Innocents on the Ice

A mixture throughout of diary entries from 1957 and current commentaries. The narrative about the science and logistics is interesting but the real heart of the book is the battle between the scientists and Captain Finn Ronne of the US Navy. Captain Ronne, who wrote his own version of the IGY expedition at Ellsworth Station, appears to have been a completely arbitrary martinet, a self-serving dictator and political string-puller, and a bad-tempered paranoid and coward. He repeatedly put the expedition in danger by his refusal to provide equipment. He censored much of the communication in and out. He insisted that the scientists share dishwashing and other duties even when they were barely able to complete their scientific assignments. He evidently believed that the Navy support team of 30 or so men had more important things to do than assist the scientists, even though the sole purpose of the whole expedition was scientific. The sad tale of how he killed two emperor penguins 'in the most brutal way imaginable' is enough to turn one's stomach. There are parallels, as Behrendt notes, with Captain Queeg of the Caine Mutiny. Unfortunately in the non-fictional world of the Navy, Ronne's outrageous behaviour, although known to his superiors, apparently went unpunished.