The New York Times is reporting that President Donald Trump's administration has crafted a "formal plan" to take control of Greenland — although for the moment the plan does not involve using military force to seize the territory.

Instead, the Times reports that the Trump administration is crafting a propaganda campaign aimed at convincing Greenlanders that it would be in their best interests to join the United States.

"The U.S. messaging campaign will include an unlikely appeal to Greenlanders’ shared heritage with the native Inuit people of Alaska, nearly 2,500 miles away," the Times' sources say. "Greenland’s Inuit population is descended from people who migrated from Alaska hundreds of years ago, and the island’s official language is derived from Inuit dialects that originated in Arctic Canada."

The Times notes that convincing Greenlanders to join the United States will not be an easy task, however, given how incredibly unpopular the idea has proven with the people who are currently living there. A recent poll showed that just 6 percent of Greenlanders approved of the idea while 85 percent said they were opposed.

As the Trump administration intensifies efforts to acquire Greenland from Denmark − or take it by force − some Silicon Valley tech investors are promoting the frozen island as a site for a so-called freedom city, a libertarian utopia with minimal corporate regulation, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The discussions are in early stages, but the idea has been taken seriously by Trump's pick for Denmark ambassador, Ken Howery, who is expected to be confirmed by Congress in the coming months and lead Greenland-acquisition negotiations, the people said. Howery, whose involvement with the idea hasn't been previously reported, once co-founded a venture-capital firm with tech billionaire Peter Thiel, a leading advocate for such low-regulation cities.

Howery is also a longtime friend of Elon Musk, a top Trump advisor. One "charter city" investor wrote on social media that the U.S. needs Greenland a test run for settlements on Mars, Musk's enduring obesession.