In the autumn of 1963 there appeared in the United States a small book by Professor Nils Orvik of Oslo University, an explosive volume in which the policy of Norway as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was for the first time seriously challenged by a responsible and informed Norwegian scholar and Labour party politician on the grounds that it was too weak to provide a reasonable measure of security for Norway and could, potentially, undermine the entire alliance.i The book presented an ingenious and detailed plot for possible Soviet measures designed to destroy the credibility of the solidarity pledge on which the security of the nato members rests. It was not an implausible plot, and the book, though open to several and fundamental criticisms, made for very exhilarating reading. Few Norwegians were aware of its publication, however, until Dr. Orvik opened his Pandora's box in an address to the distinguished and prestigious Oslo Military Society.2 A lengthy if not a particularly substantial public debate ensued in the Norwegian daily press, chiefly in the pages of the leading organ of the governing Labour party, the Arbeiderbladet. Left-wing pacifists turned out in force to dominate the debate, and very few made an effort to come to grips with Dr. Orvik's main ideas, which he restated in several articles and letters in the course of the debate.3 Most of his critics, or detractors, seemed satisfied to brand him a dangerous and vicious warmonger. The article which Dr. Orvik has contributed to this issue of the International Journal is only a mild echo of his book. It is also a great deal more credible and much less vulnerable to criticism. Most of what he has to say is cautiously realistic. In