to resign their posts. He was accused of wiretapping phones on the islands, but none of his critics were able to produce evidence of any activity. He signed a bill out of the American Samoa Fono into law, against the wishes of the Department of the Interior, to send a Delegate to the United States House of Representatives from American Samoa. Along with traditionally garbed island chiefs, Aspinall was one of the first officials to greet and congratulate the crew of Apollo 10 after the success of their mission. He drew criticism for forbidding a Samoan woman from marrying a Korean man; the two sued the governor. Aspinall defended his decision by stating he was keeping disgruntled fishermen from jumping ship in Samoa; he sought to keep Samoa "for Samoans", despite the fact that he married a Samoan woman himself. Aspinall had to contend with violent clashes between Korean and Chinese ethnic groups who fought with knives and clubs off the shore. He requested riot gear to put down the violence. The incidents began when a Korean fishing boat rammed a Chinese one, ultimately causing it to sink in the storm. The governor had to separate Japanese, Chinese, and Korean vessels to keep the fishing companies running between the islands. At one point, Aspinall had to close the port of Pago Pago. When Richard Nixon became President of the United States, Aspinall handed in a pro forma resignation, as the Secretary of the Interior was likely to soon replace him with a Republican. His term as governor ended on July 31, 1969. References 1927 births 1997 deaths Governors of American Samoa People from Grand Junction, Colorado Military personnel from Colorado United States Army personnel of World War II District attorneys in Colorado American Samoan Attorneys General University of Denver alumni Washington College of Law alumni American Samoa Democrats Colorado Democrats 20th-century American politicians