THE
AMERICAN
CONNECTION

By Joseph Vella

Much is known about Malta's close cultural ties with mainland Europe, particularly Sicily, and its ceaseless exposure to Arab and Turkish territorial infringements which went on well into the 19th century, when marauding for slaves and other bounty finally came to an end. Less has been said about the island's relations with the United States. It all started in 1783, when Benjamin Franklin sent Grand Master Emanuel de Rohan, a commemorative medallion in honor of the newly won American Independence from British rule, under King George III. During the conflict a small contingent of Knights of the Order of St. John had joined the French navy in support of America's revolt. But even before then circa 1751, a Maltese master craftsman by the name of John Pass (an Anglicized version of his Maltese surname) helped recast the Liberty Bell after it cracked. A faded historic picture of John posing around the bell with other artisans, shows a distinct tattoo of Maltese design on his bare arm.

The first American Consul to Malta was appointed in 1796, making it possible for American ships of war to anchor in Malta for fresh water and provisions during the Tripolitan War 1801-5. For the duration of the conflict Malta was committed to the American cause. The war against Barbary corsairs laid the foundation for American naval power. By 1800 Malta had been placed under British protection. It was a time when British colonial interests were increasingly being threatened by growing American naval forces in the Mediterranean. Eventually the war of 1812-14 erupted between England and America, at which time Malta wily-nily served as a British naval bastion against units of the American navy. In 1842 confrontation gave way to co-operation. The United States and Great Britain agreed to maintain a balanced presence of naval armed forces in the Mediterranean. It was the start of a long partnership between the two navies, which endures until now. The American navy decided to make Malta a station for its warships in 1847, when Spain took over Port Mahon, on the island of Minorca, from the Americans for its own use. During WWII Malta was one of the staging areas for the U.S Armed Forces invasion of Sicily. General Dwight D. Eisenhower and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt were visitors to the island. FDR paid tribute to the Maltese people for their valorous service to the allied war effort by presenting a plaque on December 8th, 1943. It read in part "In the name of the people of the United States of America I salute the island of Malta. Its people and defenders............ have rendered valorous service far and beyond the call of duty." The President's message concludes with "What was done in this island maintains the highest traditions of gallant men and women who from the beginning of time have lived and died to preserve civilization for all mankind." As a fitting footnote to Malta's rich history, the island purports to have been the mise en scene for the final episode of the cold war between the two super powers, when President George Bush and Chairman Mikhail Gorbachov met on board ship in scenic Marsaxlokk harbor, to declare the end of mistrust and antagonism between America and Soviet Russia. The demise of British naval supremacy in post WWII Europe, has made way for a corresponding increase in American naval deployment around Malta. With the exception of a short interlude during the cold war, Malta remained a safe haven for American vessels. The first dry dock to be constructed in Malta was opened in 1848. Exclusively reserved for ships of the Royal Navy, the dockyard has repaired vessels of every nationality, including units from the American 6th. Fleet.

Trade connections between Malta and America date back to the end of the eighteenth century. American mercantile marine expansion in the Mediterranean provided articles of food at a cheaper price than British merchants offered, burdened as they were by laws which required colonial produce to be re-exported from London. Malta saw the biggest boom of American shipping at the time of the Crimean War (1854-56) when American merchantmen supported England and France in their war against Russia. American food and products entering Malta continued to escalate into the 1900's. Today Malta is awash with American made goods, movies, and music.

A strange connection between the United States and Malta is the island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. It was formerly acquired by the Knights of Malta in 1653 (with several other adjoining small islands), sold to Denmark in 1733, and finally bought by the United States in 1916.

New Orleans, Louisiana, then a French colony, saw the earliest Maltese migration to the new world in 1780. By 1818 other Maltese followed in larger contingents and by 1855 well over a hundred had settled in the United States. Mass Maltese emigration to America coincided with the discharge of skilled artisans from the dockyard in 1919, at the end of WWI. Many found work in the automobile manufacturing industry centered around Detroit, Michigan, while others settled in the north east. Today there are arguably as many native born Maltese, or American nationals of Maltese origin living in America as there are Maltese living in Malta. The precise number is open to debate and conjecture. What is certain, many have succeeded beyond their wildest dream in becoming part of the great American mainstream.

Acknowledgment: The primary source for this article is the "Early Relations Between Malta & U.S.A" by Paul Cassar MD. Ex-Chairman of the Commission for the Development of Higher Education in Malta, Dr. Cassar, an international acclaimed author, has written "Medical History of Malta (1965)" and other historical monographs on "The Institutional Treatment of the Insane in Malta (1949)" and on the "Landmarks in the Development of Forensic Medicine in the Maltese Islands (1974)."

E-mail to Joseph Vella: joevella@prodigy.net

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