Jonas Lie (government minister)
Encyclopedia
Jonas Lie was a Norwegian
councillor of state in the Nasjonal Samling government of Vidkun Quisling
in 1940, then acting councillor of state 1940–1941, and Minister of Police between 1941 and 1945 in the new Quisling government. Lie was the grandson of the novelist Jonas Lie
and the son of the writer Erik Lie
.
and Eastern front
during World War I
. He was a successful police officer in the 1930s. He was the police officer charged with accompanying Leon Trotsky
on a freighter from Norway to Mexico. His political convictions may have been influenced by his uncle Nils Kjær
, who was an ardent antisemite.
as early as 1935; in any event, they maintained a close personal relationship during the entire Nazi era. Lie became a rival of Vidkun Quisling
's during the occupation of Norway.
Jonas Lie became one of the first Norwegian SS volunteers when he served for a brief period of time during the Balkans Campaign of 1940 as a war correspondent in Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler together with Minister of Justice Sverre Riisnæs
. He later led the 1st Police Company of the Norwegian Legion
of the Waffen-SS
on the Leningrad Front
in 1942–43.
Lie was also the official leader of the Germanic-SS
in Norway. This organisation, first known as Norges SS (founded 1941) and Germanske SS Norge (re-founded 1942) was a Norwegian equivalent to the German Allgemeine-SS.
He died at Skallum
on 11 May 1945, just before being arrested. The cause of death is unknown, as the autopsy was unable to find any evidence of suicide. It was highly believed a combination of stress, a large consumption of alcohol and lack of sleep was the cause of his death.It is also a fact that he had a heart condition, was a chain-smoker and had several other health problems.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
councillor of state in the Nasjonal Samling government of Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
in 1940, then acting councillor of state 1940–1941, and Minister of Police between 1941 and 1945 in the new Quisling government. Lie was the grandson of the novelist Jonas Lie
Jonas Lie
Jonas Lauritz Idemil Lie was a Norwegian novelist, poet, and playwright who is considered to have been one of the Four Greats of 19th century Norwegian literature, together with Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Alexander Kielland.-Background:Jonas Lie was born at Hokksund in Øvre Eiker, in...
and the son of the writer Erik Lie
Erik Lie
Erik Lie is a Norwegian finance professor at the University of Iowa who published a report about options backdating that led to many investigations by the SEC into the potentially illegal practice...
.
Early life
Raised in a family with close ties to Germany, Jonas Lie was a war correspondent on the Western frontWestern Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
and Eastern front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was a successful police officer in the 1930s. He was the police officer charged with accompanying Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
on a freighter from Norway to Mexico. His political convictions may have been influenced by his uncle Nils Kjær
Nils Kjær
Nils Kjær was a Norwegian playwright, short story writer, essayist, literary critic and theatre critic.-Personal life:Kjær was born in Holmestrand as the son of Nils Henrik Kjær and Christine Smestad...
, who was an ardent antisemite.
Fascism
It is also possible that Lie was introduced to Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
as early as 1935; in any event, they maintained a close personal relationship during the entire Nazi era. Lie became a rival of Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
's during the occupation of Norway.
Jonas Lie became one of the first Norwegian SS volunteers when he served for a brief period of time during the Balkans Campaign of 1940 as a war correspondent in Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler together with Minister of Justice Sverre Riisnæs
Sverre Riisnæs
Sverre Parelius Riisnæs was a Norwegian jurist and public prosecutor who was born 6 November 1897 in Vik, Sogn county and died 21 June 1988 in Oslo...
. He later led the 1st Police Company of the Norwegian Legion
Norwegian Legion
During World War II, the Norwegian Legion was formed by the Waffen-SS on 29 June 1941 in German-occupied Norway. Volunteers were assured that it would be a Norwegian unit with Norwegian officers, uniforms and language and that its area of operations would be Finland. Instead, the Norwegians were...
of the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
on the Leningrad Front
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
in 1942–43.
Lie was also the official leader of the Germanic-SS
Germanic-SS
The Germanic SS was the collective name given to SS groups which arose in Occupied Europe between 1939 and 1945.The units were modeled on the Allgemeine-SS in Nazi Germany...
in Norway. This organisation, first known as Norges SS (founded 1941) and Germanske SS Norge (re-founded 1942) was a Norwegian equivalent to the German Allgemeine-SS.
He died at Skallum
Skallum
Skallum is an area at Stabekk in Bærum, Norway. Named after the local farm, Skallum is known locally for its art gallery and as a recreational area, and nationally as the site of an event in the closing days of World War II in Europe.-Geography:...
on 11 May 1945, just before being arrested. The cause of death is unknown, as the autopsy was unable to find any evidence of suicide. It was highly believed a combination of stress, a large consumption of alcohol and lack of sleep was the cause of his death.It is also a fact that he had a heart condition, was a chain-smoker and had several other health problems.