Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Among Prisoners of War, North of the Arctic Circle
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press their gratitude for their newly regained
freedom and the feeling of unity which inspired all
of Norway at that time.
The conferences I had with Crown Prince Olav,
whom I had not met since the New York World’s
Fair, with the Norwegian Minister of Social Affairs,
Stöstad, and with the chief for the British military
Commission, General Thorne, resulted in an
agreement that Swedish activities should aim at aiding
Russian prisoners put to slave labor in various
German camps during the occupation, particularly in
the north of Norway. It was necessary to organize
hospitals for these prisoners where they could get
the care they needed before repatriation. According
to the information we received, there were
sixtythousand Russian and ten thousand western Allied
prisoners and forced laborers in Norway.
Furthermore, over one hundred thousand Norwegian citizens
had been forced from their home regions in the north
of Norway to some other part of the country. The
Norwegian authorities lacked the facilities and
supplies with which to assist these displaced foreigners.
To begin with, they wanted material aid, primarily
food, but also medicine and bedding were lacking,
and they would be grateful if they could get doctors
and nurses to help with medical assistance in prison
camps. They considered that such material and
personal aid to northern Norway would not only relieve
the Norwegian food situation but also constitute
important help to Russia. The Red Cross, through the
Swedish Committee for international Aid, received a
government grant to enable the organization of such
aid activities. The Swedish Aid to Norway organiza-
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