The US Occupation of Greenland
Strategically important during the Second World War, US soldiers could not wait to leave Greenland.
In April 1941, as it moved closer to direct involvement in the Second World War, the United States began expanding its military presence in Greenland. It did so out of strategic necessity, rather than enthusiasm for territorial acquisition. Greenland, a Danish colony, was left dangerously exposed when Denmark was occupied by Germany on 9 April 1940. Exactly one year later, the US signed an agreement with Henrik Kauffmann, a Danish envoy in Washington, who acted alone and in defiance of his government. The ‘Agreement Relating to the Defense of Greenland’ allowed the US to set up a network of ports and bases on the world’s largest island. Building began in July 1941.
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