Norwegian gas: an American weapon?—The way Norwegian gas resources became part of US strategy to squeeze out soviet gas from the European market between 1981 and 1983.

President Ronald Reagan encouraged allied countries to aid in the accelerated development of Norwegian gas resources to squeeze Russian gas out of the European market. Reagan's initiative had ramifications for European countries dependent on Russian gas. This article sheds new light on the early 1980s pipeline crisis and the way Norway was drawn into it. The main research basis is in the use of original American documents. This gives insight into internal deliberations in the US government during 1981–83 regarding US initiatives on European energy security. Unfortunately, Norwegian Governmental archives are inaccessible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]