A Helping Hand:
The Efforts of American Relief for Norway By Jeff Sauve
A
stark drawing by Johan Bull illustrates the horror of war-torn Norway. In the drawing’s forefront, a distraught mother clutches her baby, while her other child looks back at the ruins. Evoking the dark saga of the Nazi Germany invasion of Norway in April 1940, Bull’s image depicts a family without a father or a home. The infant likely symbolizes the future. The position of the other child, whose back is turned, suggests the rest of the world should not turn its back on Norway. Bull, a highly respected illustrator who emigrated from Oslo in 1925, created the drawing to help Johan Bull, from the pamphlet promote the activities of a ...It is not a Donation. It is Payment newly formed humanitarian organization, American Relief of a Debt, Norwegian Relief, Inc., 1942. Norwegian-American Historical for Norway, Inc. (ARNI).1 Association, American Relief for Norway, ARNI (originally named Inc. Papers. Used with permission. Norwegian Relief, Inc.) was organized in Chicago, Illinois, on April 19, 1940 just ten days after the invasion of Norway. The breadth of ARNI’s operations extended from coast to coast, carried on through state and local committees. Bull’s image was utilized on several pamphlets, each offering different bold headlines like “Why we want to help stricken, devastated Norway” or “…It is not a donation. It is payment of a debt.” These headlines declared ARNI’s purpose or mission, which Dr. A. N. Rygg, author of the 1947 history, “American Relief For Norway,” stated as follows:
Seamen’s Christmas and Relief, Inc (aid and comfort, with special emphasis on providing packages and celebrations at Christmas each year, for the thousands of Norwegian seamen who were cut off from their families and homes); and American Friends of Norway (special tasks and problems for Norwegian-American war-connected agencies and institutions).3 These organizations, under the umbrella of ARNI, established an initial goal of raising $1,000,000 for relief efforts. Contributors by the thousands stepped up early and often to assist. Many would cite the children as their motivation as a “payment of debt.” Ultimately the child whose back is turned in Bull’s image needed to be righted. For the next seven years, ARNI campaigned to gather and disburse contributions for Norway during the war and after the liberation.
Its purpose was to gather contributions toward the acquisition of supplies of food, clothing and medicine for the suffering Norwegian people and Norwegian refugees, and in any way possible give them a helping hand. Among the incorporators were Arthur Andersen [of accounting firm fame], Birger Osland, and J.A.O. Preus.2 The extent of ARNI’s “helping hands” included affiliated organizations such as: Camp Little Norway Association, Inc. (Norwegian fliers at Camp “Little Norway,” Canada, and in Great Britain, and special aid to Norwegian seamen chiefly through Norwegian seamen’s churches); Norwegian 34
From the pamphlet American Relief For Norway, 1945, American Relief for Norway, Inc.
Norwegian-American Historical Association, American Relief for Norway, Inc. Papers. Used with permission.
