Secret plans drawn up in the 1950s have been brought to light by the UK's National Archives. The plans involved the liberation of Great Britain in the event that the Soviet Union conquered the island nation.
The operation named "Operation Sandstone" - which remained only in the preparations - was intended to prepare both Great Britain and the USA to face a Soviet attack. In the files that have seen the light of the public, information and instructions are contained for the creation of obstacles on the territory of Great Britain that would make it difficult for vehicles and chariots to pass through.
"On September 16, 1952, S.J. Bassett of the Naval Intelligence Department prepared a memo. He states that in August 1946 the Joint Intelligence Committee had received a request from the US Chief of Naval Operations for a topographical survey of the British coastline and beaches.
"With the advent of the Cold War, Americans feared that Britain might be invaded by Soviet forces. "Information on Britain's beaches would be crucial to an American counter-attack from the sea," said Dr. Daniel Gilfoy, of the National Archives.
An American secret survey of the British coast in the 1950s provided information on the condition of the coast and seabed, the slope of beaches and the depth of the water, which would be vital to American forces in the event of a Soviet invasion.
"The Sandstone operation continued until the mid-1960s. By then most of the British coastline had been surveyed. It is not easy to find information about the organization and methods of the business," said Gilfoy.
The survey archives include thousands of photographs, maps and pages of descriptions that provide a rich record of the coast as it was in the 1950s. Gilfoy says the survey "can have an important role in environmental studies" as the survey was not used never for its original purpose. Operation Sandstone was terminated in 1966 and its records, after preservation and classification at the National Archives, are available to the public.
SOURCE:SPUTNIK