This is a paperbound reprint of a 2003 book published by the U. of British Columbia Press. Perras, with the National Archives of Canada, expands on his doctoral dissertation (U. of Waterloo, 1995) about the American side of the World War II Aleutian campaign. He argues that while critics' assessment of US battles on Attu and Kiska Island (shown on maps) against the Japanese as fiascos have validity, they overlook the historical context of still-continuing debates over the this North Pacific archipelago's strategic value. Major foci are US military politics, postwar proposals for the area, and Canada's role in Aleutian military affairs from the 1920s to 1943. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)