QUISLING'S TRIAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25287, 22 August 1945, Page 8

QUISLING'S TRIAL

: OPENING IN OSLO LONG INDICTMENT INTRIGUES WITH GERMANS YEARS OF ASSOCIATION By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright 1/ONDON, Aug. 20 Three professional and four nonprofessional Judges are conducting the trial of Vidkun Quisling which opened in Oslo today. 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. Military and Civil Charges The indictment includes charges under military and under civil law. Quisling, in the former category, is charged with inciting the Norwegian armed forces to mutiny and to disloyalty by broadcasting appeals on April 9, 1940, to cease resistance to the German occupation, countermanding the mobilisation order, making an announcement about the fleeing 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 and working to cause such deaths, persecution of Jews and ordinary theft and embezzlement. Negotiations With Hitler The prosecutor, M. Annheus Schoedjt, eaid Quisling began negotiations with Hitler before the German invasion and urged him to invade Norway to forestall Allied plans to occupy Norway as a fortress against Germany. The accused argued that it was vital for Norway to come under the protection of the Greater German Reich. . M. Schoedjt produced a number of documents recently found in Germany, which, he said, showed that Quisling for years had co-operated with high German Nazis. The most important of these documents were letters from Quisling to Hitler. Rosenberg, Keitel and Jodl, 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, it was stated, told Rosenborg that Britain had agreements with Norway for an Allied occupation. Quisling reiterated his belief that Norway's fate must be bound with that of Germany. Kept Germans Informed The prosecutor stated that Quisling in the autumn of 1989, 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, former German naval Commander-in-Chief, were interested in Quisling's plans, which were speeded up and were finally discussed at a meeting between Quisling and Hitler, who, according to Raeder, then issued the orders for the invasion.

Quisling was appointed adviser and paid 200,000 reichmarks. He continued to urge the Germans to forestall the Western Powers and suggested that a number of Quisling followers should receive military training in Germany for paralysing military opposition in Norway, also for the capture of King Haakon. Speaking in his own defence toward the end of the day's hearing, Quisling vigorously described himself as the "Saviour of Scandinavia and the martyr of Norway." He shouted repeatedly to the crowded Court that it was he who saved Norway and Sweden from" destruction as battlefields. Quisling's Denial ' Quisling denied supplying military ir formation to the Germans, and asserte that he had fought throughout for Nor • way and Norwegian neutrality. H caused a murmur of incredulous astor ishment when he claimed that he fough the Germans to safeguard Norwegian ii: terests. Quisling flatlv denied discussing th invasion of Norway with Germai leaders before April, 1940. He describe! documents produced by the. prosecutioi detailing these conversations as fabri cations. When asked whether he had mad contact with the Germans before April 1940, he replied, after hesitation: "Yes but not in the sense mentioned in tb indictment." Quisling acknowledged talks wit) Hitler and Ribbentrop, and claimed tha he persuaded Hitler to negotiate peaci between Finland and Russia in ordei to prevent the war from spreading tc 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. Hf explained his friendship for Germany fey the belief th.it Germany had established herself as the greatest country in Europe. Therefore, Norway sought to maintain friendly relations with her. CRISIS IN FRANCE DE GAULLE'S THREAT RESIGNATION DEFERRED LONDON, A in?. '2(> General de Gaulle, who leaves by air at midnight tonight on a visit to Presi- - dent Truman, threatened at. the weekend to cancel the trip, reports the Paris correspondent of the Daily Express. Heated Cabinet discussions y ended with his agreeing to defer his decision to resign until after his return from Washington. The arguments of M. Palewski —the unpopular but powerful confidential adriser to General de Gaulle—and General de Gaulle's patience resolved the crisis, which was reached when the Socialist Ministers threatened to resign after the recent differences over General de Gaulle's home and foreign policies. General de Gaulle, angry and disheartened, wondered whether he could find enough hacking in order to continue, and would gladly have resigned, but he believed he would leave I'ranee floundering without a ( oust it utinii or a chiei of Stflte. Hi' asked his critics angrily lidw he could !».. expected to negotiate with J resident I'runian if France openly bickered and questioned his authority I lie Socialist .Ministers decided not'to resign, because they would weaken their election chances. At Palewski pleaded for patience, and urged that the critics did not represent the. mass of the French people. He declared that the October elections would give the answer. The Foreign Minister, M. Ridault, arid .M. Palewski are accompanying General de Gaulle to Washington. SOVIET ACCEPTS CHARTER (Kecd. fi mo p.m.) LONJKJN. Auk. '2l The Moscow radio announced that the Supreme Soviet has ratified the San Francisco ('barter.