Norway's Harald V forged strong ties with U.S.

The passing of King Harald V on Aug. 28 was a sad day for Norway. His son now King Haakon VIII will take the throne. During my time as the United States ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway, from 1993 to 1998, I was with His Majesty many times. My very first official act was to present my credentials as the representative of President Bill Clinton. It was in the palace, and when the door to the reception room opened the king was standing and smiling. A great smile that had brought creases to the tanned cheeks of the former Olympic sailor. When we parted the king said, 'We will see each other often.' Most notable was when I escorted him and Queen Sonja on their first state visit to the United States. It started with me dancing with the queen at the welcoming reception at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, and ended with a state dinner in the private dining room of President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. It was a return to the White House for the king. On April 9, 1940, Hitler's Nazi Germany launched a surprise invasion of neutral Norway. The goal was control of the fjords for German submarines and to capture the king and the crown prince so they could not form a government in exile. They escaped to London. The Crown Princess Martha and the three children, two girls and a 6-year-old boy name Harald, left Oslo in a motorcade fleeing to neutral Sweden. Sweden was not safe, and President Franklin Roosevelt sent a Navy ship to an arctic seaport to bring them to America, where they stayed in the White House. FDR helped Harald with his homework and took him fishing on the presidential yacht. He is the boy seen standing behind FDR in the photos of the fourth inauguration. At the state dinner, the king recounted his memories. This was the beginning of the modern bond between Norway and America. Norway was a founding member of NATO, and because it was the only member bordering the Soviet Union, it became essential to the Alliance. More than 800,000 Norwegians immigrated to America, one-third of the population at the time. A large number came to Wisconsin, including my grandfather, Edward, who left Norway with his parents and siblings on July 4, 1885. The descendants of these immigrants have special ties to Norway that perhaps surprisingly have strengthened over time. The passing of the king will be memorialized by the Sons of Norway among many other groups. My last official act before leaving Norway was to pay my respects to His Majesty. His parting words were, 'How fast this time has gone.' I was awarded by His Majesty the Royal Order of Merit Cross of St. Olav for 'outstanding service in the interests of Norway.' In my memoir, "Mission to Oslo," I recount in detail the dozen or so times I was with King Harald. Ambassador Tom Loftus is the author of the award-winning memoir "Mission to Oslo: Dancing with the Queen, Dealmaking with the Russians, Shaping history." Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.