The National Archives of Norway (Riksarkivet) have decided to release their collection of Vidkun Quisling's confidential documents, letters, report cards, and close to 500 photographs.
Vidkun Quisling (1887-1945) was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, as the German invasion of Norway started, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup.
From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, collaborating with the German occupying forces. His government, was dominated by ministers from Nasjonal Samling (NS), the party he had founded in 1933.
Quisling's documents and photos will be made available online, and 500 photos will be divided into themes and posted on the photo sharing site Flickr.
The first of four releases consists of family letters and report cards from Quisling's childhood, his youth and early adulthood, including letters to his mother that he wrote when he was seven.
The material has been unknown to the public until now, even to historians and researchers.
"The letters and the report cards showed up in Denmark late last summer, and were given to us as a gift," says department director of the Public Records, Øyvind Ødegaard.
The release also includes several daily planners that offer insight into certain central events and appointments, such as Quisling's visits with Hitler in Berlin, Ødegaard explains.
(NRK)
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