University of British Columbia Press
Watching the Bear
Canadian Intelligence Assessments of the Soviet Threat to North America, 1946–1964
9780774871662
Distributed for University of British Columbia Press
Watching the Bear
Canadian Intelligence Assessments of the Soviet Threat to North America, 1946–1964
Sheds light on the Canadian intelligence community’s involvement in Cold War relations.
As the Soviet threat to North America evolved in the early Cold War, the world was watching. What was the view from Ottawa? Watching the Bear begins to tell that story. Alan Barnes, a twenty-five-year veteran of the Canadian intelligence community, draws on recently declassified archival sources to offer a wholly new perspective on Canada’s policies for the defense of North America from 1946 to 1964.
After the Second World War, Canada created an independent capacity to produce strategic intelligence assessments, and Canadian analysts worked with their American counterparts to prepare joint appraisals of the looming Soviet menace. Canadian and American conclusions often differed significantly, but Canada’s success in negotiating the ensuing tensions was instrumental in ensuring that the two countries developed a common basis for defense planning.
By bringing little-known intelligence documentation to light, Watching the Bear makes a groundbreaking contribution to the history of Canadian intelligence, defense, and foreign relations.
As the Soviet threat to North America evolved in the early Cold War, the world was watching. What was the view from Ottawa? Watching the Bear begins to tell that story. Alan Barnes, a twenty-five-year veteran of the Canadian intelligence community, draws on recently declassified archival sources to offer a wholly new perspective on Canada’s policies for the defense of North America from 1946 to 1964.
After the Second World War, Canada created an independent capacity to produce strategic intelligence assessments, and Canadian analysts worked with their American counterparts to prepare joint appraisals of the looming Soviet menace. Canadian and American conclusions often differed significantly, but Canada’s success in negotiating the ensuing tensions was instrumental in ensuring that the two countries developed a common basis for defense planning.
By bringing little-known intelligence documentation to light, Watching the Bear makes a groundbreaking contribution to the history of Canadian intelligence, defense, and foreign relations.
272 pages | 6 x 9 | © 2025
Studies in Canadian Military History
History: Military History
Political Science: Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, and International Relations
