o% of the leading members of the Norwegian Government (in London) Mr. Trygve Lie, whò a couple of days ago was appointed Foreign Minister, replacing Professor Koht who had tò retirë owing fo a long illness, made in the capacity of acting. Foreign Minister on December 15, 1940, from London a speech Which was broadcast to Norway.
In an editorial of December 16, "The Times" commented on the speech which was described as the most courageous and encouraging one ever pronounced by a representative from a small country during this war.
Mr. Lie is only 45 years of age but was appointed Minister in the Norwegian Labour Government in 1935. He hay acted as Minister of Justice, Minister of Commerce, and Minister of Supply. In the, latter ity He accumulated considerable plies of commodities of various in. Notway during the period September 1939, and April Thanks to his foresight, the people of Norway are able to endure the hardships of this winter in spite of. the wholesale robbery by the German "protectors" of large quantities of, the food stocks. His broadcast,.follows:—"Bor all Norwegians there is today only one task: the liberation Norway from the enemy occupa-ión, The German soldiers and the German Reichskommissar must be riven. out of the country where they, have no right to be. Norway shall again become a free, indivisible and inalienable country under our free, three-coloured Norwegian flag. The people shall again breathe freely. There shall be no Gestapo in Norway and the small Norwegian-born dictators who have been the obedient servants of the enemy, shall disappear. The reign of terror shall be, abolished. Everybody shall, as the Constitution stipulates, be entitled to "free utterances concerning the Government." The German economic exploitation of Norway shall cease and we shall jointly in the years to ome after the war raise the living anidard and restore to the people the advantages of social progress.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.