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Gathering Monetary Contributions Out of hundreds of letters received by ARNI, perhaps none is as touching as the short handwritten note by Ingeborg Brideson of Baudette, Minnesota, who wrote on October 28, 1944: Enclosed find a little gift it’s not so much but I am 82 yrs. old and doctoring all the time and a old age pension so I can’t do much. But I heard you are asking for something for Norway.4 Ingeborg was not unlike other donors who cited old age and gave what they could afford, typically $1 or $2. Her gift of 55 cents appears to be the smallest amount given, but her intentions were likely as grand as gifts received in the tens of thousands. Altogether, cash contributions from the American people totaled $3,886,642.80. People gave for a variety of reasons: to celebrate a birthday or baptism, in memory of the ancestral homeland, or in honor of Norwegian-American friends and neighbors. Marion Olsen of St. Paul presented a home movie, Christmas at Our House, to the Minnesota Garden Flower Society. This movie showed her preparing various Norwegian foods during the holiday season. Others donated prize money from their bridge clubs or whist parties. Schools sold waste paper, or raised funds with “Mission Days.” Miss Albertine Johnson, a member of the Duluth, Minnesota, Nordlandslaget Midnatsol, quietly raised funds by making a quilt. She purchased the materials with her own money, of which she was noted to have very little, and sold over 1,000 tickets herself without any outside help. Raising over $100, Albertine donated the entire amount without deducting any of her own expenses. One of ARNI’s incorporators, Birger Osland, sent her a personal thank you, stating, “We wish that there were many who would follow your example so that our contributions could be one that is worthy of the Norwegian Americans.” While most donated once or twice, Henry L. Hansen of Astoria, Oregon, sent 26 different “personal tithes” over a fouryear period totaling $170. With one money order for $5 he included a note saying, “I hope that it will not be used to help buy guns or ammunition or tobacco for prisoners, etc.” Most who contributed included letters with their donations. Walter R. Carter of Bakersfield, California, sent one particularly memorable note: I sailed the seas with Norwegians fifty-odd years ago and we used to have a saying that a Norwegian could whistle up the mast and bring a wind to fill our sails. They were real seamen, born and bred to storm-tossed salt water. I never knew a Norwegian that was not good-tempered, nor a good neighbor and fellow-workman. I am a retired worker and living on my pension, but I am rich in knowing Norwegians in the past years.5 Carter, like so many other donors who wrote letters, either expressed concern over family members or friends living in Norway, or an “obligation” to help. The many men and women who were willing to share with the Norwegian needy during their dark hour enlarged the circle of friendship Vol. 5, No. 2 2007
Norwegian relief seals, 1941.
Norwegian-American Historical Association, American Relief for Norway, Inc. Papers. Used with permission.
between nations. Contributions given, no matter the reason, were graciously accepted for the cause. In addition to relying on contributions from the general public, ARNI also actively pursued a variety of fundraising activities like lectures, raffles, movie nights, ribbons, and buttons. Relief seals and concerts were among other methods employed to raise awareness and funds. Relief Seals Duluth, Minnesota, artist, Carl Holte created an image of a child once again caught up in wartime Norway.6 His image originally was employed in poster form, but ARNI sought a wider audience, placing it on relief seals. Sheets of 100 seals were offered at $1 each; a substantial profit could be realized. Orlando Ingvoldstad, ARNI executive secretary, said of the seals, “We must try in every possible way to keep Norwegian Relief before the public so that our cause is virile and alive.”7 Children in Estherville, Iowa, did their part by hosting an ice cream social. Girls in Norwegian costumes sold 135 seals at a penny each, raising $1.35. In the fall of 1941 ARNI drove hard to spread seals throughout the United States so that they would appear on Christmas cards, letters, and packages. With the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, the State Department recommended that charitable efforts and resources be expended on the home front, not on foreign nations. The New York Times responded by stating relief efforts should continue for other nations, such as Norway, “This is a civilian as well as a military war. . . . dollars given for relief work among the allied peoples are not mere expressions of sentiment. They contribute to victory by stimulating civilian 35
morale and strengthening the ties of friendship among democratic peoples.”8 In a touching letter to ARNI, Fred Lund of San Jose, California, wrote on December 30, 1941, “. . .excuse me for not writing to you before, all I can say is, and I’m sure you will understand why, when I tell you that I had my boy over at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, and did not hear anything from him before Dec. 23.” Lund purchased $2.50 worth of relief seals as a Christmas present in honor of his son. He concluded his letter by stating there are so many “calls” made on a fellow, but “I’m with you as well as you are with me in fighting for both Norway and Denmark.”9 Flagstad Concert “Helping their Norwegian Fatherland at Musical Benefit,” read a newspaper caption underneath a photograph of four women: Ingrid Brightstone, Signe Johnsen, Edith Olsen, and Sylvia Brightstone. These women were ushers for the worldrenowned Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad, whose concert was held at Chicago’s Civic Opera House on January 17, 1941. The women posed side-by-side, arms akimbo, clad in bunader and aprons, søljer at the neckline. Concerts such as Flagstad’s strengthened the ties that bound together the music lovers as well as the Norwegian Americans in attendance.10 Flagstad, known as a Wagnerian soprano, donated her services and those of her pianist, Mr. Edwin McArthur, without fee, and in addition paid all of her own expenses to and from Chicago. The concert, attended by over two
Flagstad benefit concert poster, 1941.
