(Image: Uwe Dedering)
Bertrand “Bud” Gearhart (R-CA) was a member of the US House of Representatives from 1935-1949. In the early years of the Cold War, he was concerned about Soviet international ambitions, especially as the French and British empires receded. He thought it prudent that American strength should reach out to confront the Soviets. Gearhart was particularly concerned about the north Atlantic. So, in 1947, he introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would seek to purchase Greenland from Denmark and offer statehood to Iceland, which had been an independent nation for nearly 3 years. An Associated Press report from that time quotes him:
“Americans must give thought to the ramparts we watch, not merely to the ramparts we once watched,” Gearhart declared in the house. “It is time we give some consideration to the ever avaricious outside world.”
“With Russia extending herself in all directions and England and France clinging tenaciously to their respective empires,” Gearhart added, the islands should be acquired to ensure the defense of the U.S. and possessions “before the last flicker of gratitude among our erstwhile allies dies out.”
I can find no evidence that the House passed the bill.
Source:
“U.S. Expansion Aim of Measure.” The Oregonian 25 Feb. 1947: 4. America’s Historical Newspapers, 1690-2000. Web. 1 April 2015.
-via vega
I did a Google newspaper search, and couldn't find any mention of that proposal.
But I did find http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/70377/hans-w-weigert/iceland-greenland-and-the-united-states ! It's from October 1944. It mentions that Seward, of Seward's Folly/Alaska wanted to acquire Greenland and Iceland. It also says:
"The intention of the Icelandic people to preserve their newlywon independence needs to be emphasized, since it is overlooked in many plans for her future which others propose. Iceland, "kingpin of the Atlantic," is certainly not for sale. If there ever was a possibility that the United States could buy Iceland from Denmark, as Seward hoped, it obviously no longer exists. The suggestion has been made that Iceland would serve her interests best after the war by applying for statehood in the American Union. This idea is even more fantastic.... But none of these possibilities seems likely in the light of Iceland's actions and of the psychology of her people."
Therefore, Iceland statehood was at least an idea floating around in post-war international politics. Then again, another idea floating around was for it to join "a commonwealth of Scandinavian nations", so it seems ideas were all over the place.