Between the years 1896 and 1944 the Spanish, Germans, and the Japanese occupied Chuuk and all had their own impact and influence on this small group of islands. If you spend any time in Chuuk you will encounter names and words that come from this period, but none more than Japanese.

Chuuk was effectively cut off from the outside world from 1936 until the end of World War II. On February 17 th and 18 th of 1944, the U.S. military carried out air and sea strikes on Truk Lagoon sinking over 45 warships, damaging many others, and destroying more than 250 aircraft that were caught on the ground during the attacks.

Chuuk became part of the U.S. Trust Territory by virtue of a 1947 United Nations Trusteeship Agreement that placed authority and control of the Micronesian Islands of Saipan , Palau , Yap , Truk, Ponape, and Majuro under the U.S. Navy. In 1951 the administering authority for these islands changed from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Department of Interior where it remained until the establishment of a new political status called Compact of Free Association.

In 1986 the islands of Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk and Yap joined together in a federation and became the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), an independent and sovereign country holding membership in the United Nations.

U.S. influence is now evident throughout Chuuk with the wide spread use of the English language, exclusive use of U.S. currency, mail service to and from Chuuk provided through an agreement with the U.S. Postal Service, FDIC insured banks, and a legal and government system modeled after the U.S.