DARK RECORD

Evening Star, Issue 25567, 21 August 1945, Page 5

DARK RECORD

QUISLING’S PLOT WITH NAZIS

PLANS FOR NORWAY LONG CONCEIVED A SORRY “ SAVIOUR H (IRec. 12.40 p.m.)- LONDON, Aug. 20. Three professional and four nonprofessional judges are conducting the trial of Vidkun Quisling, which opened at Oslo to-day. The prosecution is expected to call between 40 and 50 witnesses. The trial opened with the reading of the indictment, which is an imposing document containing many accusations. Quisling pleaded not guilty to all the charges; He appeared nervous and very pale, and held his head low. The president of the court, Judge Solem. had to ask him to “ stand up and speak up.” The indictment includes charges laid under military and under civil law. In the former category, Quisling is charged with inciting the Norwegian armed fbrces to mutiny and to dis-

loyalty by broadcasting appeals on April 9, 1940, to cease resistance to the German occupation, countermanding the mobilisation order, making an announcement about the fleeing of the Government, and urging public officials and services to lay down their arms and carry out the orders of his new Government.

He is charged under the civil'law with attempting illegally to place Norway under foreign control, assisting the enemy, weakening Norway’s fighting power, seeking to bring about constitutional changes by unlawful means, causing the death of others, working to cause such deaths (particularly by the persecution of the . Jews), and ordinary theft and embezzlement. The prosecutor, M. Annaeus Schoedjt, said that Quisling began negotiations with Hitler before the German invasion, and urged him to invade Norway arid forestall Allied plans to occupy the. .country as a fortress against Germany. iThe accused argued that it was vital for Norway to come under the protection of the Greater German Reich. SCANDINAVIA’S SAVIOUR.

During the hearing of evidence Quis-. ling shouted repeatedly to the crowded court that it was he who saved Norway and Sweden from destruction as battlefields. He denied supplying military information to the Germans, and declared that he fought throughout for Norway and Norwegian neutrality.

He caused a mumur of incredulous astonishment when he claimed he fought the Germans to safe- , guard Norwegian interests. He flatly denied discussing the invasion of Norway with the German leaders before April, 1940, and described documents produced by the prosecution detailing these conversations as fabrications. ■ When asked whether he had made contact with the Germans before April, 1940, he replied, after hesitation: “ Yes, but not in the sense mentioned in the indictment.”

Quisling acknowledged having had talks with Hitler and Ribbentrop, and claimed that he persuaded Hitler to negotiate peace between Finland and Russia in order to prevent the war spreading to Scandinavia. The accused added that he had prevented the danger of a French invasion of Norway for the purpose of cutting off the Swedish copper mines. He explained his friendship for Germany by fiis belief that Germany had established herself the greatest country in Europe; therefore Norway sought to maintain friendly relations with her.

DAMNING DOCUMENTS. The prosecutor produced a number of documents recently found in Germany which, he said, showed that Quisling for years co-operated with high German Nazis. The most important olf these documents were letters from Quisling to Hitler. Rosenberg, Keitel, and. Jodi, under examination by the British after their arrests, stated that Quisling, with German military and financial support, had long prepared for the invasion of Norway, and had established groups to assist the German invading troops. Quisling told Rosenberg that Britain liad agreements with Norway for Allied occupation, but Quisling reiterated his belief that Norway’s fate must be bound with Germany. The prosecutor added that Quisling.* in the autumn of 1939, through his representative in Germany, Hagelin, kept the Germans informed of Norwegian developments. His plan was to take over the Government in a coup d’etat, for which he asked Germany’s help. Rosenberg and Admiral Raeder were most interested in Quisling’s plans, which were speeded up, and finally discussed at a meeting between Quisling and Hitler, who, according to Admiral Raeder, then issued orders for the invasion. * Quisling was appointed adviser, and paid 200,000 reichmarks. Quisling continued to urge the Germans to forestall the Western Powers, and suggested that a number of Quisling’s followers should receive military training in Germany for the paralysing of military opposition in Norway, and also for the capture of King Haakon. Speaking in his dwn defence towards the end of the day’s hearing, Quisling vigorously described. himself as the saviour of Scandinavia and the martyr of Norway.