Jens Henrik Nordlie

Jens Henrik Nordlie
Born	18 January 1910
Died	1996 (Age 86)
Nationality	Norwegian
Alma mater	Norwegian Military Academy, Norwegian Military College
Founder of	Fritt Ord
Interests	Norway/Stay Behind
Fritt Ord Foundation/Chairman In office 1974 - 1980

Jens Henrik Nordlie was a Norwegian military officer, member of Vidkun Quisling's Nazi party, then resistance leader during World War II, and prominent businessperson. In the decades after WW2, he was operative leader of the clandestine Stay behind in Norway.

He was CEO of the newspaper and magazine retail chain Narvesen from 1957 to 1975, and a co-founder of the organization Fritt Ord.

Early Career and WW2

Nordlie graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1932, and became a career officer. He was a member of Vidkun Quisling's party Nasjonal Samling (NS) from 1933, and for a short period acting head of its paramilitary unit Hirden. After further training at the Military College, he joined the General Staff. On April 9, 1940, he refused to enlist in the service of Vidkun Quisling's coup, and served as captain in the Army High Command during the campaign in 1940.

In 1941 he was hired as office manager in Narvesen's Kiosk Company. He soon became active in the resistance movement (Milorg) as part of its Military Committee, where he prepared together with Rolf Rynning Eriksen laid the groundwork for its organization and activities (some say inactivities).

In early 1943, Nordlie moved on via Sweden to London, where he joined the Norwegian forces in exile. He head of the operations office in the Armed Forces High Command. Here he worked with cases related to Milorg/Home Forces, from 1944 as a major.

After the War

After the war, he became the military secretary of the Civilian Commission of Inquiry of 1945, and he wrote the commission's appendices on the 1940 campaign. In the decades afterwards, he was part of the clique defining the "official history" of the war.

In 1946 he completed the Senior Office School in Great Britain, and in 1946-47 he was head teacher at the Norwegian War School. In 1949, due to his work during the war, Nordlie was appointed by the Minister of Defense Jens Chr. Hauge as leader of the Stay behind network, which was named Roc (short for Rocambole). Here he was especially central in the early years.

Nordlie resumed the position as office manager in Narvesen in 1947 and became manager of the company the same year. In 1957 he became CEO of Narvesen, a position he resigned from in 1975.

In 1975, together with Jens Chr. Hauge, he founded the Fritt Ord Foundation as part of a wider Cold War media strategy, on impetus from the United States.

Many thanks to our Patrons who cover ~2/3 of our hosting bill. Please join them if you can.