Norwegian-American Historical Association, American Relief for Norway, Inc. Papers. Used with permission.
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thousand people, was deemed a success on many levels, meeting many expectations and raising over $5,000 in net profits. But some attendees questioned her program, which concluded with two Wagner numbers, Elsa’s Dream from Lohengrin and Du bist der Lenz from Die Walküre. An article in the Chicago Daily News just a few days before the concert said the Flagstad concert would include compositions of famous Scandinavian, Slavic, Dutch, and British composers, “many of whose works are now forbidden by the German occupation authorities.”11 Earlier in January, a delicate memo was sent from Ingvoldstad to the NBC Concert Service regarding Flagstad’s upcoming concert. With intentions not to dictate the type and kind of program that Flagstad was to offer, Ingvoldstad suggested that a well-balanced program feature Norwegian and American songs. He added: The majority of the people attending this concert will be Norwegian Americans who love the Norwegian language and honor and respect their mother country . . . a program which will feature the type and kind of music which lies nearest to the people’s hearts in this hour of world tumult will strike a responsive chord which will vibrate for many years to come.12 The outcome of the concert was the cancellation of a second Flagstad concert scheduled at Carnegie Hall, New York, on March 3. Some people, as Dr. Rygg pointed out, “found it difficult to understand why she must sing in German as a benefit for Norwegian Relief.”13 The concert program itself carried an ARNI advertisement stating, “We ask that you TALK Norwegian relief, THINK Norwegian relief, and WORK for Norwegian relief.” Shortly after the concert, Flagstad returned to Norway, where she resided until 1947. Gathering Necessary Supplies Aside from fundraising efforts, ARNI undertook a massive campaign to collect medical supplies, foodstuffs, clothing, scholarly books, and carpenter’s tools to alleviate suffering during the war and to aid in reconstruction afterwards. The German policy toward Norway was never more concisely or frankly expressed than in an address delivered by Reichskommissar Josef Terboven in Oslo in the early fall of 1941. He said, “It is a matter of indifference to Germany if some thousands or perhaps tens of thousands of Norwegian men, women and children starve to death during this war.”14 Given the reality that Germany was stripping Norway of its resources during the occupation at nearly 40 percent of the gross domestic product, the Norwegian citizens soon would be faced with dire circumstances, as Terboven had nonchalantly stated.15 In a market where shortages and scarcity prevailed, the attitude of one German official who exclaimed, “We shall take everything,” put into motion a nearly unparalleled clothing collection program. Clothing for Norway Severe shortages of all textiles in Norway during the war resulted in rigid rationing. Available goods were made of Vesterheim
dress for her daughter. Many necessary items were sent. In the 1950s, the Oliasens sent my grandparents a large Norwegian flag as a thank you gift. ARNI undertook two major clothing drives during the war; the second was called the “Kaiser Drive.” Nothing was to be donated that was not considered good enough for oneself. In San Francisco, a “Bundles for Norway Party” was held on January 21, 1945. The advertisement read, “Bring a bundle of clean or new clothing and enjoy the afternoon. Entertainment and refreshments Free. Admission by bundle.” Sigrid Undset, recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1929, spoke at a “Norway Day” ceremony held on May 11, 1945, at clothing collection bins in Columbus Circle, New York City. She said the suffering of Norwegians was due to their refusal to be Germany’s “hangmen’s henchmen” and added: The Norwegians dislike trampling on others almost as much as they dislike being trampled upon. The Germans have tried to break our stubborn people ever since by torture, tyranny, by hunger and cold, and systematic looting and ruin inflicted upon Norway. Norway is grateful to you for helping us get our feet again after we have been under the German military boot for five years of hell.16
Clothing for Norway poster, ca. 1942, Norwegian Relief, Inc.
