Niels Christian Ditleff
Encyclopedia
Niels Christian Ditleff was a Norwegian diplomat
noted for his humanitarian efforts on behalf of refugees from Nazi Germany
. In spite of opposition from his own and allied governments, he initiated and led the White Buses
campaign to rescue Scandinavian prisoners held in German concentration camps. He also played an instrumental role in evacuating foreign diplomats from Warsaw
during the German invasion and to rescue Jews in coordination with Nansenhjelpen
.
He was first stationed in the Norwegian consulate general in Le Havre
from 1903 to 1906 and was thereafter sent as vice consul
and chargé d'affaires
to missions in Havana
, Bilbao
, and Lisbon
before an interval at the ministry offices in Oslo from 1920 to 1926.
He was stationed in Warsaw in 1926, where he rose through the ranks and became ambassador, both to Poland
and Czechoslovakia
in 1930. He was also accredited to Romania
from 1935 to 1937. Although he had to evacuate Warsaw during the German invasion
in 1939, he maintained his official role as emissary until the end of the war.
He was stationed as Norway's ambassador to Finland from 1945 to 1950, after which he chose to retire. Ditleff never sought recognition or fame for his contributions.
In addition to his diplomatic career, Ditleff was also an accomplished composer, artist, and playwright. In 1921, he wrote the three-act play Tahove, and another play Statsministeren, which were both shown at Nationaltheatret. He wrote the libretto for the operetta Don Carrambo, set up at Den Nationale Scene
in Bergen. In the course of his work, he also developed fluency in Portuguese, Spanish, and Polish, in addition to his working languages of Norwegian, German, and English. He also published newspaper articles and stories, often with his own illustrations.
At a time when this was unusual, he was also an avid recreational runner, known in the city of Warsaw for his daily runs back and forth along the Vistula River, criss-crossing the bridges. His friend Johan Borgen
dubbed him "the running diplomat."
He and his wife died in an automobile accident.
. Ditleff arranged for the refugees to receive food, clothing, and transportation to Gdynia
, where they boarded ships bound for Norway.
As German forces approached Warsaw in September 1939, both the Polish government and general staff escaped the city; however, most of the foreign diplomatic corps and other foreign nationals remained. Ditleff, acting as the doyen
of the corps, tried early to contact German military authorities to arrange an orderly evacuation with a handheld radio. German airplanes tracked the transmission and strafed
the car, but eventually he was able to negotiate a 4-hour cease-fire to arrange the evacuation of 1,200 individuals. They left in a convoy consisting of two trucks and sedans. Ditleff himself drove one car for 48 hours until he fell asleep behind the wheel.
and occupied
Norway but was able to escape to Sweden
, where he joined the Norwegian legation there.
Ditleff actively opposed the "stay put doctrine" of the Norwegian and Danish governments, advocating instead an active approach to retrieving Norwegian and Danish citizens held in German concentration camps. In November 1944, he proposed a plan to rescue these prisoners and finally prevailed in securing sponsorship for the White Buses
operation that rescued tens of thousands of prisoners in the last months of the war. To negotiate the rescue with the German authorities, he enlisted Folke Bernadotte
to act under the good offices of the International Red Cross. Bernadotte subsequently initiated contact with Heinrich Himmler
to put into effect the plan, which ultimately led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of refugees.
King Christian X's Freedom Award and the Swedish Red Cross' Merit. and Norwegian Red Cross badges of honor.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
noted for his humanitarian efforts on behalf of refugees from Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. In spite of opposition from his own and allied governments, he initiated and led the White Buses
White Buses
"White Buses" refers to a program undertaken by the Swedish Red Cross and the Danish government in the spring of 1945 to rescue concentration camp inmates in areas under Nazi control and transport them to Sweden, a neutral country...
campaign to rescue Scandinavian prisoners held in German concentration camps. He also played an instrumental role in evacuating foreign diplomats from Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
during the German invasion and to rescue Jews in coordination with Nansenhjelpen
Nansenhjelpen
Nansenhjelpen was a Norwegian humanitarian organization founded by Odd Nansen in 1936 to provide safe haven and assistance in Norway for Jewish refugees from areas in Europe under Nazi control...
.
Biography
Ditleff was born to a maritime family in the port city of Larvik. His father, a sea captain, died when Niels was only three years old. Niels mustered as a sailor in his youth and subsequently was admitted to the Norwegian Naval Academy. He graduated with a commission as a lieutenant but resigned his commission to pursue a career in diplomacy.He was first stationed in the Norwegian consulate general in Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
from 1903 to 1906 and was thereafter sent as vice consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
and chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
to missions in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, and Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
before an interval at the ministry offices in Oslo from 1920 to 1926.
He was stationed in Warsaw in 1926, where he rose through the ranks and became ambassador, both to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in 1930. He was also accredited to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
from 1935 to 1937. Although he had to evacuate Warsaw during the German invasion
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
in 1939, he maintained his official role as emissary until the end of the war.
He was stationed as Norway's ambassador to Finland from 1945 to 1950, after which he chose to retire. Ditleff never sought recognition or fame for his contributions.
