Anglo-German Relations in German Samoa as Reflected in German Reports from the Early Stages of World War I

Contemporary reports by German residents of Samoa to the German Colonial Office indicate that the opening stages of World War I in German Samoa played out in an atmosphere of Anglo-German camaraderie, highlighted by four developments: the petition presented by British residents of Samoa to Colonel Logan requesting that the Germans be treated with the same respect as had been accorded the British in Samoa; Logan's invitation to all German civil servants to continue their governmental duties; the deployment of a division of New Zealand Engineers to put down the Chinese rebellion against the German plantation managers at Tapatapao; and Admiral Graf Spee's decision on his arrival in Samoa not to pursue any hostilities against the British occupying forces.