Cool map

This very nice map helped me understand a few things:

1. That there were still blank spots on maps in 1947.
2. Why it was important to build out the Thule airbase in Northwestern Greenland after WW2.
• Recon route here.
3. Why, if the Cold War had warmed up, Alaska would have been right in the middle of it.
• I talked with an SF cabbie about 20 years ago who'd served at Eielson in the late 50's.  He said the Russians dropped by quite a bit.
• No further questions on why the Nike sites were in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
4. Why Alaska and Greenland were important places to put in Ballistic Missile Early Warning Systems (BMEWS).
5. Also helpful for understanding why they're looking for these guys on the northern coast of Alaska.

One other thing - looking at this map you can perhaps get a little more appreciation for the flight Eielson made (with Wilkins) from Barrow to Spitsbergen…in 1928.