1941: Greenland

When Nazi troops invaded Denmark in April 1940, the Danish colony of Greenland became the first European possession in the Western Hemisphere to be affected by the progress of hostilities. The United States promptly set up direct radio communications with the island, and the Government in Washington took steps to provide food and other essential supplies which had normally been sent from Copenhagen. For the first time in history the United States opened a consulate in Greenland, at Godthaab. On Nov. 2, 1940, the British Admiralty announced the capture of a German expedition of 50 men who had tried to seize a meteorological station in Greenland. A German weather station in Greenland would enable the Nazi air force to forecast weather three or four days in advance.

United States Protection.

On March 25, 1941, Germany proclaimed a new North Atlantic war zone extending to within three miles of Greenland. During the next three days, two large Nazi bombers undertook reconnaissance flights over the island. These measures were quickly followed, on April 9, by an agreement concluded between President Roosevelt and Henrik de Kauffmann, the Danish Minister in Washington, for United States protection of Greenland. Under the pact, the United States obtained the right to construct, maintain and operate any 'landing fields, seaplane facilities, and radio and meteorological installations' necessary to protect the Danish colony. It also was empowered to 'improve and deepen harbors and anchorages,' to install aids to air and sea navigation, and to 'construct roads, communication services, fortifications ... and housing for personnel.' As in the case of the famous destroyers-for-bases deal with Great Britain, the new United States bases were to be 'made available to the airplanes and vessels of all the American nations' for purposes of Western Hemisphere defense. They were intended to insure the safety of American supplies of Greenland cryolite, used in the manufacture of aluminum, and were strategically placed to reinforce naval and air patrols along Britain's vital transatlantic supply route.

Minister de Kauffmann signed the defense agreement 'on behalf of the King of Denmark,' but the Nazi-dominated Government in Copenhagen was not informed of the pact until after it had been signed. For acting without authorization from the Danish Foreign Office, Dr. de Kauffmann was formally recalled by the Copenhagen Government on April 12. Secretary of State Cordell Hull and the Administration in Washington, however, continued to recognize him as the legitimate and fully accredited Minister from Denmark. At the same time, the State Department reaffirmed its recognition of the 'sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark over Greenland.'

The United States Navy Department on Oct. 11 announced the 'capture and disposition' of a German-controlled radio station in Greenland. The seizure was carried out by the regular naval patrol operating along the Greenland coast. A small Norwegian steamer, with a crew of 20 men and one woman, functioned as a supply ship for the Nazi station. This vessel was taken into custody in Boston on Oct. 14, and the 21 pro-Nazi Norwegians were interned. See also INTERNATIONAL LAW.