I used to start this page out with "Peak of Limuria" because it was (IMHO) the most accessible to readers, and contained the best description of Diego Garcia.  Plus the fact that I helped with the 2004 revision...  But I've changed my mind on the most accurate representation of our favorite island, and now believe it is found about 2/3s of the way through this fascinating book by Michael Dobbs.

The British-owned, US-dominated Diego Garcia has been mentioned in fact and fiction for many decades now.  The first time I remember reading about it was in the 1981 novel "The Hill of Summer" by Allen Drury, although it was a pretty brief account in the final pages of the book - basically the USSR nuked it to see if the US would respond to an attack on a truly obscure and remote territory.  In just a few short pages, THE LORDS' DAY fleshes out the real DG for the first time I can remember, and for the people who wander through this web site, that should be enough reason to get this book.

But wait!  There's more!

Michael Dobbs is virtually unknown to U.S. readers; you'll not find his work in your local Barnes & Noble.  But he's wildly popular in the U.K. since his first novel in 1988.  He is easily as clever as your favorite action/adventure/political-thriller author here in the U.S., and much more read-able than most.  Although there are 10 of his books for sale on Amazon, plus the 1990 BBC mini-series "House of Cards" on DVD, I'd never heard of him until about six months ago when he sent me an email and said he was writing a book, and needed to know if the USN or the Brits operated the prison on DG.  At first I thought he was another of those sniveling Guantanamerista commies, but after googling him and finding out that he actually is a published fiction author, and a Tory, I sent him much more info than he wanted, including pictures of things like the Brit jail, etc.

He asked some more questions, and finally thanked me for my help (actually I think he told me to stop writing to him, thanks), and then there was silence over the ether for months.  Then, one day just in time for Christmas, there was a signed copy of the novel in my mailbox!  As the holidays were pretty busy for me, I finally got around to reading it in mid-January, and WHAM!  I know now I should have blown off Christmas Dinner to read this book.  What a fast and furious read it is!

The plot is basically that the bad guys capture the Queen & her Cabinet & most of the House of Lords, and threaten to kill them all unless the terrorists' leader is released from prison on Diego Garcia.  It won't ruin the book if I mention that the good guys "win" in the end, and if you like questionable heroes, detestable politicians, semi-sympathetic bad guys, non-stop action, and glorious rescues, you'll love THE LORDS' DAY.  There's no wading through technical jargon, no wasting of half the book setting the scene, and no expository lumps describing the weather.  The action always fits the situation, and from the opening throat-slitting to the final suicide, this book moves as quickly as any you've read, and you will always remember it to be time well spent if you sit down with a six-pack and read it straight through.

So, where does DG fit into all this?  Michael spends several pages moving the terrorists' leader from the ROPO's jail to the airfield, and his taut descriptions of the place, the Brits, and the Americans involved are instantly recognizable to anyone who's spent a night in the drunk tank or driven down DG 1.  I was honestly amazed at how accurately Mr. Dobbs translated a couple paragraphs of info and a few photos into feeling like I was back on the atoll again.  Read it yourself, and see what I mean.  It's Deja Vue all over again.

As I mentioned earlier, you can't find this book in your local store, so go to Amazon.com and buy it there.  You will be glad you did.

Title:      Peak of Limuria
Author:     Richard Edis, BIOT Commissioner 1988-1991
Book ref:   ISBN 1 85725 070 2
Publisher:  Chagos Conservation Trust
            The Treasurer, Chagos Conservation Trust
            Flat 9, 13 Hinde Street, London  W1U3BF, United Kingdom
            (this is a UK Registered Charity No. 1031561)
Sales:      Order yours today from the CCT website:
         http://www.chagosconservationtrust.org/pages/POL%20Order.html
            Also it should be available in the Ship's Store on DG.
Price:      $22.00 (CCT members); $27 (non-members).
            Price includes shipping and handling.

