On February 4, 1985, the New Zealand government refused port access to the American warship U.S.S. Buchanan, on the grounds that it might be carrying nuclear weapons. The events leading up to this refusal, the refusal itself, and later developments relating to it are the subject of this book. The book is divided into four sections. The first deals with the developments within New Zealand that led to the decision to ban nuclear-powered warships and ones that might be armed. The next section examines the relationship between New Zealand and the United States and how this dispute affected it. The third considers the reaction of other countries and the fourth ponders the effects, both immediate and longer term, of the dispute itself and New Zealand-American relations.
