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U.S. Secretary of State Thanks Danish Prime Minister "Helpful Arrangements" In Greenland

  During the NATO Summit in Paris in December 1957, U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles thanked Danish Prime Minister H. C. Hansen for the "helpful arrangements" for U.S. forces in Greenland. Only one month earlier, U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Val Peterson had asked Hansen if Denmark wanted to be informed if the United States shold decide to deploy nuclear weapons in Greenland. Hansen's refrained from commenting of the U.S. understanding of its military rights in Greenland, a dubious response that was interpreted by the United States as a go-ahead for nuclear deployment.
In response to Dulles' gesture, Hansen remarked that he had received U.S. criticism of inadequate Danish defense efforts from both Ambassador Peterson and the State Department. One such criticism would have been enough, he said, adding that second one was redundant.

 
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FOIA Documents

Source:
John Foster Dulles, U.S. Secretary of State, "Memorandum of Conversation with Prime Minister Hansen of Denmark," December 18, 1957.


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Full Text:

DEPARTMENT OF STATE
--------------
THE SECRETARY

SECRET

Palais Chaillot, Paris
December 18, 1957 - 9:30 a.m.

MEMMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
WITH PRIME MINISTER HANSEN OF DENMARK.

I expressed appreciation to Mr. Hansen for the helpful arrangements that had been made for our establishments in Greenland. He thanked me. At the same time, however, he showed displeasure over the fact that both our Ambassador in Copenhagen and Mr. Jones at the State Department had, according to him, criticized Denmark for its indequate defense effort. He said that he thought that one such criticism would have been enough and that the second one coming from Mr. Jones was redundant.

John Foster Dulles

S:JFD:pdb

SECRET


(Source: John Foster Dulles, U.S. Secretary of State, "Memorandum of Conversation with Prime Minister Hansen of Denmark," December 18, 1957. SECRET. Reproduced at National Archives and Records Administration.

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