Henrik Kauffmann

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Kauffmann declares the conclusion of the contract, Washington April 12, 1941

Henrik Kauffmann (actually Henrik Louis Hans von Kauffmann ; born August 26, 1888 in Frankfurt am Main ; † June 5, 1963 in Skodsborg ) was the Danish envoy to the United States from 1939 to 1958 .

Life

After the occupation of Denmark by Germany on April 9, 1940, he declared himself the independent diplomatic representative of Denmark in Washington, DC and founded a commission with the governors Eske Brun for North Greenland and Aksel Svane for South Greenland, which was made up of well-known American-Danish members. The aim was to protect Danish interests in the Danish colony of Greenland , which was neglected due to the war, and to stand up for a free Denmark. On April 9, 1941, Kauffmann signed the Greenland Treaty with the United States with Secretary of State Cordell Hull without consulting the Danish Foreign Ministry. This treaty allowed the American military bases on Greenland, which were of great importance for American supplies to England, and violated Denmark's decades of neutrality policy. The contract was recognized by the local authorities in Greenland, but was declared invalid by the Danish government. Kauffmann ignored the Danish protest because the government in the forcibly occupied Denmark could not represent Denmark's interests at the moment. The Danish government then accused Kauffmann of high treason, obtained an arrest warrant and recalled him. Kauffmann ignored both and was supported by the Danish ambassador to Iran , who was then also formally dismissed.

Kauffmann, second from left, when President Truman signs the NATO treaty, Washington, August 24, 1949

Kauffmann was able to dispose of part of the proceeds from Greenlandic cryolite and the frozen Danish state assets in America. In order to save the Jews from the planned deportation in Denmark, in 1943 he offered the Swedish government financial guarantees if they would accept refugees from Denmark. Since the Swedish side expected an internationally desirable image boost, they did not take up the offer.

Kauffmann was celebrated as a folk hero in Denmark after the liberation and officially rehabilitated. As minister without portfolio he represented Denmark at the founding conference of the UN and remained envoy to Washington until 1958.

Kauffmann was married to Charlotte MacDougall, daughter of Admiral William D. MacDougall. On June 5, 1963, she released him from cancer and then committed suicide .

See also

literature

  • Bo Lidegaard : I Kongens Navn. Henrik Kauffmann i dansk diplomati 1919–1958 . Lindhardt og Ringhof, 2013, ISBN 978-87-1138-528-9 (not viewed)
  • Bo Lidegaard: Defiant Diplomacy: Henrik Kauffmann, Denmark, and the United States in World War II and the Cold War, 1939-1958 . Peter Lang, 2003. ISBN 978-0-8204-6819-8 (not viewed)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Erik Beukel, Frede P. Jensen, Jens Elo Rytter: Phasing Out the Colonial Status of Greenland, 1945-54: A Historical Study . Museum Tusculanum Press 2010, ISBN 978-87-635-2587-9 , p. 22 ff.
  2. ^ The Danish Minister (Kauffmann) to the Secretary of State . April 13, 1941, accessed November 29, 2016
  3. Bo Lidegaard: The exception: October 1943: How the Danish Jews escaped extermination with the help of their fellow citizens . Karl Blessing 2013, ISBN 978-3-641-12132-7 , p. 171 ff.
  4. Bo Lidegaard: Defiant Diplomacy reviewed by Norbert Götz . pdf
  5. Mercy Slaying - Wife Cuts Danish Hero's Throat, Then Kills Self . The Tuscaloosa News, accessed November 28, 2016