By the 1950s, Western Electric had proven repeatedly that it was an invaluable partner to the US military. Since World War I, WE engineers had developed and improved air/ground/sea communication, won the prestigious “E” award, and collaborated on weapons technology.

On February 15, 1954, with the Cold War escalating, the Canadian and American governments agreed to build a fourth line of RADAR stations, high above the Arctic Circle from Alaska to Greenland. Improvements in Soviet technology had proven that the ‘Mid-Canada’ and ‘Pinetree’ lines were not enough and the Bell System was contracted to work on what would become known as the DEW (Distant Early Warning) Line.

Built roughly along the 69th parallel, the DEW line consisted of 63 stations about 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle with initial surveying done by John Anderson-Thompson (RCAF). Conditions for construction were harsh, most work done by snowmobile, plane, and dogsled in blinding snow and temperatures below measure. Completion was slated for July 31, 1957, meaning that a majority of the work would be completed in the Arctic winters.

The airlifts of the C124 and C119 cargo planes that brought supplies and materials to the workers have been considered some of the greatest in US history. For two long years, around 25,000 Canadians and Americans worked to erect a line of stations nearly 3,000 miles.

On April 15, 1957, Western Electric turned over a completely operational radar system and communications network to the US Air Force. Three types of stations were interconnected by radio communications and troposheric scatter technology.

Two barrier lines in the Atlantic and Pacific, operated by the US Navy, worked to aid and extend the DEW line’s purpose. Planes and ships routinely patrolled between the “Texas Tower” stations.

When the DEW line was upgraded between 1985 and 1994, it was renamed the North Warning System, but with the end of the Cold War, the US withdrew all personnel and turned over the line to Canadian forces.

For more information on Western Electric and the DEW Line, check out Lackenbauer’s bibliography, the DEWLINE Chronicles (history, stats), and the DEW Line Story Part I & Part II.