Slices of Greenland

In July 1932, in a move presaging later events, the Norwegians laid claim to a part of the southern east coast of Greenland & called it Fridtjof Nansen Land. That didn't last long, less than a year. Nobody recognized the usurpation; & in May 1933, the Permanent Court of International Justice ruled it should remain part of the Danish colony.

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April 1941, & the Nazis overran Denmark. The day before that became a fait accompli, the United States decided they would occupy Greenland, ostensibly to defend it against an invasion by Germany. Stayed that way until 1945, Greenland buying goods from the U.S. & Canada to support its inhabitants, & paying for them through the sale of cryolite, a rare mineral whose deposits were found primarily in south western Greenland where it was also refined commercially.

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In 1946, the U.S. government offered, under President Harry S. Truman, to buy Greenland off Denmark for 100 million dollars. The offer was rejected, but some years later, in 1951, a defense agreement was signed between the two countries to allow the U.S. bases to stay in Greenland & to establish new ones provided their activities did not impinge upon Denmark's territorial rights.

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Between 1961 & 1963, the Thule air base was expanded, & secret plans were put in place by the U.S. to develop am underground network of nuclear missile sites. This proved unworkable, & the plans were discontinued in 1966 before any missiles had been put in place. The Danish government had no idea of what was going on, only found out in 1997 while looking through declassified files when they were investigating the crash of a nuclear-armed B-52 bomber near the Thule air base.

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In 2019, U.S. President Donald J. Trump expressed interest in buying Greenalnd entire, describing it as comparable to a "large real estate deal." The Danish Government called the idea "absurd" & refused to entertain it. Trump spat the dummy, & canceled a proposed state visit to Denmark.

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In December 2024, President-elect Trump renewed his desire to buy Greenland, stating that "the ownership & control of Greenland is an absolute necessity." Having acquired self-rule, it was now the Premier of Greenland who declared "we are not for sale & will never be for sale."

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In October 2026, President Trump posted on Truth Social that "massive oil, gas, & mineral exploration is getting ready to begin in our new & beautiful Greenland!" The US president also emphasized that Greenland's strategic importance to the US & Europe was "second to none" in defence terms.