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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.
Secrets of American History
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