The year 1992 marks the 75th Anniversary of the transfer of the then Danish
West Indies from the sovereignty of Denmark to that of the United States. The islands
were purchased for $25 million in gold, a considerable sum at the time and the most
paid per acre by the United States for any of its possessions. The inhabitants of the
new acquisition were not given an opportunity to voice their wishes on the change, as
it was commonplace at the time for colonial powers to engage in such transactions
with no concern for local sentiment. Ironically, the only referendum held on the
transfer occurred in Denmark, whose voters approved the sale by a 64% margin. One
searches in vain for any indication of concern, on the part of American officials, for the
opinions of Virgin Islanders. The United States was on the verge of entering World
War I, and the Danish West Indies occupied a strategic place in relation to shipping
routes and the Panama Canal. There was fear that the German government might
gain control over them. Denmark was pressured to sell to prevent this from occurring.
Once purchased, the islands were renamed the Virgin Islands of the United States and
placed under the control of the U.S. Navy, a further indication that they were viewed as
a pawn in a global strategy game.1

 While the transfer of a colonial possession without consulting the affected
 population was a common occurrence in 1917, it would be inconceivable today. The
 concept of self-determination has achieved nearly universal recognition in
 international law. In essence, self-determination means that a people has the right to
 determine for itself the form of government it wishes to adopt, and the external
 relationships it desires to establish.2

 A recent statement of the principle of self-determination is contained in
 the 1975 Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe,
 generally known as the Helsinki accords. The conference formally adopted a
 "Declaration of Principles" which includes the following statement:

 The participating states will respect the equal
 rights of peoples and their right to self-
 determination, acting at all times in conformity
 with the purposes and principles of the Charter
 of the United Nations and with the relevant
 norms of international law, including those
 relating to territorial integrity of states.
 By virtue of the principle of equal rights and
 self-determination of peoples, all peoples
 always have the right, in full freedom, to
 determine, where and as they wish, their
 internal and external political status, without
 external interference, and to pursue as they
 wish their political economic, social and
 cultural development.