Hawai`i's Cold War: American empire and the 50th state

In 1959 local, national, and international news celebrated Hawai'i statehood as a Cold War victory. Since race relations in America were thought to have a critical impact on U.S. prestige abroad, and reports of racial segregation and violence were far-reaching and easily used to the advantage of Soviet propagandists, the U.S. State Department attempted to spread Hawai'i’s story of ethnic diversity and racial harmony as wide as possible. Washington treated Hawai'i statehood as an important opportunity to claim a civil rights victory during the Cold War, at the same time counter claims of American colonialism and imperialism. Not only was Hawai'i’s ethnic composition offered as evidence of America’s racial tolerance, but also proof that American democracy would not be denied based on race or ethnicity.;Recognizing Hawai'i’s resources and Cold War assets, the United States Information Agency and Voice of America created and disseminated films, pamphlets, essays, and books about Hawai'i’s history, racial harmony, and the achievement of statehood. Washington also recognized Hawai'i’s unique “Asian” and “American” qualities, which made it an exceptional place for Cold War diplomacy and military training. Most notable of the cultural diplomacy projects were the East-West Center at the University of Hawai'i and Peace Corps training centers. As the Cold War escalated, so did military training and testing in Hawai'i. Recognizing that Hawai'i’s landscape resembled Southeast Asia, the U.S. military conducted Agent Orange research and weapons testing, and created Asian “training villages.” Despite the celebrated narrative that statehood ended or repudiated American imperialism in Hawai'i, I argue that statehood helped sustain and further normalize American imperialism in Hawai'i.;To understand how Hawai'i became part of America’s Cold War domestic and foreign policy, this project examines the role of films, congressional statehood hearings, domestic print media, literature created by Hawai'i-based authors, and State Department documents. Together, these forms created a distinct historiography about Hawai'i that recast Hawai'i’s history within Cold War objectives that the U.S. sought at the time. This collection of official documents and popular media sources served to reinforce ideas about American exceptionalism while further normalizing American hegemony in Hawai'i.