| Summary: | In the early postwar years, British defence planners were most reluctant to accept formal defence commitments in Northern Europe. By the early 1950s, the United States had largely replaced Britain as the principal external power to which Norway looked for assistance in the security sphere. Between 1951 and 1957, however, the Royal Navy provided an exception to the established pattern of limited British interest in the region. Until the British defence review of 1957, the Royal Navy remained actively committed to the defence of Norway, in spite of the fact that the admiralty was forced to accept reductions both in the active and reserve fleets. This study, based on material from British and American archives, explores the reasons behind the Royal Navy's continued interest in Norway in the 1950s. It also examines the relationship between changes in British naval policy after 1957 and the growth of US naval activity in the north-east Atlantic.
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