Herbert von Bismarck invited delegations from the United States and the British Empire to Berlin in April 1889.

The treaty launched the condominium in Samoa between the United States, Germany and Great Britain.

It was designed to guarantee the preservation of rights of the three powers as secured in separate treaties with the Samoan régime in 1878 and 1879.

[1] In an effort to strengthen the judiciary an American/European chief justice position was created, and the municipality of Apia was reestablished, chaired by a council president.

The condominium ended in political shambles after ten years with the ratification of the Tripartite Convention of 1899 and the resulting partition of the Samoan archipelago.