In the case of Guam and other territories, this is not the case. However, there have been occasions when this authority has been used in ways which have been damaging to the territories and countless times when Congress has failed to consider the unique circumstances of the area. In this context, the terms are important. Guam is not a protectorate which implies total internal sovereignty with some tradeoff agreement for protection. Guam is not a possession which seems a step below territory.
Wake Island is a possession and has no government functioning there.
It is managed by a Federal agency. Guam is an unincorporated territory that is working to establish a new Commonwealth. The Guam Commonwealth Act, H.R. 1056, which I introduced early in the 104th, provides the framework for this new Commonwealth. Governor Gutierrez and the Guam Commission on Self-Determination have been negotiating with the Clinton administration to resolve areas of disagreement. I am encouraged by the commitment shown by the administration's special representative, Mr. John Garamendi, to complete these discussions, but I am mindful of the difficult issues that remain.