Little America in Western Australia, A: The US Naval Communication Station at North West Cape and the Founding of Exmouth

WEST AUSTRALIANA AUSTRALIAN MILITARY

In 1963, the US Naval Communication Station at North West Cape in Western Australia became the first US defence facility to be established on Australian soil in peacetime. During America’s Cold War struggle against communism, North West Cape’s primary function was to communicate with the US fleet in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans, especially nuclear missile submarines – the Navy’s most powerful deterrent force. Seen as a vital outpost of US defense throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the whole venture was just as monumental for Australia.This book represents an important and long-overdue history of the significance of North West Cape for Australia-US relations and Australian politics, paying special attention to the town of Exmouth that was uniquely created to support the base. Drawing on archival records and oral interviews, A Little America in Western Australia brings to light the experiences of Australian civilians and US Navy personnel in a fascinating and often humorous portrait of life at the Cape.

• 392 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 24 cm

First Edition #0419/0820/230823