He placed emphasis on the point that the treaty
 speaks of citizenship "in" the United States rather
 than citizenship "of" the United States, the former
 expression merely connotating United States
 nationality, and the latter expressly denoting full
 United States citizenship. Likewise, the provision
 that Congress was to determine "the civil rights
 and political status" of the inhabitants was viewed
 as clear evidence that the whole matter of
 citizenship, as distinguished from nationality, was
 intended to be left to the discretion of Congress.
 This provision was viewed by the State
 Department in 1920 as strong enough to be
 "controlling over" the provision regarding
 "citizenship in the United States," despite the fact
 that the right of determining civil and political
 status was made subordinate to the other
 provisions of the treaty.9

 Thus, for the want of a two-letter word -- "of" instead of "in" -- Virgin Islanders
were denied United States citizenship. The State Department decree "created much
dissatisfaction in the islands," according to Navy Governor Waldo Evans, "the
islanders feeling that as the Virgin Islands were acquired by purchase, and not
captured in war, their inhabitants should have been given the privilege of enjoying full
United States citizenship."10

 It maybe be concluded, therefore, that the United States induced Denmark to
sell the Islands under a threat of force, that it took possession of the Islands without
gaining the consent of their inhabitants, and that it allowed them to believe they were
being accorded United States citizenship when in fact the United States intended to
deny them that status. Meanwhile, the United States Supreme Court decided in the
landmark Insular Cases that the United States Constitution did not extend by its own
force to United States insular possessions, including the Virgin Islands, and therefore
their inhabitants would enjoy only such Constitutional rights as Congress might decide
to extend to them from time to time. 1

Congressional Act of March 3, 1917

 In its first enactment concerning the Islands, the Act of March 3, 1917, Congress
failed to extend any Constitutional rights to the inhabitants or even to provide for a
civilian government.12 Indeed, Congress authorized the United States President to
impose military rule on the Islanders. Entitled "An Act to provide a temporary
government for the West Indian Islands acquired by the United States from Denmark,"
provision was made for payment of $25 million to Denmark for the purchase. Section
1 of the Act provided in part as follows: