This paper will present a timeline of how a remote island in the South Pacific became a U.S. appurtenance (1860); then a U.S. territory (1925); and, finally, through a so-called “friendship treaty,” bargained away by New Zealand in order to maximize American Sāmoa's maritime boundaries (1980). The original claim to the island is fraudulent, as many government officials and scholars have long suspected but have been unable to prove. This paper will examine the fraud in detail and present conclusive evidence for the first time. The island's name is Olohega [olo'hɛŋa] and it belongs geographically, historically, and culturally to the nation of Tokelau.

The South Seas nation of Tokelau is officially comprised of three islands: Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo. But many people believe there is a fourth island in the group. Its indigenous name is Olohega (oloˈhɛŋa). Since 1925, Olohega (Swains) has been a U.S. territory by way of American Sāmoa and is privately owned by one family. The basis of the claim involves two American claimants, William W. Taylor and Eli Jennings.

“The Question of Olohega” is presented in two parts. Part One, published in APJJF in 2021, is an in-depth investigation of Taylor's fraudulent claim to all four of Tokelau's islands under the U.S. Guano Act of 1856. Part Two, presented below, is an investigation of Jennings' claim to Olohega, with a focus on the trajectory of events and questionable statecraft that led to the island's eventual annexation.