Camp Century

Kristian H. Nielsen is associate professor at the Center for Science Studies at Aarhus University. He is coeditor of Scientists and Scholars in the Field: Studies in the History of Fieldwork and Expeditions (2012) Henry Nielsen is associate professor emeritus at the Center for Science Studies at Aarhus University. With Kristian H. Nielsen and others, he is coauthor of Exploring Greenland: Cold War Science and Technology on Ice (2016) and Science in Denmark: A Thousand-Year History (2008).

• PrefaceIntroduction1. Fortress Greenland2. “The Concept of Atoms” in Greenland3. The City Under the IceThe Making of Camp Century: A Photographic Tour4. News from Greenland5. Scouting in the High Arctic6. U.S. Military R&D on the Northern Frontier7. The Cold War and Climate Research8. Leaving the Ice Sheet: A Lingering Farewell9. The Legacy of Camp CenturyNotesArchivesReferencesImage and Photo CreditsIndex

Though it only existed from 1959 to 1966, Camp Century remains a living—and deeply compelling—story today. Its history sweeps across Cold War intrigue to nuclear missiles hidden under ice; from the Arctic’s defeat of nuclear-powered techno-hubris to ice cores at the heart of climate science; and from Danish and American politics to the (now) semi-independent Greenlanders who must live with Camp Century’s legacy as the melting ice reveals its radioactive remains. This lively and intelligent book, beautifully translated from the Danish, gives Camp Century its first full accounting in English.