In addition to his diplomatic career, Ditleff was also an accomplished composer, artist, and playwright. In 1921, he wrote the three-act play Tahove, and another play Statsministeren, which were both shown at Nationaltheatret. He wrote the libretto for the operetta Don Carrambo, set up at Den Nationale Scene
Den Nationale Scene
Den Nationale Scene is the largest theatre in Bergen, Norway. Den Nationale Scene is also one of the oldest permanent theatre in Norway.-History:...
in Bergen. In the course of his work, he also developed fluency in Portuguese, Spanish, and Polish, in addition to his working languages of Norwegian, German, and English. He also published newspaper articles and stories, often with his own illustrations.
At a time when this was unusual, he was also an avid recreational runner, known in the city of Warsaw for his daily runs back and forth along the Vistula River, criss-crossing the bridges. His friend Johan Borgen
Johan Borgen
Johan Collett Müller Borgen was a Norwegian author, journalist and critic. He was married to Annemarta Borgen. Under the pseudonym of Mumle Gåsegg he wrote shorter articles in the newspaper Dagbladet, particularly during World War II...
dubbed him "the running diplomat."
He and his wife died in an automobile accident.
World War II
Ditleff's humanitarian contributions during World War II are related to two specific episodes. The evacuation of foreign diplomats and Jews from Warsaw, and the White Buses campaign to rescue Scandinavians held in German concentration camps.Evacuation from Warsaw
In the spring of 1939, Ditleff set up a transit station in Warsaw for Jewish refugees from Czechoslovakia that had been sent there through the sponsorship of NansenhjelpenNansenhjelpen
Nansenhjelpen was a Norwegian humanitarian organization founded by Odd Nansen in 1936 to provide safe haven and assistance in Norway for Jewish refugees from areas in Europe under Nazi control...
. Ditleff arranged for the refugees to receive food, clothing, and transportation to Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
, where they boarded ships bound for Norway.
As German forces approached Warsaw in September 1939, both the Polish government and general staff escaped the city; however, most of the foreign diplomatic corps and other foreign nationals remained. Ditleff, acting as the doyen
Doyen
Doyen is a surname. The word doyen is derived from the French term for dean, e.g. Dean and Dean ....
of the corps, tried early to contact German military authorities to arrange an orderly evacuation with a handheld radio. German airplanes tracked the transmission and strafed
Strafing
Strafing is the practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. This means, that although ground attack using automatic weapons fire is very often accompanied with bombing or rocket fire, the term "strafing" does not specifically include the...
the car, but eventually he was able to negotiate a 4-hour cease-fire to arrange the evacuation of 1,200 individuals. They left in a convoy consisting of two trucks and sedans. Ditleff himself drove one car for 48 hours until he fell asleep behind the wheel.
White Buses
Ditleff had returned to Norway by the time Nazi Germany invadedOperation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
and occupied
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
Norway but was able to escape to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where he joined the Norwegian legation there.
Ditleff actively opposed the "stay put doctrine" of the Norwegian and Danish governments, advocating instead an active approach to retrieving Norwegian and Danish citizens held in German concentration camps. In November 1944, he proposed a plan to rescue these prisoners and finally prevailed in securing sponsorship for the White Buses
White Buses
"White Buses" refers to a program undertaken by the Swedish Red Cross and the Danish government in the spring of 1945 to rescue concentration camp inmates in areas under Nazi control and transport them to Sweden, a neutral country...
operation that rescued tens of thousands of prisoners in the last months of the war. To negotiate the rescue with the German authorities, he enlisted Folke Bernadotte
Folke Bernadotte
Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg was a Swedish diplomat and nobleman noted for his negotiation of the release of about 31,000 prisoners from German concentration camps during World War II, including 450 Danish Jews from Theresienstadt released on 14 April 1945...
to act under the good offices of the International Red Cross. Bernadotte subsequently initiated contact with Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich 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...
to put into effect the plan, which ultimately led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of refugees.
Honours
Ditleff received a large number of Norwegian and foreign orders and decorations, including:- Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (Norway) (12 March 1946, for his work for Norwegian and Danish prisoners in Germany); Knight 1st Class (1927), Commander with Star (1939)
- Haakon VII's Freedom CrossHaakon VII's Freedom CrossKing Haakon VII's Freedom Cross was established on 18 May 1945. The medal is awarded to Norwegian or foreign military or civilian personnel for outstanding achievement during war. It is ranked fifth in the order of precedence in the Norwegian honours system....
(Norway) - Grand Cross of the Order of the DannebrogOrder of the DannebrogThe Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. It resulted from a move in 1660 to break the absolutism of the nobility. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the Danish monarch, and his sons...
(Denmark) - Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (Finland)
- Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (Poland)
- Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar StarOrder of the Polar StarThe Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
(Sweden) - Order of the Phoenix
- Order of the White LionOrder of the White LionThe Order of the White Lion is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners....
(Czechoslovakia) - Order of the Crown of RomaniaOrder of the Crown (Romania)The Order of the Crown is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania...
- Commander of the Order of Orange-NassauOrder of Orange-NassauThe Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
(Netherlands) - Order of ChristOrder of Christ (Portugal)The Military Order of Christ previously the Royal Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312...
(Portugal, 1921 Commander, 1940 Grand Cross)
King Christian X's Freedom Award and the Swedish Red Cross' Merit. and Norwegian Red Cross badges of honor.