Norwegian-American Historical Association, American Relief for Norway, Inc. Papers. Used with permission.
low-grade cotton and wool substitutes. Threadbare, patched, and made-over clothes were the order of the day. The only shoes obtainable were made of paper with wooden soles; straps held them to the feet. There were reports of babies swaddled in paper, since suitable cloth was scarce. Children could not attend school as they lacked clothing. The Germans confiscated woolen blankets for troops fighting in Russia. Many people asked, “Why collect clothing when it is impossible to send anything over!” The Norwegian Government offered to pay all expenses involved in sending clothing to Norway. Clothes were collected, properly repaired, treated, cleaned, moth-proofed, boxed, and stored in one of a number of Norwegian Government warehouses throughout the United States, Nova Scotia, and Scotland. With the withdrawal of German forces, shipments of clothing were dispersed through a Norwegian agency known as Nasjonalhjelpen. In a recent donation to the Norwegian-American Historical Association, Deloris Thorson Lewis of Urbandale, Iowa, wrote that her grandmother, Mrs. Mary Ann Nelson, of Cambridge, Iowa, and Aunt Sarah Nelson Seuferer of Elkhart, Iowa, sent care packages to Freida Oliasen in Lovund, Norway, following World War II: I remember as a little girl watching them pack a box of clothing to send to Norway. One of the items was a nice white material for Freida to make a confirmation Vol. 5, No. 2 2007
Undset and other personalities, such as musician Storm Bull and Olympic figure skater and actress Sonja Henie, lent their talents as well as their names to promote Norwegian relief. All told the clothing drives alone produced staggering numbers: 750 tons of clothing—1,925,000 separate garments valued at $3,675,000. But numbers do not tell of the sincere appreciation given by Norwegians, summed appropriately by one particular letter, “Thank you with all my heart for that coat, it keeps me warm—body and soul.”
Press clipping on clothing drive, from book American Relief for Norway, by A.N. Rygg, Chicago, Illinois, 1947, pg. 129).
Norwegian-American Historical Association, American Relief for Norway, Inc. Papers. Used with permission.
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This is sort of confidential and too much must not be said about it until you read it in the press. It might hinder some of this if too much publicity is given. That is one thing which has handicapped us in American Relief for Norway because we have had to do a lot of this work without any publicity. Otherwise the Germans and Quislings [Norwegian Occupation Government] would have jumped on it.20 Help after V-E day was not handicapped by any means. With sufficient funds, ARNI was able to purchase a vast array of items needed for Norwegian relief including:21 Drawing of prefabricated house, from the pamphlet Norway in Need, published by Norwegian Relief Committee, Brooklyn, New York, 1941. American Relief for Norway, Inc. Papers. NorwegianAmerican Historical Association. Used with permission.
