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Tethered to an iceberg: United States policy toward theAntarctic, 1939–1949

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

Jason Kendall Moore
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Abstract

US policy toward the Antarctic between 1939 and 1949 reflected theinability of the Department of State and other government personnelto agree on the region's relevance to national security.Washington's intent to gain worldwide prestige by promoting aharmonious settlement of the dispute over sovereignty claimscomplicated the international situation to an extent thatnecessitated a shift to the status quo moratorium proposed by Chile.The United States finally attempted to rally support for thisalternative that, in turn, complicated how to exclude the USSR.Although the risk of Soviet encroachment seriously concerned USofficials, it posed less immediate dangers than letting conflictescalate between Britain, Chile, and Argentina.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 35 , Issue 193 , April 1999 , pp. 125 - 134
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1999

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