NORWAY LIVES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 306, 26 December 1940, Page 9

NORWAY LIVES.

NATIONAL SPIRIT. DEFEATING THE PRESS GAG.

(By BLAIR BOLLESK

WASHINGTON, November 10. Over six months ago German bombing planes swooped portentously over the Baltic port of Oslo and the Nazi invasion of Norway was begun. The German blitzkrieg, dormant since the Polish partition, was flashing again. Since that bleak morning in April the Norwegians have lost their country. It is governed now according to the dictatee of German Reichskommissar Terboven. But the Norwegian nation is still alive. The whole of history scarcely tells a story of resistanec-from-oxile that can match the tale unfolded here by the Norwegian Legation.

The Legation possesses a mass of evi-d-ence illustrating how a people can go on with their struggle for freedom after their country has lost its freedom. Xorway's nation lives in London, where King liaakon VII. is monarch for an ideal—free Norway. It lives all over tlie wide seas, \rhcre course 1200 ships under the Norwegian flag, carrying goods to the ports of England.

It lives in the ether waves between Bceton and Norway, carrying daily halfhour broadcasts of news and messages to the Norwegians in Norway, who get only coloured information from their German masters. It lives in the Norwegian regiment in England, ready to fight for Britain under command of General Carl Gustav Fleisher. The Oppressor's Heel. It lives ae well in Canada, where Captain Riiser-Larsen, who fought the Germans in Norway and then escaped almost miraculously to the Xew World, is in charge of a programme for training Norwegian youths to fly military planes.

Each day Wilhehn Munthe de Morgenstierne, Norwegian Minister here, learns new facts about the state of life in Norway. Most of the news comes through Stockh-lin—the news, for instance, that the Germans have forbidden use of the Norwegian postase stamp of one crown because it bears the portrait of -the Kiiifr.

Some of the news comes in official announcements to the Press in Berlin. At the close of September, Berlin reported the establishment of a national council of 13 men to rule the country. "That Government will fall of itself the day the German troops of occupation disappear from Norway," the Minister here saye. His Legation is perturbed about what the winter may bring to Norway. A few weeks ago he heard about a surplus potato crop in his country. Now lie hears from Stockholm that the Nazis have ordered the surplus potatoes sent to Germany.

Public protest against such a step ie impossible in Norway. These are some of the rules which, the Legation says govern Norwegian newspapers: "Official communiques from countries in war with Germany must not be published unless they emanate from the Norwegian Telegram Byraa (under German control). News broadcasts from countries in war with Germany must not be published. Speeches by people who belong to the Royal Family, the Government or the High Command must not be published. In the field of foreign policy, concern must be shown for Germany's foreign policy. Countries with which Germany has treaties must not be criticised. Half-hour Broadcasts. "No article which might jeopardise the relations between the German troops and the Norwegian people may be printed. Communiques from the German High Command must be played up prominently. Reports from other newspapers relative to vrar damages, shipwrecks and relations between German troops and the public are forbidden. The words 'world war' must not be used with reference to tlie present conflict."

In order to counteract this Press gag, the Legation here recently inaugurated daily half-hour broadcasts, sent by short wave from station WRUL, Boston, 50,000 watts. For several months the British Broadcasting Co. has been sending four broadcasts a day to Norway, but these are censored. The American broadcast has almost a world-wide audience. A Norse ship loading at Dakar just before the battle for that spot of Africa, heard one of the Boston broadcaste, and so did a Norwegian whaler in South Georgia, near the Antarctic. Some of the most famous men and women of Norway have escaped to the United States during the last six months to speak aloud their thoughts about the invaders. A winter resident of Washington will be Crown Princess Martha, with her three children. Sigrid Undset, the author, and Carl J. Hambro. President of the Storting, have reached this country.—N.A.X.A.