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CHOICE Review

Purportedly an examination of the ``tentacles of the nuclear infrastructure'' of the world, this book has more details of the US-allied capabilities (their range, scope, testing grounds, etc.) than any prior book. Unfortunately, the purpose of the book is something quite different from what is advertised. Arkin's work is an attack on the Western alliance system, with an extremely assymetrical handling of Western and Soviet capabilities. In the field of civil defense, Western capabilities are dealt with at length, while the vastly larger and more serious Soviet ones are almost wholly discounted. Nevertheless, Arkin's data is invaluable for the student of nuclear issues, especially the appendixes listing locations and purposes of all bases of the major nuclear powers. The discussions of the way in which the US and its allies interact, leaving aside the tendentious purpose ascribed thereto, is also extremely valuable for the student. Despite the serious imbalance in the coverage of the US and the Soviet Union, the book serves its purpose as a repository of important data. University collections.-W. S. Thompson, formerly Tufts University