Under the 1899 Treaty of Berlin the seven eastern islands of Samoa were to be a U.S. possession and Western Samoa a German possession. The treaty was ratified by the U.S. Senate on February 16, 1900. An Executive order placed American Samoa under control of the Department of the Navy and directed the Secretary of the Navy to take necessary steps to establish U.S. authority and give the islands protection. U.S. naval control of American Samoa lasted until June 29, 1951, when, by Executive order, the President transferred control to the Department of the Inteior. In 1960 the Secretary of the Interior approved a constitution for American Samoa.
From the description of Records of the Government of American Samoa (Record Group 284). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122405146
