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Trump Not First US President Who Wants Greenland

Patsy Widakuswara

   WHITE HOUSE - The government of Greenland is dismissing the idea that
   the island is for sale, following media reports that U.S. President
   Donald Trump has been discussing interest to purchase the Danish
   territory with White House advisors.

   But this is not the first time the U.S. has considered to purchase the
   massive ice-covered island.

   William Henry Seward, President Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State in
   the 1860s proposed both the purchase of Greenland and Iceland when he
   was negotiating the purchase of Alaska from Russia.

   [1]A report commissioned by the State Department of the following
   Andrew Johnson administration concluded that Greenland's natural
   resources would make it a valuable investment.

   And in 1946, after World War II, President Harry Truman offered to $100
   million to buy Greenland for its geopolitical strategic importance,
   which Denmark declined.

   Not for sale

   On Friday, the Greenland official government website posted this
   comment:

   "We have a good cooperation with USA, and we see it as an expression of
   greater interest in investing in our country and the possibilities we
   offer. Of course, Greenland is not for sale. Because of the unofficial
   nature of the news, the Government of Greenland has no further
   comments."

   Meanwhile Greenland's foreign ministry tweeted that they are "open for
   business, not for sale."

     [2]#Greenland is rich in valuable resources such as minerals, the
     purest water and ice, fish stocks, seafood, renewable energy and is
     a new frontier for adventure tourism. We're open for business, not
     for sale'ï¸ð»ð³ð¦ð¬ð± learn more about Greenland on:
     [3]https://t.co/WulOi3beIC
     -- Greenland MFA ð¬ð± (@GreenlandMFA) [4]August 16, 2019

   The Wall Street Journal first reported the news that Trump has
   discussed the purchase with "varying degrees of seriousness."

   According to the article, people outside the White House have described
   purchasing Greenland as an Alaska-type acquisition for Mr. Trump's
   legacy, advisers said.

   The White House has not commented on VOA's query on this issue.

References

   1. http://rse.hi.is/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/A_Report_on_the_Resources_of_Iceland_and-1.pdf
   2. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Greenland?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   3. https://t.co/WulOi3beIC
   4. https://twitter.com/GreenlandMFA/status/1162330521155887105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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