Queen Wilhelmina had promised in a 1942 speech to offer autonomy to the overseas territories of the Netherlands, and British and American occupation—with consent by the Dutch government—of the islands during the war led to increasing demands for autonomy within the population as well.
Guillermina I de Holanda prometera nun discurso de 1942 ofrecer autonomía aos territorios de ultramar dos Países Baixos, e a ocupación británica e americana das illas, co consentimento do goberno holandés, durante a guerra, levou a aumentar as demandas de autonomía dentro da poboación.