Lecture in Stavanger, February, 1934: Norway's Arctic Interests

Excerpt from a lecture in Stavanger 1—2. Feb. 1934.

By Dr. Gulbrand Lunde.

The story of the Norwegian people is a constant loss of our country. In 1814 we lost the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland. In 1826 we lost Kola. The Norwegian fishermen have been excluded from Kvitsjøen; then we lost Franz Josef Land. This is an example of today's situation. We have not been able to keep the old Norwegian polar lands. Now it's Svalbard's turn. On Svalbard there are now three times as many Russians as Norwegians. We have arranged ourselves so stupidly that we have taken over the country with a clause that allows anyone to move in and work there, while we have to bear all the costs.

Similarly, we have lost the right to the sea along our coast. The Norwegian Sea is a lost cause. On English maps it no longer says the Norwegian Sea, but the Arctic Ocean. The same thing has happened with Nordmannskysten and Gandvik. Nothing has been done by the people who rule the country to preserve it for the Norwegian people. Irresponsible party politicians have not understood that it is a sacred duty to preserve and protect Norway for the Norwegians. It is not something that can be given away in East and West. The efforts made by our fishermen and hunters for generations have been wasted by these non-national small party politicians!

If you want to protect your country, the people must stand together and do so with plow and sword. The land must be cultivated, and the land must be protected. But it’s not just the earth. A large part of Norway’s population is just as dependent on the riches of the sea as the rest of the population is on those of the land. It is only the Norwegian people who have managed the hardships of fishing in the icy north and out on the sea banks. Therefore, we also have a claim on these banks, and we also have a duty to protect them. We must seize the sea and not leave it to England.

It is typical of the liberalist age to claim that the sea is for everyone, that the sea is international. We believe that the oceans should not be a free-for-all for international dividend capital. The liberals argue that it is not feasible for a country to seize any part of the sea for itself; it is more correct to compete with others. But this is only a matter of power. Whoever has proven for generations that they can fish in the Arctic Ocean will also fish there. The question becomes whether there should still be the Norwegian Sea up there or not, whether we should bow as before and say yes and amen to everything that other states decide for us, adhering to meaningless sectoral principles, or assert ourselves in all those areas where we have the right and duty to do so by virtue of our skill and efforts.

Our people have great opportunities. If we can free ourselves from the stranglehold of Marxism and liberalism and emerge from the swamp we have slowly and surely sunk into, if we can regain our national freedom and assert ourselves as a people, then it is certain that we can create a happy Norway for those who come after us and make a valuable contribution to Nordic culture.

Translated by LucciNation.