 The question the arbitrator was to resolve was whether the Island of Palmas (Miangas), in its entirety, was a part of the territory of the United States or the Netherlands.The arbitrator ruled in favor of the Netherlands' position and stated that the Netherlands held the actual title to Palmas.In the first of the United States' two arguments, it claimed to hold the island because it had received the actual title through legitimate treaties from the original "discoverer" of the island, Spain.