In the far reaches of the North Atlantic a postwar problem reared its infant head. By a landslide vote of 45-7, Iceland's Parliament called for full independence as a Republic on June 17, 1944, national Iceland Day.
The vote gave tangible proportions to a fretting issue between the U.S. and Great Britain. Iceland, united with Denmark under the King, was first occupied by British troops in May 1940, then garrisoned by U.S. soldiers in July 1941. A valuable way station on the convoy routes of war, it would also be an important stopover for postwar transatlantic air routes. Under its union...
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