Lansing Convention
New York
| File:Lansing Declaration.jpg Lansing Declaration of 4 August 1916 | |
| Date | 4 August 1916 - 25 January 1917 |
|---|---|
| Location | New York |
| Description | US acquires the Virgin Islands, cedes Greenland to Denmark |
| Participants | United States, Denmark |
The 1916 Lansing Convention was a bilateral treaty between the United States and Denmark, whereby Denmark sold its territories in the West Indies to the US.
The treaty included the Lansing Declaration that “the Government of the United States of America will not object to the Danish Government extending their political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland.”
The treaty was signed on 4 August 1916, at the Biltmore Hotel in New York City, by Danish Minister Constantin Brun and US Secretary of State Robert Lansing.[1]
Terms
The Lansing Convention transferred sovereignty of the Danish West Indies from Denmark to the United States in exchange for a sum of US$25,000,000 in gold ($722 million in 2024), and agreed to cede US interest in Greenland.
The Convention recognised Denmark’s jurisdiction over the entirety of Greenland. As well as constituting international law, the Convention was also automatically incorporated into US law with the US Senate’s ratification.
Signed, Ratified and Proclaimed
Convention between the United States and Denmark for cession of the Danish West Indies. Signed at New York, August 4, 1916; ratification advised by the Senate, September 7,1916; ratified by Denmark, December 22,1916; ratified by the President, January 16,1917; ratifications exchanged at Washington, January 17, 1917; proclaimed, January 25, 1917.