859B.01/143
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The British Ambassador12 called at my request. I said that I thought it would be well in the interest of both countries to bring [Page 353] the Greenland situation up to date as it related to the Monroe Doctrine from the standpoint of this Government; that there was already propaganda by anti-British or pro-German individuals and by extreme isolationists demanding some expression as to the attitude of my Government on this question; that this will probably increase to the harm of the United States and Great Britain as well.
I then recalled President Monroe’s message announcing the Monroe Doctrine to the effect that it covered this hemisphere without qualification. I referred to the fact that, in 1916, when this Government purchased the Danish West Indies,13 it recognized the right of Denmark to exercise sovereignty over Greenland;14 that later when called upon to do likewise, Great Britain stated that it would agree to the same proposition, provided Denmark would notify Great Britain in case it should be disposed to alienate or dispose of Greenland; thereupon this Government intervened and denied the right of any third government to reserve or have the right to purchase or otherwise obtain sovereignty over Greenland, and Great Britain agreed that Denmark might exercise complete sovereignty over Greenland. However, while abandoning the first condition, Great Britain reserved the privilege of requesting that it be informed in case of the proposed alienation of Greenland by Denmark.
I stated that there is the express application of the Monroe Doctrine by this country regarding Greenland; and that there appeared to be no serious question about Greenland forming a general part of this hemisphere as contra-distinguished from the European side of the Atlantic.
The Ambassador seemed very much interested in the matter, and we both agreed that a record in writing of the position of the United States Government should be made and also of the correspondence between the two Governments in its entirety. I accordingly sent the Ambassador by personal messenger, after he had left the office, a memorandum of our conversation (copy attached15).
The Ambassador treated the matter in the friendliest spirit and incidentally remarked that, of course, this could be worked out without friction or serious discussion.
- Marquess of Lothian.↩
- Convention Between the United States and Denmark for the Cession of the Danish West Indies, signed August 4, 1916, Foreign Relations, 1917, p. 694.↩
- Declaration by the Secretary of State accompanying cession convention, ibid., p. 700.↩
- Not printed.↩