Aleutian Alliances

The geopolitical idea that “He who holds Alaska will hold the world,” became popular during the Second World War and focused attention on a little known theater of that war. Alaska was a gateway for both the United States and Canada to the Pacific. Though the United States already had the Pacific coastline with Hawaii, California, Oregon, and Washington, Alaska was strategically useful for trade, resources, and even possibly war. While some American decision-makers found strategic value in the Aleutian Islands and the greater Alaska area, many thought that the area was a long-term glaring failure of American unity about Alaskan defense. The debate regarding Alaskan defense, particularly the Aleutian Islands, began at the beginning of the twentieth …show more content…
While Great Britain dragged Canada into its war in 1939, the United States’ obligations remained solely to themselves, only joining the war officially after Pearl Harbor. Canadian resources and strengths also could not compete with other Pacific powers such as Australia and the United States. However, American resources (mainly manpower and oil) would soon become stretched, particularly in the Pacific Theatre, so having an alliance with Canada relieved some of those constraints. United States was clearly the more prominent Pacific player between the two powers, so American decision-makers wanted the alliance to reflect this power …show more content…
These negotiations began in October of 1942, shortly after the Japanese landed on Kiska, an Aleutian Island. However, Canada did not respond until February 2, 1943 when the Canadian government “had instructed the Legation to send [Washington] a note, in effect, turning down [the American] offer of last October to contract an agreement with Canada to give the armed forces of each country stationed in the territory of the other complete jurisdiction over its own forces.” Though at first glance, this contracted agreement seems reciprocal with each side having authority over their own forces, the vast difference in the number of troops on each side gave Americans the advantage. While the Canadian Army would have stood to only lose jurisdiction over 5,000 troops, the American Army could potentially have lost the jurisdiction of up to 45,000 troops. These memorandums went back and forth between the two governments for over a year. The United States expressed the importance of this proposed agreement, arguing that Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the British Commonwealth have cooperated with American policy-makers. Though this jurisdiction issue stemmed from the invasion of the Japanese in the Aleutians, American policy-makers saw the importance of establishing authority over their forces in Canada (and