There was a time when the United States wanted to buy the largest island on the planet like someone going to the market to buy fruit. It was in the 1940s, on the threshold of the Cold War and as an important pillar of military strategy to confront the Soviet Union. Denmark refused, although it approved the construction of air bases.
For three decades, Danish leaders have hidden the dark secret of these bases. And it's something that has become important again after a NASA discovery and the recent re-election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. And the tycoon once again had the idea of buying Greenland, although for very different geopolitical reasons that have a lot to do with the technology and confront China in their trade war.
A “city under the ice” revisited 60 years later
In the late 1940s and the start of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, Denmark received a juicy offer: The United States wanted to buy Greenland for $100 million. A figure that might seem ridiculous to us for such a purchase, but which today would be equivalent to more than a billion dollars.
The Danes rejected this generous check, although out of gratitude to the United States for its role in World War II. So they decided to give them a gift in the form of a permit. A permit with which the United States could build an air base on part of Greenlandic land.
In this Cold War context, the United States was surprised to be able to build a strategic enclave in terms of distance from Soviet territory. and from there Two projects have emerged: the “Thulé” air base and a city under the ice called “Camp Century”.. Both began construction in 1959.
The city under the ice was approximately 240 kilometers away and was built in just one year. It was a mega construction of more than twenty tunnels three kilometers long. It included different rooms such as kitchens, bedrooms, hospitals and even recreational areas. They even designed a heating system to withstand freezing temperatures of -60ºC.
Also key was resistance to nuclear attack. However, the instability of the ice worked against such infrastructure and Camp Century would end up being just a memory. It was in 1967 that the United States was forced to abandon the project for lack of support.
Nearly 60 years have passed and this city under the ice was precisely buried under ice and snow, more than 30 meters deep. Until now, since NASA recently found remains of this Camp Century. More precisely, a series of structures that had never before been seen with such clarity.
A place full of dark (and cold) secrets
Thule Air Base, which continues to exist as Pituffik Space Base, was in its day a perfect enclave for war, as it was capable of housing 200 people and had innovative systems for obtaining water potable, as well as to withstand cold temperatures. . And above all, it stood out for its resistance to nuclear attacks.
Cover of Popular Science from February 1960 which reflected the great city under the ice project
So what was the problem? That The United States and Denmark lied. First, the United States signed documents with the Danes guaranteeing that they would not bring nuclear weapons to Greenland. However, in 1997, declassified US documents were revealed showing that in the 1960s it had flown nuclear weapons over the territory.
Some time later, what was called Project Iceworm was also revealed, which showed how The United States' goal was to create a giant warehouse for nuclear weapons very different from what Thule Air Base was. It described a construction project under the ice with the idea of creating different silos in which to hide hundreds of nuclear missiles, including 60 launch control centers.
The most controversial thing about this affair was not that the United States deceived Denmark, but that The Danish leaders themselves knew this and spent 30 years hiding it from the population.. It was described as a national disgrace and the scandal was even given a name: “Thule-Gate.”
Facing China, the purchasing argument of the 21st century
Beyond the space the United States still occupies at what was once Thule Air Base, the country continues to be interested in buy the entire island of Greenland. At least those were the intentions of newly elected President Donald Trump, who had taken an interest in it during his previous term.
Beyond the strategic element in the face of a possible war, Trump's interests in this frozen territory lie in an essential element of our time to face other types of wars and enemies: trade with China .
Greenland is one of the territories with the largest number of rare minerals, along with nickel, cobalt, titanium and gold. All are essential because raw material for technologysince they are used to build the hardware of virtually any device. From batteries to circuit boards.
Mining these mines isn't easy for the same reasons that put an end to the Camp Century idea: ice. However, this does not rule out the possibility that the United States will become a powerhouse in the export of rare minerals needed for technology, thus dealing a major blow to China and other producing countries, thus providing greater facilitated to Apple and other American companies. innovation.
Of course, Trump's idea was born in 2019 and Denmark then rejected it as nonsense. What he has done is what is called the Tabrezz project, which gives him a license in the United States to begin the creation and exploitation of mines on the island. However, nothing has yet started due to, among other factors, opposition from the people of Greenland.
By | Xataka
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