,
She’s part of the assembly line.
She’s making history,
Working for victory,
Rosie the Riveter.

Approximately 6,882 miles from California, on June 12, 1942, U.S. Navy Cruiser USS San Francisco escorts the USS Uruguay, Santa Clara, Tasker, M. Bliss, and the James Parker on a grey winter’s day. A U.S. Navy Destroyer, USS Farragut, follows behind carrying troops from the 37th U.S. Army Division. The ships pull into Waitemata Harbour in a country called New Zealand.

Two days later, on June 14, 1942, USS Wakefield docks at King’s Wharf in Wellington, along with USS West Point which is about to head back to San Francisco after a brief stop in Australia. USS Wakefield is an impressive sight. A former transatlantic liner, weighing in at 24,000 tons, the Wakefield unloads the 1^st Marine Division and Major General Alexander Vandergrift. After this, to paraphrase historian Harry Bioletti, New Zealand is never quite same again.

Not all of the men and women on board these ships know where they’ve arrived, many asking, “What town, where are we?”  They do know they’re here for a very important reason.  And this will not be their final destination.  Many are destined to enter the Pacific theater of war in active combat. Some will never return home from the shores of places like Tarawa, Guadalcanal, and Midway.

U.S. Marines march down Queen Street in Auckland, June 1942.

The 2nd Marine Corps Division will pass their time practicing drills on the Kapiti Coast of Wellington. In Warkworth, north of Auckland, U.S. servicemen of the 3rd Marine Corps Division and the 25th and 43rd Divisions of the U.S. Army will do the same on Omaha Beach (not to be confused with Omaha beach in Normandy). 

The 15,000 – 45,000 U.S. service men and women stationed in New Zealand at any one time — a total of more than 150,000 over the course of the war — will bring with them new music, new dances, other new cultural phenomena, new ideas, and silk stockings.

Some will fall in love. There will be tiffs and a few fights, as there always are between friends. Cocktails, cigarettes, and chewing gum will become hot commodities. Milk bars and dry cleaners will become the rage. During their deployment in New Zealand these men and women will be welcomed into Kiwi homes, churches, public establishments, maraes, farms, and, best and most important of all, Kiwi hearts.

A party for several Marines hosted by the Lipshams of Manurewa, one of the many New Zealand families who opened their homes to U.S. service personnel.

A booklet entitled Meet New Zealand,  produced by the Historical Branch of the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs in September 1942 for United States servicemen stationed here, very presciently says:

“Welcome! When we say it we mean it. Those of us who have met Americans before have liked them (or most of them), and we hope you Americans will like us (or most of us).”

I think this really says it all. Friendships are always initially forged in uncertainty. While Americans and New Zealanders occasionally met and liked each other (or sometimes not) before 1942, this large-scale cultural exchange wrought an indelible change in the relationship. In 1945 when the majority of U.S. service personnel had departed these shores, neither the departees nor those remaining were the same as before.

American Servicemen enjoying a dance at the Majestic Cabaret in Wellington.

We knew each other better. Mostly, we liked each other. A lot. We’d shared a common experience and through it found we were very much alike in all the ways that matter. We’d taught each other things. Shared cultures, ideas, drinks.  Out of these common experiences grew a bond which we still share today … a bond which has survived its share of bumps in the road, a true test of its strength.

*   *   *

Laura, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts about 1942 and its important place in our shared history.