On June 29, 1926, by Executive Order 4467, President Calvin Coolidge established Johnston Island Reservation as a federal bird refuge and placed it under the control of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as a “refuge and breeding ground for native birds.” Johnston Atoll was added to the United States National Wildlife Refuge system in 1926, and renamed the Johnston Island National Wildlife Refuge in 1940. The Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge was established to protect the tropical ecosystem and the wildlife that it harbors. However, the Department of Agriculture had no ships, and the Navy was interested in the Atoll for strategic reasons, so with Executive Order 6935 on December 29, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt placed the islands under the “control and jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy for administrative purposes,” but subject to use as a refuge and breeding ground for native birds, under the Department of Interior.
On February 14, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8682 to create naval defenses areas in the central Pacific territories. The proclamation established “Johnston Island Naval Defensive Sea Area” which encompassed the territorial waters between the extreme high-water marks and the three-mile marine boundaries surrounding the atoll. “Johnston Island Naval Airspace Reservation” was also established to restrict access to the airspace over the naval defense sea area.
Only U.S. government ships and aircraft were permitted to enter the naval defense areas at Johnston unless authorized by the Secretary of the Navy.
Military Control and Usage:
Under military control, Johnston Atoll was the site of numerous military operations including missile and atomic weapon testing, satellite tracking, and biological agent testing. Ultimately the atoll was used as a storage site for chemical and biological agents pending destruction in a specially built incineration facility.
This storage history has left the atoll contaminated and cleanup and remediation efforts continue.
In 2003 structures and facilities were removed and the runway was marked closed. The last flight out for official personnel was June 15, 2004. After this date, the base was completely deserted, with the only structures left standing being the Joint Operations Center (JOC) building at the east end of the runway, chemical bunkers in the weapon storage area and at least one Quonset hut.
After Closure:
The atoll was placed up for auction via the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) in 2005 before it was withdrawn. The stripped Johnston Atoll was briefly offered for sale with several deed restrictions in 2005 as a “residence or vacation getaway,” with potential usage for “eco-tourism” by the GSA’s Office of Real Property Utilization and Disposal. The proposed sale included the unique postal zip code 96558, formerly assigned to the Armed Forces in the Pacific. The proposed sale did not include running water, electricity, or activation of the closed runway. The details of the offering were outlined on GSA’s website and in a newsletter of the Center for Land Use Interpretation as unusual real estate listing # 6384, Johnston Atoll.