The Greenland Nuclear Accident of 1968

 

On January 21, 1968, a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber, part of the Cold War airborne alert mission, crashed near Thule Air Base in Greenland, scattering radioactive material from four thermonuclear bombs across the Arctic ice. The incident, known as the Thule Affair, began when a cabin fire forced the seven crew members to eject. Six survived, but co-pilot Captain Leonard Svitenko perished.

The plane slammed into sea ice at high speed, detonating the conventional explosives in the B28FI hydrogen bombs. While nuclear safety features prevented a full detonation, the crash released plutonium and other radioactive contaminants over several square miles, creating an environmental hazard.

In response, the U.S. launched a massive cleanup involving hundreds of American and Danish personnel. Over nine months, they removed 10,500 tons of contaminated ice and debris, shipping it to the U.S. for disposal. Controversy arose over a potentially lost bomb component in the ocean, raising long-term radiation concerns.

The accident exposed secret U.S. nuclear overflights, straining relations with Denmark, which banned nuclear weapons on its soil.

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Truman Tries to Buy Greenland

 

On April 9, 1940 Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany.  One year later, on April 1941 the United States occupied Greenland to defend it against a possible German invasion.   The occupation continued until 1945.

In 1946, American President Harry Truman’s quietly explored purchasing Greenland from Denmark, viewing the vast Arctic island as a strategic bulwark. American planners saw Greenland as a crucial platform for air bases and early warning systems against potential Russian bombers crossing the polar route toward North America.

Secretary of State James Byrnes raised the idea with the Danish foreign minister during a visit to New York, suggesting that an outright sale might be the “most clean-cut and satisfactory” arrangement. The United States was prepared to offer about 100 million dollars …(2 billion dollars in today’s money) in gold, a substantial sum in the immediate postwar period.

The U.S. bid for Greenland had historical precedents. At the outbreak of World War I in Europe, the United States fearing that the Danish West Indies would be seized by Germany as a submarine base offered to buy the islands.  The sale price was equivalent to 614 million dollars in today’s money. The deal was finalized on January 17, 1917. The United States took possession on March 31, 1917, and the islands were renamed the Virgin Islands of the United States

Denmark ultimately rejected the notion of selling Greenland in 1946, but the episode underscored the island’s growing geopolitical value. Instead of a purchase, Washington secured expanded defense rights and air base access, integrating Greenland into the broader Western security architecture without formally changing its sovereignty.

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