How the U.S. Accepted Danish Control of Greenland 100 Years Ago

In 1917 the United States purchased the Danish West Indies for $25 million in gold and, as part of the deal, agreed to respect Denmark’s control over Greenland.

Both Greenland and the Caribbean islands were under Danish rule, and historians say Denmark used American interest in the West Indies as leverage to secure a U.S. pledge not to object to Danish political and economic interests in Greenland; Robert Lansing made that pledge in writing in 1916.

Legal experts quoted in the reporting say the 1917 declaration remains binding even though Greenland is now a semiautonomous part of the Danish kingdom, but they also note limits to legal enforcement — including that the United States does not automatically accept the International Court of Justice — and point out that President Trump has said he does not feel constrained by international law.

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