Acquisition and Disbursements ARNI’s “helping hand” to Norway fell into three distinct periods: help provided prior to entry of the United States in the War (1940-1943); help provided during the war—beginning in 1943 when the Anglo-American blockade authorities first permitted shipments (1943-1945); and help after V-E Day (1945-1947). During the time-frame before Pearl Harbor, ARNI, through a close working relationship with representative business men in Stockholm, Sweden, delivered ascorbic acid (a medicated form of vitamin C that was lacking in the diet of food, which was rationed at the time) and 32 prefabricated houses, at a total cost of $71,600. There was a great need for immediate shelter, because some 50,000 people in various sections of Norway were made homeless by German bombing or evictions. An estimated 15,000 homes were lost by the summer of 1940. Norwegians “made do” by living in boathouses, barns, outhouses, and shacks.17 With winter looming, the suffering would be untold for those without proper shelter. Houses could not be built in Norway, owing to a lack of wood and other materials. Word was received from Stockholm, Sweden, on March 15, 1942, that 32 wooden houses (two-stories, six rooms) were erected: in Steinkjer (1 house), Bodø (1 house), Narvik (13 houses), and Ankenes (17 houses).18 Stepped-up assistance, with the aid of the American Red Cross and the Norwegian Government’s Relief Committee, occurred when the blockade was lifted. More than $600,000 dollars was spent on powdered milk and other food packages for children. Additional funds were spent on comfort articles and books for Norwegian prisoners, Norwegian refugees in Sweden, and medicines, medical supplies, and hospital equipment. At Christmastime in 1944, over 28,000 pairs of shoes were distributed in Norway, to the relief of many children who, as it was mentioned earlier, suffered greatly from poor footwear. This event attracted much publicity and goodwill toward ARNI.19 John A. Aasgaard, ARNI president, pointed out in a letter to a donor, that although the shoe event was well publicized, in the later months of 1944, ARNI was sending $37,000 a month to Sweden for the purchase of food to be distributed in Norway, where it would not aid the enemy. He added: 38
For Men 21,458 14,469 138,168 8,543 2,700 2,500
pairs of shoes pairs of rubber boots and overshoes pairs of socks undershirts, t-shirts, etc. sweaters raincoats
For Women 22,672 1,634 30,164 27,682 4,174
pairs of shoes pairs of rubber boots and galoshes pairs of stockings and anklets garments of underwear skirts
For Children 32,752 pairs of shoes 33,372 pairs of rubber boots and galoshes 6,411 pairs of stockings 1,803 garments of underwear 52,859 sweaters 18,799 coats 3,590 skirts 16,107 infants’ garments
Photo of men working on shoe drive (at left, Prof. Ore Oystein of Yale University), ca. 1944). Norwegian-American Historical Association, American Relief for Norway, Inc. Papers. Used with permission.
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The list of medicines and hospital equipment purchased and shipped to hospitals in Norway includes such items as: Penicillin (15,000 vials) X-ray units for six hospitals Equipment for the Dental Institute of Oslo Operating table with accessories for six hospitals Operating lights for six hospitals Anesthesia apparatus for six hospitals 100 beds, mattresses, and pillows for Red Cross Home for Backward Children Microscopes, endoscopes, thoracoscopes, instrument washers, etc. for 12 hospitals Cystoscopes for ten hospitals Electrocardiographs for six hospitals Triumphant Smiles The world did not turn its back on the child depicted in Bull’s drawing. During its seven years and one month as an organization, ARNI was extremely successful in operating as a relief organization. By May, 1947, the mission was accomplished and the organization dissolved. The work of ARNI was carried out with the lowest percentage of overhead expenses (under 4%) of any large national relief agency, due in part to the volunteer service of its members. The greater accomplishment was the good that came with helping others, the bridging of people not only within America, but also across the ocean to Norway. Countless letters in the ARNI archives tell of the deep appreciation from the Norwegians. But no words written can capture the utter delight captured in one photograph with the caption, “Happy boys and girls waving their thanks to benefactors through the world.” Their triumphant wide smiles are endearing 60 years later.
“Help Norway! Norwegian Relief” pin, 1940-1943. Vesterheim 1987.061.005—Gift of the Altern Family.
“Norway Thanks You” pin. Vesterheim 1989.101.029— Gift of Tollef Sanderson.
Photo of Norwegian children, from the pamphlet To the American Relief for Norway Inc. from Nasjonalhjelpen Norway: Norway Thanks You, 1946. Norwegian-American Historical Association, American Relief for Norway, Inc. Papers. Used with permission. Vol. 5, No. 2 2007
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Book jacket from A.N. Rygg’s book American Relief for Norway. Vesterheim Library.
