Early Cold War Arctic ambitions: The controversy over the United States' attempt to purchase Greenland with a hefty sum

In 1946, the world had just emerged from the shadow of war, but the confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union was becoming increasingly clear. Against this backdrop, US Secretary of State Byrnes held a top-secret high-level meeting in New York, during which he made a bold proposal to Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen — to exchange 100 million dollars plus the Alaska Barrow region for all of Greenland.

From Purchase to Military Control

The Americans had a clever plan. In their strategic view, Greenland guarded the Arctic key position and was of great significance for defending against the Soviet Union. Byrnes even casually hinted in a memorandum that since Greenland was an economic burden for Denmark, it might be better to sell it outright, making the process “clean and straightforward” and alleviating Denmark’s financial pressure. Such a suggestion was essentially saying: you don’t want to keep paying for it, so why not let us take over?

Denmark’s Caution and the Shadow of the Cold War

However, Denmark was not swayed by American money. Besides its principled stance on national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Denmark harbored deeper fears — the Soviet Union. At that time, the USSR was at its peak, and Denmark was filled with apprehension towards it. Selling Greenland to the US would not only mean that the Arctic was fully under American influence but also risk provoking Moscow, potentially inciting Soviet retaliation against Denmark’s mainland in the Baltic region. Caught in this dilemma, Denmark ultimately chose to refuse.

A Compromise as a Second Best

Although the direct purchase plan fell through, the US was not willing to give up. Through political pressure, the US ultimately forced Denmark to sign the US-Denmark Greenland Defense Agreement. According to the terms of the agreement, the US gained the right to build the Thule Air Base (now called Pituffik Space Base) in northwest Greenland. In this way, the US did not spend 100 million dollars to buy the land but obtained a more economical way to acquire the most valuable asset on the ground — exclusive military use rights. At the same time, it avoided the large administrative and economic burdens of taking over Greenland. This deal ultimately achieved a different form of strategic positioning for the US in the Arctic.