Birger Øivind Meidell

Illegal minister of social affairs NS (NS)

Ministry of Social Affairs (of 1916) NS - Illegal ministers in Oslo 1940-1942

25.09.1940–25.09.1941

On 25 September 1940, Nazi Germany’s reichskommissar in Norway, Josef Terboven, appointed 13 illegal acting ministers to lead the ministries in Oslo, with restricted authority and without a leading minister. Two of the ten ministries in Oslo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, were closed down, as was the Office of the Prime Minister. Terboven now established five new ministries. As leader of the Nazi party Nasjonal Samling (NS), Vidkun Quisling from October 1940 met weekly with the illegal NS ministers. He had no formal influence on their work. After it was agreed between Nazi-German occupation authorities and NS that parts of the responsibility for the civil administration of Norway should be transferred to a government headed by Quisling, the illegal ministers handed in their resignations on 30 January 1942. They requested Quisling to form a «national government». This was done. As illegal head of government, Quisling took the title ministerpresident (premier).

Illegal minister of church and education NS (NS)

Ministry of Church and Education - Illegal Vidkun Quisling government in Oslo 1940

09.04.1940–14.04.1940

After Nazi Germany’s attack on Norway on 9 April 1940 forced King Haakon VII and Johan Nygaardsvold’s Government to leave Oslo with civil servants from government offices, the leader of the Norwegian Nazi party Nasjonal Samling (NS), Vidkun Quisling, that evening appointed an illegal government. Quisling’s illegal government did not manage to gather before it was dismissed by Nazi-German occupation authorities on 14 April. On 15 April 1940, the Norwegian Supreme Court – the only legal state organ left in Oslo – appointed a council for the civil administration of areas under Nazi-German occupation, mainly in and around Oslo. This was done with the understanding of Nazi-German occupation authorities.