     In 2000, I wrote a review of the 1993 edition of this work, which I found wanting in many respects.  A couple years ago, I was contacted by Nigel Wenban-Smith, another former Commissioner of the BIOT, who asked if I would like to contribute to a re-write!  Ambassador Edis had sadly passed away in 2002, and left the rights for the book to the CCT, which intended to republish the book and offer it once more for sale to the public.  I was surprised, and frankly honored, to be offered the opportunity to take part in this effort, and thoroughly enjoyed the mental exercise!  Not only was I contacted, but Kirby Crawford and Carl Villanueva, contributors to this site, were included in the work.  Our main contributions were to the Americanization of the atoll as described in Chapters XIII and XIV.  Hopefully the text will relay a better sense of the truly heroic accomplishments, and the resultant changes to the island, over the last 35 years, thanks to those of us who spent so much time on Diego participating in those activities.

     So... the gentle reader should be aware that my effusive praise for this book might be tainted slightly by my name appearing in print in it!  At any rate, here goes:

    This is the new and improved version of the 1993 book by the same author and title.  It retains the format of the original (being a slim little work 9.5 x 6.5 inches) but significantly expanded to 104 pages of text, with a much improved photo selection.  The book contains much more insight into the last decade of activities, and contains important environmental commentary as well.

    This book is a pleasant, quick read, and gives a very concise history of the island.  Ambassador Edis wrote in a clear and interesting style, and Nigel deserves much praise for retaining that comfortable feeling throughout the added text.  There are some fascinating pictures of old maps and paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries, a stunning photograph of the island from space, and some interesting charts and graphs.  But mostly the book relies on the text to carry the story, and the book is funny and entertaining in places.  The political and even patronizing viewpoints of the earlier edition have been, by and large, ameliorated, and the book will appeal to American and international audiences as well as those from the UK.   From my conversations with the CCT committee responsible for the re-write, I believe that Mr. Edis would be pleased with the result.

    Frankly, this is THE gift book to give anyone who has an interest in where you've been (assuming you've been to Diego Garcia).  It is stylish and attractive, and if not a compelling read, is certainly a unique addition to any bookshelf of the esoteric collector.

    And of course, don't forget to read Chapters XIII and XIV, which are absolutely the best.
 
 

Title:     Ecology of the Chagos Archipelago
Edited by: Charles R C Sheppard and Mark R D Seaward
Book ref:  ISBN 1 84103 003 1
Publisher: Westbury Academic & Scientific Publishing
           Ilkley Road, Otley
           West Yorkshire   LS21 3JP
Phone:     011 44 1943 467958
Fax:       011 44 1943 850057
e-mail:    sales@smith-settle.co.uk
Price:     £39:00 Sterling + £7:00 postage & packing for overseas orders
           (surface mail) or £4:00 for UK.  {ed note:  For airmail to the
           States, its £14 postage - and only took 9 days to get to me
           here in New Mexico}.

           Mastercard and Visa accepted (Card Number & Expiry Date and
           Cardholder's billing address required if different from
           delivery address).

           Its a hardback book of 358 pages, 125 figures & tables, 25
           coloured photographic plates, page size 9 1/2" x 6 3/4".

Official Publicity Blurb -  "The Chagos Archipelago, a British territory since 1814, is the largest and most isolated atoll complex in the world.  It lies 3380 kilometers east of Mombassa, 6 degrees south of the equator and is composed of sixty islands.  Since their abandonment in 1973, most islands, other than Diego Garcia, have been rarely visited, although extended visits by yachtsmen to two of the atolls are on the increase. The few other visits have been mainly scientists, the more recent being the 1996 Chagos Expedition, when thirty scientists and technicians from Britain, USA, Belgium, Germany and Holland, supported by two 26-metre ketches, carried out a six week research programme.  This volume is based mainly on the findings of this expedition, most of the scientists presenting papers at a Conference on 7 October 1997 organised by the Linnean Society of London and Friends of the Chagos and attended by more than a hundred participants. One of the expedition members Professor David Bellamy, provides a Foreword to this volume and additional material has been contributed by other scientists unable to attend both these events.
        "Chagos Archipelago in the centre of the Indian Ocean is unquestionably unique: due to its remoteness, to possesses a pristine environment still virtually uninfluenced by human disturbance.  Ecology of the Chagos Archipelago provides a powerful body of information of paramount importance to biodiversity and conservation studies, and will be of particular interest to coral reef scientists, island ecologists, biogeographers and conservation biologists."

