Espionage in Norway during World War I

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Norway was a neutral country during World War I, but the country was subject to extensive espionage from both sides in the conflict.

Background

Two proactive Acts had been sanctioned by the

Norwegian Parliament in the early phase of the conflict. These were Lov om forsvarshemmeligheter in 1914, and Lov om kontroll av post- og telegrafforbindelser in 1915.[1][2] Chief of the criminal department of the Kristiania Police Johan Søhr was responsible for police investigations of espionage in Norway during World War I. In 1938 he wrote a book giving an account of the espionage investigations during the war period.[3]

Cases

Finnmark

The county of Finnmark borders to both Finland and Russia, and during the Finnish Civil War and the Russian Civil War considerable amounts of goods were transported from Skibotn into Finland, and from Karasjok into Russia.[2] Among the famous incidents of espionage was the arrest and expulsion of the Swedish Baron Otto von Rosen, who operated in Northern Norway as a German agent.[4] He was arrested in Karasjok in January 1917. Among the confiscations in this affair were cultures of anthrax bacteria and the toxin curare, and also explosives.[4]

Oslo

A number of suspected spies operating in or near

German Emperor,[3] while other members of the league were eventually convicted and sent to prison.[5]

Other cities

The cities

Tveitsund, Hurum, Gjøvik, Skien and Tønsberg.[8]

References

  1. ^ Haarstad, Gunnar (1988). I hemmelig tjeneste (in Norwegian). Oslo: Aschehoug. p. 57.
  2. ^ a b Hobson, Rolf; Kristiansen, Tom (2001). Norsk forsvarshistorie (in Norwegian). Vol. 3. Bergen: Eide forlag. p. 133.
  3. ^ a b Jørgensen, Jørn-Kr. "Johan Søhr". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  4. ^ a b Søhr, Joh. (1938). "Baron von Rosens mystiske ekspedisjon". Spioner og bomber. Fra opdagelsespolitiets arbeide under verdenskrigen (in Norwegian). Oslo: Johan Grundt Tanum. pp. 35–46.
  5. ^ a b Søhr, Joh. (1938). "Den Rautenfelske bombesak". Spioner og bomber. Fra opdagelsespolitiets arbeide under verdenskrigen (in Norwegian). Oslo: Johan Grundt Tanum. pp. 72–98.
  6. ^ Søhr, Joh. (1938). "Spioner i Bergen og Trondhjem". Spioner og bomber. Fra opdagelsespolitiets arbeide under verdenskrigen (in Norwegian). Oslo: Johan Grundt Tanum. pp. 108–134.
  7. ^ Søhr, 1938 pp. 148-151
  8. ^ Søhr, 1938 pp. 135-136
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