stefansson-wrangel-09-13-041-001

Toronto
"MAIL & EMPIRE"
Sept.8, '23.

HAVE FURLED FLAG
ON WRANGEL ISLAND
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King Cabinet Has Climbed
Down From Absurd Claim
of Ownership.
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CANADA HUMILIATED
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Crawford’s Death Due to
Ottawa’s Neglect in Fail-
ing to Rescue Him.
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Special to The Mail and Empire from
Staff Reporter.

Ottawa, Sept. 7.—Great Britain’s
assurance to Russia that the ques-
tion of the sovereignty of that
country over Wrangel Island was
not in question has ended Stefans-
son’s ill-starred adventure in the
Arctic, and has, through the ill-
advised participation of the Ottawa
Government, brought but ridicule on
Canada and discredit to the King
Administration. There was never
any doubt as to the rightful
sovereignty to this ice-bound island,
and early consultation with the
British Foreign Office by Premier
King would have prevented our oc-
cupying the humiliating position we
do to-day, but the Prime Minister,
flushed with power, committed Can-
ada to a policy of expansion in the
Arctic that threatened seriously to
imperil our rights to contiguous ter-
ritory in our northern zone of own-
ership and control.

Stefansson had left Allan Craw-
ford on Wrangel Island to hold this
territory for Canada without the
slightest authority from Canada.
Shortly after the Liberal Govern-
ment assumed office Premier King
was asked if Canada purposed seri-
ously to claim sovereignty over this

land, [and in] inflated langu[age de-][...]
clared the flag would n[o][...]
down. Even Mr. Fielding [...]
infected with the glory of conqu[est][...]
and expansion, interrupting to add,
"What we have we hold.” Not to
be outdone, Hon. George P. Graham,
First Lord of our Admiralty, with
his fleet of three trawlers, said: "I
understand we have Wrangel Island
and propose to keep it." After this
declaration of defiance to Russia,
the United States and other nations
interested in the Arctic, the Gov-
ernment consulted the British For-
eign Office and received such chil-
ling information that they have
never published the reply or taken
any further step, making Allan
Crawford, in his patriotism, a vic-
tim of Stefansson's misguidance and
of the King Government's neglect.

King Knew in 1922.

The British Government, early in
1922, informed Premier King that
Wrangel Island was Russian by
contiguity, and by a one hundred
years' tacit acknowledgement by all
interested powers in the Arctic.

Stefansson had claimed that
Wrangel Island was a future air
base between the Orient and Eur-
ope, but Great Britain, interested
though she was, while Canada was
not at all interested, in such an air
route, did not propose to become
embroiled with Russia over an ice-
bound Arctic island, whose value
was extremely problematical.

This was the offical British view
of Canada's policy of expansion, but
the unofficial intimation was even
more interesting. It appears that,

in the sofest language, it was inti-
mated to Canada that a policy of
expansion, except in contiguous ter-
ritory, could only be safely based
on sea power, and that Canada had
no navy nor a tangible interest in
a navy. New Zealand and Austra-
lia had been awarded mandatories
over rich islands in the Southern
Pacific, but Australia had an ef-
fective naval force, and New Zea-
land, through contributions of men,
money and ships, a definite right
to the protection and assistance of
the Imperial navy. So ended the
Government’s dream of territorial
expansion.

The Canadian Government by its
action in regard to Wrangel Island
jeopardized Canada’s control of the
American Arctic. Both the Brit-
ish and the late Canadian Govern-
ment had agreed on an Arctic poli-
cy which confined Canada’s sphere
of control from longitude sixty, just
west of Greenland, to longitude 140,
the boundary between Canada and
Alaska. This includes all the
American Arctic but Greenland.
Three other nations might claim
certain rights in this territory—the
United States, from discovery; Den-
mark, owning Greenland, from con-
tiguity, and Russia. The United
States had given an implied, if un-
official, consent to Canada’s claims,
while Denmark had designs on El-
lesmere Land, but was checked
through the late Government estab-
lishing police posts in that area.
Russia, on withdrawing from
Alaska, forfeited all claims in the
American Arctic, but strengthened
her claims in the European Arctic.
Wrangel Island is in the European,
not the American, Arctic. While
Canada, therefore, confines her
operations to-the American Arctic,
our control and sovereignty is de-
fensible, but when, as in the case of
Wrangel Island, we seek to grab
territory in the European Arctic,
we challenge interference where we
are most interested and we jeopar-
dize our great North for an island
far distant and of no known value.

No Government Action.

From the day of the bombastic
utterances of Premier King and
Messrs. Fielding and Graham early
in 1922, Canada has heard nothing
of any governmental action to
“keep the flag flying.” Hasty and
ill-considered action jeopardized our
northern interests, but brought a
stern realization that a fleet of
three trawlers does not justify em-
barking on a policy of expansion
where sea power is the chief
requisite.

From March, 1922, when Premier
King “annexed” Wrangel Island and
defied Russia, no steps were taken
by the Government to rescue Allan
Crawford, who was keeping the
flag flying on Wrangel Island. There
have been two victims of this ill-
starred adventure—Allan Crawford,
a patriotic Canadian, who found
death among the ice floes of the
[...][A]rctic, and a humiliated Canada.