PPDRDG President's Review:  First, this review is not a peer review, and I apologize to the dedicated scientists who wrote the book for any criticism I might have - far be it from me to evaluate any scholarly work.

     BUT, for the typical visitor to this web site, I recommend you buy this book, if you've got about $76.60 to spare (airmail to the states, exchange rate on 10/20/00).  The book is a compilation of the reports done by the members of the 1996 expedition to the Chagos Archipelago (about 20 scientists), who studied the reefs, the weather, the insects, the pollution, the nesting seabirds, etc., etc., of the islands, especially those northwest of DG.  It has 24 chapters, each of which is either a short paper explaining a specific scientist's project during the expedition, or a sort of analysis of several areas of study.  Each chapter has a short summary up front that explains what its going to say, and most have specific, practical recommendations for preserving or enhancing the ecology of the islands in the closing paragraphs.

    Considering the extreme difficulties inherent in mounting an non-military expedition to the Chagos, its amazing that there have actually been several, and this book also takes in data from those expeditions, and relates it to the current state of affairs.  Some of the chapters have some really cool data in them, like how many liters of turtle oil were exported in 1904, and stuff like that.

    It will make all patriotic citizens of the PPDRDG happy to know that the environment of our little republic is described in several places as the most "pristine" in the IO!  I think we each deserve a pat on the back for not trashing the place, picking the last living coral off the reef, or dumping heavy metals into the lagoon during our stay.  Actually, I was almost offended by one suggestion at the end of one of the chapters that 'base personnel be sensitized to the plight of sea turtles' or something like that.  I thought we all have done pretty well over the 30 years 'the base' has been there - the surrounding environment is BETTER than it was when the plantations were operating.  A real accomplishment consider we have fought a war from the island, and the Brits only have a grand total of about 40 men and women to ensure nobody does anything environmentally harmful.

    But, if you can get over that kind of minor faux-pax by someone who was only out there on DG for a couple of days, this is a great book for anyone interested in DG and the Chagos.  It is written by PhDs and so isn't in the standard 6th grade language our military manuals are written in, but it will read easily if you take your time, sound out the Latin names, and don't need too many pictures.  This is REAL science, not the greenie-weenie kind of twisted logic, so there are lots of charts and graphs and lists, and the pictures that are in it (about 25) are really, really, good.  The most important thing, I think, is that the conclusions it reaches concerning the ecology in the Chagos are the result of real science, not political bullshit.

    The main problem the casual reader will have with the book is that because the papers are scholarly, and subject to peer review, they assume you know  the taxonomic names for all the life forms, and if you don't have a translation guide to 'common names', you'll get frustrated because you'll never figure out just what kind of birds the 320 breeding pairs of Fregata minor on Diego are...

    The bottom line is that if you are interested at all in the world around you, serious about remembering your stay on DG from an intellectual angle, would like to astound your friends and neighbors by being able to explain the biogeographic role of the Chagos in coral dispersion in the Indian Ocean, or just want to finally, after all these years, own a book, GET THIS ONE.
 
 

This book has long been out of print, although you can find it at rare booksellers on the web.  But don't despair!  You can DOWNLOAD this critically important work by going to the University of Hawaii's web site at http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/duffy/atoll.htm, scroll down to "No. 149" and click on "Download PDF File".  It's a huge download - 21.7 mbs - which reflects the importance of this seminal collection.

