Taking Over Greenland: We've Seen This Movie Before

The U.S. bullied Denmark into selling the Virgin Islands

From a letter to President Woodrow Wilson from Secretary of State Robert Lansing:

December 4, 1915.

My dear Mr. President:

You will recall that I told you of the informal conversations I have had with the Danish Minister in regard to the purchase by this government of the Danish West Indies. …In October I spoke to the Danish Minister of the desire of this government to consider the purchase of the islands… Some days later he replied to my inquiry that his government at the present time would not negotiate upon the subject… On Nov. 15 the Minister again called to see me about the matter and said he was under considerable embarrassment about a question which his government had asked, but which he had hesitated to present to me. The question was this: “Whether he thought in case the Danish Government did not agree to a sale of the islands the United States would feel it necessary to take possession of them.” In reply I told the Minister that, while it had not been in my mind that action of this sort would be necessary, as I had hoped some formal negotiation would result in the transfer of the sovereignty, I could conceive of circumstances which would compel such an act on our part.”

Source https://www.nytimes.com/1931/07/19/archives/drama-of-the-virgin-islands-purchase-robert-lansings-story-of-the.html