The Svalbard Archipelago

by Capelotti, P. J.

• ISBN13: 9780786407590
• ISBN10: 078640759X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-08-01
• Publisher: McFarland Publishing

Summary

Norway's Spitsbergen Archipelago, known as Svalbard to the Norwegians, is of increasing interest to Arctic scholars and geographers, as well as to military historians and analysts of strategy. It was the farthest northern battleground between German and Allied forces in World War II; it became a political arena for Soviet and U.S. competition during the Cold War; it is now a field of conflict for fishing rights and cultural resource protection; and it serves as a laboratory for the study of global warming. This unique island group occupies a fascinating place in European, Russian, and American affairs. Here, for the first time, is the complete report compiled by U.S. Intelligence at the beginning of World War II evaluating the islands both geographically and militarily, as well as a report on the archipelago produced by the CIA in 1950. This comprehensive report--never superseded in the years since--has been edited and introduced by P.J. Capelotti. It provides in great detail the American perspective on these islands and their strategic, economic, and geologic value. Maps and illustrations are included, some from the original report, some new. A glossary covers Arctic terms.

Author Biography

Archaeologist and professor P.J. Capelotti lives in Abington, Pennsylvania

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
List of Maps Appearing in the Original Report	xi
Introduction	1	(8)
The U.S. Military Intelligence Special Study of Svalbard and Other Norwegian Possessions, 1942	9	(66)
Spitsbergen and Bear Island (Svalbard)	11	(56)
Jan Mayen Island	67	(6)
Norwegian Antarctic Possessions	73	(2)
Illustrations and Maps	75	(82)
Appendix I: Summary of Geographic Conditions by Islands	115	(8)
Appendix II: Ports and Harbors	123	(4)
Appendix III: The Spitsbergen Operation, August-September, 1941	127	(23)
Appendix IV: Adventures in Spitsbergen, 1942	150	(5)
Appendix V: Radio Stations Located in the Outlying Possessions of Norway	155	(2)
Spitsbergen: A Report Prepared by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Published 26 June 1950	157	(16)
Glossary of Geographical Terms	173	(2)
Bibliography	175	(2)
Index	177