As with Dr. Sheppard's work, this is not a peer review of this wonderful collection of scientific articles.  My judgement would be suspect at any rate, as I remain in awe of this book (and although paperbound, it is an 8.5 X 11 book of 294 pages).  Stoddard and Taylor compiled this series from their work on Diego in June and July 1967 with the British hydrographic survey aboard HMS VIDAL.  It is fascinating to read about the island before the arrival of the Americans.  Ever heard of Barrachois Sylvain?  Today we know it as Turtle Cove.  Reading this clear and concise book is like reading about your hometown before you were born.  For example, did you know that there was a huge 'barrachois' (bay) where Camp Justice now sits?

The main reason you should read this book is that it is widely held to be THE definitive snapshot of Diego Garcia after 150 years of cultivation and basically hunter-gatherer inhabitation, but before industrialization and the construction of the base on the western arm of the atoll.  Every subsequent author cites this reference, if for no other reason than to contrast current conditions from those in the late 1960s.  This alone makes it worth the effort to obtain and digest.

Stoddard gives some hints of his anti-military perspectives, which are more developed in later works, but this should not deter the serious reader.   So, my whole-hearted recommendation is to READ THIS BOOK.  Do it today.
 
 

       I thought that you or your readers might be interested in a book that has recently become available. It is "Diego Garcia:  Creation of the Indian Ocean Base" by Vytautus Bandjunis, ISBN 0-595-14406-3, Writers Showcase 2001.

      Bandjunis worked for "Yards and Docks" back in the 60s when the US first began getting serious about a base in the IO. The book is fairly short (300 pages with appendixes) and a straightforward read, primarily from the point of view of a top manager. There is a lot of stuff about budget reconciliations and bureaucracy and such that a lot of people probably wouldn't find too interesting. Amongst it, however, there is a lot of "Cold War" background material and some interesting pictures and factoids about everyone's favorite island. The book really starts with the 1964 joint US/UK survey team and carries on from there as plans are made, then unmade, money is budgeted, then unbudgeted, and eventually it is all made to work out, sort of. The book does not go in depth into the diplomatics of the situation but does give an outline (and how many books even *mention* the subject?).  The 'relocation' of the Ilois is also mentioned but is not dealt with in depth.

      The book is a nice slice of both "cold war" history (oooh, those nasty Russians are coming!) as well as an example of how messy projects like building a base in the middle of nowhere can be -- with the US, UK, India, Mauritius, USSR - not to mention USN, USAF, GAO, Congress etc. all sticking their fingers in the pie at various times.

        The "Stars and Stripes" bookstore on DG (is there still one?) ought to keep this in stock.  Regards,  Steven J. Forsberg.
 
 

Nature Books and Pamphlets for Sale:  From the Chagos Conservation Trust... Want a nice set of coffee-table booklets on your favorite tropical paradise?  Go here and buy them direct...  Also, they've got a great CD with lots of cool pictures, and they also sell "Peak of Limuria".

These are the same books for sale in the Stars & Stripes Bookstore on DG, and now you don't have to go back to get them - you can now buy them direct...a couple are co-authored by Charles Sheppard, and some by Commander John Topp, who was Brit Rep out there in 1986, and a very dear professional friend of mine (that's an inside joke).

You can get one of CDR Topp's reports from the University of Hawaii. Go to their web site, scroll down to No. 313, "An annotated check list of the flora of Diego Garcia, British Ocean Territory" and click Dowload PDF File.  It's not as pretty as the booklet for sale, and has no photos, but if you'd like a list of the plants you passed out in while you were out there, well, you can get it there.

Indian Ocean Area Books and Maps for Sale - Larry Bowman's site where you can buy (or sell) books, prints, and maps about the IO, including the BIOT and Diego Garcia.  This is where I got my copy of Atoll Research Bulletin No. 149.  Give it a try, if you're really interested in rare and intriguing stuff.
 

 

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