Posted on by Californiacontrarian

A Legacy Item ?

An article in the Wall Street Journal on 8/16/19 stated that President Trump has expressed some interest in purchasing Greenland. As expected his critics have already come out against this, and are describing it as merely a “legacy” item. A legacy Item? Really!

Let’s first look at some past history. Who was the President when the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia? We have heard of this acquisition as “Seward’s Folly,” because William Seward was the Secretary of State at the time. But who was the President? First a little history: In 1859 Russia, who had owned Alaska since 1744, offered to sell the territory because of its debt from the Crimean War, and also supposedly to avoid Great Britain from seizing it in case of war. (The purchase was finalized 4 months before Canada became a country.) Interestingly  the U.S. initially said ,”no,” but finally in 1867 the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. Apparently the decision to purchase Alaska passed Congress by one vote! (Amazing How just one vote changed the course of history!) But again, does anybody remember who was the President in 1867? Not exactly a legacy item for . . . President Andrew Johnson!


Ultimately Alaska became a state. Does anybody remember which President admitted Alaska into the U.S., as a state? I had no idea, before I looked it up. Not exactly a legacy item for . . . President Dwight D. Eisenhower!


Other than the Louisiana Purchase can anyone recall another historical U.S. purchase? In 1917 the U.S. purchased “Danish West Indies,” and subsequently renamed it the U.S. Virgin Islands. Who was the President of the U.S. in 1917? Not exactly a legacy item for . . .  President Woodrow Wilson!
Let’s forget for a second that perhaps purchasing Greenland is a Trump idea. Is it a good idea? Has purchasing Greenland ever been considered before? In fact, it has been considered before. Way back in 1867, the U.S. State Department thought that Greenland would an “ideal acquisition,” but that idea never got off of the ground. However, many many years later another U.S.President actually made an offer to buy Greenland from Denmark. Who was this U.S.President? Does anybody know? A potential legacy item for . . . President Truman, whose offer to purchase Greenland from Denmark for $100 million was refused.
One might ask, “Why Greenland?” Greenland is rich in minerals. In 2018 China expressed interest in building three airfields there, probably because of the strategic position of Greenland. The U.S. already has an base in northern Greenland, Thule Air Base, which is well north of the Arctic Circle, again for strategic defense purposes.
Could it be that the purchasing of Greenland by the U.S. might be good for all involved? Who might benefit?

Greenland is 90% covered with ice, and has a population of only 56,000, mostly Greenlandic Inuits, who have a high incidence of suicide, alcoholism, and unemployment. With the U.S. on the scene, almost immediately there would be a plethora of new jobs, which would then most probably lead to less alcoholism and less suicide. This sounds like a winner for the Inuit people.

Denmark would be able to escape the $591 million that goes annually into Greenland’s budget. Denmark would probably require some sort of payback on the minerals subsequently discovered in Greenland, and both the U.S. and Denmark would benefit.

With its strategic importance, the U.S would undoubtedly benefit, and would probably expand its defense capabilities there.The more I think about it, the U.S. purchasing Greenland  . . . What a tremendous legacy item for President Trump!

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