The forgotten history of the U.S.’s Cold War presence in Greenland

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“There are two narratives that have coexisted in Greenlandic political discourse for a long time,” said Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies who has previously worked in foreign affairs for both the Greenlandic and Danish governments. “On the one hand, the U.S. is a potential opening to the world. But it is also an encroachment on our sovereignty and our land.”

Before President Donald Trump began talking about acquiring the island territory, many of Greenland’s 56,000 citizens hoped that stronger ties to the U.S. would bring opportunities for tourism and investment, Gad said. But he said the president’s comments and Vance’s visit have evoked more negative memories of past U.S. involvement.