Henrik Kauffmann | |
|---|---|
 Kauffmann in 1932
| |
| Danish Ambassador to the United States | |
|
In office 22 August 1939 – 1958 |
|
| President |
Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Otto Wadsted |
| Succeeded by | Kjeld Gustav Knuth-Winterfeldt |
| Minister without portfolio | |
|
In office 12 May 1945 – 7 November 1945 |
|
| Prime Minister | Vilhelm Buhl |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Henrik Louis Hans von Kauffmann
26 August 1888 Frankfurt am Main |
| Died | 5 June 1963 (aged 74) Skodsborg Spa Hotel |
| Spouse |
Charlotte MacDougall
(m. 1926; died 1963) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Mason Sears (brother-in-law) |
Henrik Kauffmann (26 August 1888 – 5 June 1963) was the Danish ambassador to the United States during World War II, who signed over part of Greenland to the US.
Career
Kauffmann started his foreign career by serving as envoy in Rome, 1921–1923. He afterwards served in Peking in 1924–1932 when he was succeeded by Oscar O'Neill Oxholm. During this period Kauffmann became notable for three things: political reports of high quality; an ability to gain close contacts with central Chinese decision makers; and his lavish spending. After his time in Peking, Kauffmann served as envoy in Oslo 1932–1939 (when he was, again, succeeded by Oxholm), where he helped soften the Danish-Norwegian relations following the Greenland case.
On 9 April 1941, the anniversary of the German occupation of Denmark, he signed on his own initiative "in the Name of the King" (Danish: I Kongens Navn) an "Agreement relating to the Defense of Greenland" authorizing the United States to defend the Danish colonies on Greenland from German aggression. The treaty was signed by the United States Secretary of State Cordell Hull and approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 7 June 1941.
Kauffmann's treaty was approved by the local officials on Greenland but declared void by the Danish government in Copenhagen. Kauffmann ignored this protest, citing the fact that Denmark was occupied by a hostile power; consequently, he considered the government incapable of protecting Danish interests. The government responded by charging Kauffmann with high treason and stripping him of his rank. Kauffmann ignored both actions. Kauffmann's line was supported by the Danish consuls general in the United States, as well as by the Danish ambassador to Iran. These diplomats were dismissed as well. Kauffmann replied by urging Danish diplomats around the world not to follow instructions from Copenhagen.
Kauffmann was nicknamed "the King of Greenland" for his independent political moves in the Greenland affair.
He was married to Charlotte MacDougall, the daughter of United States Navy Rear Admiral William Dugald MacDougall.
Rehabilitation
Revoking the sentence against Kauffmann was one of the first tasks done by the Danish Parliament following the Liberation of Denmark in May 1945. Kauffmann joined the Cabinet of National Unity and served as Minister without Portfolio from 12 May to 7 November 1945. While Kauffmann was unable to get Denmark to sign the Declaration by United Nations during the war, he was able as minister to join the San Francisco Conference from 25 April 1945 to 26 June 1945 and sign the Charter.
Kauffmann's treaty was adapted in the early 1950s and remains the legal basis for the U.S. Thule Air Base in Greenland.
Death
In June 1963, Kauffmann, suffering from prostate cancer, was killed by his wife in a "mercy killing". His wife, Charlotte, then took her own life.
In popular culture
The film The Good Traitor (Vores mand i Amerika) released in 2020, covers the signing of the agreement over Greenland between Henrik Kauffmann and the United States. Kauffmann is played by Ulrich Thomsen.
Sources
- Beukel, Erik (1997). "Henrik Kauffmann Som Politisk Diplomat". Historie/Jyske Samlinger (in Danish) (2): 318. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
Further reading
- Briggs, Herbert W. (1941). "The Validity of the Greenland Agreement". American Journal of International Law. Cambridge University Press. 35 (3): 506–13. doi:10.2307/2192457. JSTOR 2192457. S2CID 147539995. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- Lidegaard, Bo (2003). Defiant Diplomacy: Henrik Kauffmann, Denmark, and the United States in World War II and the Cold War, 1939-1958. Translated by Glyn Jones, W. Peter Lang. ISBN 9780820468198.
- Lidegaard, Bo (2013). I Kongens Navn - Henrik Kauffmann i dansk diplomati 1919-58 (in Danish). Lindhardt og Ringhof. ISBN 9788711385289.
- Lidegaard, Bo (2020). Uden mandat - En biografi om Henrik Kauffmann (in Danish). Gyldendal. ISBN 9788702288506.
External links
- Agreement between U.S. Secretary of State and Danish Minister on the status of Greenland April 10, 1941
- History of the Thule Air Base Archived 2006-04-11 at the Wayback Machine
This article is based on the corresponding article on the Danish Wikipedia da:Henrik Kauffmann accessed on 27 February 2006.