NORAD and the Soviet Nuclear Threat is the history of the air defence of Canada and the United States during the Cold War. Written by Gordon A. A. Wilson, this history is well researched and a fascinating read. Anyone who lived through the days of the Cold War remembers when your desk at school was more than just a thing to write on—it was also your protection should there ever be a nuclear attack on Canada. Yes, we really did believe that at the time.

Wilson takes us through the incredible complexities of two countries trying to agree on their mutual defence. Although you would think that in a time of world turmoil, this would be pretty much a simple enough task, it was far from that. NORAD, the North American Air Defence Command—before it was renamed to the more modern North American Aerospace Defense Command—finally materialized as a shining example of co-operation between not only two countries, but all the combinations of governments in power through the past decades.

The book culminates in a detailed story of an exercise that took place on 10 May 1973, called Amalgam Mute. Here we see just how difficult NORAD’s task, defending such a huge expanse, really was.

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