poses no government any longer seriously questions the sovereignty 

 over the archipelago. 



The treaty between the United States and Russia of 1867 has 

 provided a special argument, from the Russian point of view, to 

 the validity of the sector principle. This treaty stipulated that 

 the boundary between the two states should be the meridian 

 168°49'30" W., in the Bering Sea, and it was stated with regard 

 to this boundary that it "continues to the north in a straight line 

 without limitation until it disappears in the Arctic." In further 

 support of the sector principle favoring Soviet claims is the treaty 

 of 1825 between Russia and Great Britain relating to the boundary 

 line between Alaska and Canada, where the expression is used that 

 the meridian 141° W. should be the boundary line "right up to the 

 Arctic" ijusqu's la Mer Glacial) . 



DENMARK 



For some years Norway and Denmark made conflicting claims 

 to Greenland. Denmark claimed all of the area, while Norway 

 laid claim to Eastern Greenland on the basis of various settlements 

 which the Norwegians had made there. 



Down to 1931 no power disputed the Danish claim to all of 

 Greenland. On 10 July of that year a royal Norwegian decree 

 placed Eastern Greenland (territory between 71°30' N. and 

 75°40' N.) under Norwegian sovereignty. On 12 July 1932, a 

 second decree making claim to Southeast Greenland (Territory 

 between 60°30' N. and 63°40' N.) was promulgated by the Nor- 

 wegian Government, while the question of Eastern Greenland was 

 before the Permanent Court of International Justice. This second 

 claim was also placed before the court. 



On 5 April 1933, the Permanent Court handed down its decision 

 that Denmark has a valid title to sovereignty over all of Green- 

 land. The court said that in the East Greenland Agreement of 

 1925 Norway had recognized Danish sovereignty and therefore the 

 10 July 1931 Norwegian decree of occupation and sovereignty 

 was void. 



Although the Norwegians had established settlements in East- 

 ern Greenland, these existed at the sufferance of Denmark, so to 

 speak, on the basis of the Agreement of 1924. Because of this, 

 the court concluded that the Danish claim was clearly the superior 

 one, although the Norwegians might have been more active in 

 the business of erecting settlements. The court went on to say 



150 