Endnotes “Johan Bull” (unpublished, ca. 1931), Knut Gjerset papers/Artists, (Norwegian-American Historical Association (hereafter referred to as NAHA) Northfield, Minnesota). Johan Bull was born November 22, 1893, in Oslo, Norway, son of Dr. Med. Ole B. Bull, ophthalmologist. Known as an illustrator and portrait painter, Bull worked for a time at The New Yorker magazine where it was noted by the New York Times (September, 14, 1945), that Bull was “known particularly for his sports scenes and contributed many drawings of polo, tennis and other sports scenes.” 2 A. N. Rygg, American Relief for Norway (Brooklyn: Arnesen Press, 1947), 11. 3 Rygg, 40. Collaboration was also provided to ARNI by the American Labor Relief (food, clothing, and special financial and other aid to the underground in Norway and Sweden), and membership in National War Fund. 4 American Relief for Norway papers, p. 646. NAHA. See boxes 2122 for donor-specific letters. 5 Ibid. 6 Rygg, 95. Carl Holte’s image was originally utilized in poster form for May 17. 7 Orlando Ingvoldstad form letter (June 5, 1941) directed at clergy. American Relief for Norway papers, p. 646. NAHA. 8 Merle Curti, American Philanthropy Abroad (New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1963), 449. New York Times article cited: 1
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December 18, 1941. In 1941, annual contributions received by volunteer agencies for overseas relief totaled $39 million; 1943 totaled $69 million received; and in 1945 totaled $234 million received. 9 Fred A. Lund letter dated Dec. 30, 1941. American Relief for Norway papers, p. 646. NAHA. 10 Flagstad Concert, January 17, 1941. Newspaper clipping source unknown. Photo credited to Daily News by Alden Brown. American Relief for Norway papers. NAHA. 11 Anthony Czarnecki, “Flagstad to Sing Jan. 17 to Open Drive to Aid Norway,” Chicago Daily News, January 13, 1941. American Relief for Norway papers/Flagstad Concert. NAHA. 12 Flagstad Concert/letter from Orlando Ingvoldstad to Elsi Illingsworth, NBC Concert Series, dated January 8, 1941. American Relief for Norway papers.NAHA. 13 Rygg, 25. 14 “Look to Norway!” pamphlet. American Relief for Norway papers. NAHA. 15 Tor Dagre, “Norway and WW II” (Produced for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Nytt fra Norge, 1995). Dagre states, “Statistics bear witness to the scope of the food shortage. From 1942, Norwegians lived on an average of 1,500 calories a day, compared with 2,500 normally. In 1944, the average daily consumption of food sank to 1,315 calories, and in the winter of 1945 the figure was 1,237.” 16 “‘Norway Day’ Held in Clothing Drive,” New York Times, May 12, 1945. Undset, who resided in Brooklyn as a refugee for five years, was quoted as saying that the “Norwegian lion was not destined to become a lap dog for a dictator.” In an ARNI pamphlet she wrote, “Help from our kinsfolk in America will come as a blessing and will be received with fervent gratitude. It means clothing for our people, who now must strive and toil as never before; food for hungry bodies, who, returning to their demolished homes, must clear away the ruins and try to rebuild that which was torn down.” 17 “Help Norway” manuscript, ca. September 1940. American Relief for Norway papers (folder: “Pamphlets and posters, etc.”) NAHA. 18 Telegram to Arthur Anderson from Goesta Klemmin, Erik Lenander, and Oscar Sillen, Stockholm, Sweden, March 15, 1942. American Relief for Norway papers (folder: “Rehabilitation”). NAHA. A recent visitor to NAHA believes several of the original ARNI pre-fabricated homes still remain. 19 Rygg, 64. 20 J.A. Aasgaard to Mr. Ludvig Lee, Dec. 5, 1944. American Relief for Norway papers papers (folder: “Donor letters”). NAHA. 21 Final report, submitted by Andrew E. Wigeland, National Treasurer. American Relief for Norway papers (folder: “Pamphlets & Reports”). NAHA.
About the Author Jeff Sauve has been an associate archivist for St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, for nearly nine years. In addition he serves as an associate archivist for the Norwegian American Historical Association (NAHA), which is located at St. Olaf. He advises numerous local history organizations and offers his writing talents to help bring their history to life. He is currently completing a memoir on a couple who were instrumental in St. Olaf College’s early years.
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