Arne Sunde

Arne Toralf Sunde
Born	(1883-12-06) December 6, 1883 Kristiania, Norway
Died	July 30, 1972(1972-07-30) (aged 88) Oslo, Norway
Occupation(s)	Military officer, politician, diplomat, Olympic marksman
Known for	Norwegian Campaign (1940), Minister in Nygaardsvold's Cabinet in exile, Ambassador to the United Nations, President of the UN Security Council

Arne Toralf Sunde (6 December 1883 – 30 July 1972) was a distinguished Norwegian military officer, politician, and Olympic marksman. He played a significant role during the 1940 Norwegian Campaign, held a ministerial position in Nygaardsvold's Cabinet while it was exiled in London from 1940 to 1945, and spent three years as an ambassador to the United Nations. Additionally, Sunde served as President of the United Nations Security Council in both June 1949 and July 1950.

Personal life

Born on 6 December 1883 in Kristiania (present-day Oslo), Arne Sunde was the son of Elias Sunde, who was Director General of the Norwegian State Railways, a Member of Parliament, and Minister of Finance. On 26 July 1916, he married Sigrid Nicoline Aubert Lie—known familiarly as "Didi" or "Titti"—the daughter of author Bernt Lie. Through this marriage, Sunde became related to prominent individuals such as Emil Lie and resistance fighter Tikken Manus. By 1930, the couple had three sons. Arne Sunde passed away in Oslo on 30 July 1972 at the age of 88.

Sports

An enthusiastic sports shooter, Sunde was affiliated with Christiania Skytterlag, a rifle club based in Oslo. He represented Norway at the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm, participating in several shooting disciplines where his placements varied from sixth to forty-fourth position.

1912 Summer Olympics
Event	Placement
Men's Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres	30
Men's Military Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres	44
Men's Military Rifle, Any Position, 600 metres	30
Men's Military Rifle, 200, 400, 500 and 600 metres, Team	6
Men's Small-Bore Rifle, Any Position, 50 metres	30

Education and early career

Sunde completed his secondary education at Kristiania Cathedral School in 1902 before pursuing both legal and military studies. After graduating from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1905, he served as an officer initially with the Bergenske Brigade followed by the 2nd Akerhuske Brigade. He furthered his military education by graduating from the Norwegian Military College in 1907 and subsequently held a teaching position at Bergen’s NCO school until 1909 while holding the rank of premierløytnant. Between 1909 and 1918, he was assigned to the 5th Østoplandenes Infantry Regiment.

In addition to his military duties, Sunde earned his cand.jur. degree in 1911 and briefly practiced as a barrister and judge. In 1913 he expanded his academic credentials by studying political science at Paris’s École Libre des Sciences Politiques. From that year until 1914, he served as district stipendiary magistrate for Eiker, Modum, and Sigdal District Court. In 1916 he was appointed adjunct military attaché at the Norwegian legation in Paris and contributed to financial negotiations related to the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

Between 1917 and 1920, Sunde held roles as legal advisor and sousdirektør at Det Norske A/S for Elektrokemisk Industri. Concurrently, he acted as secretary for the Norwegian State Financial Council and attained status as a Supreme Court barrister starting in 1922. During the period from 1920 to 1921, he served as secretary during Norway’s treaty discussions on prohibition with France, Spain, and Portugal. In 1924 he became a board member of Den Norske Handelsbank and joined Norges Bank’s administrative board. From 1918 until his transition to supernumerary status in 1930, he commanded Company 7 within the same infantry regiment.

Political career

Arne Sunde began his political journey in 1926 amid the establishment of Lykke's Cabinet led by Ivar Lykke, the head of the Conservative Party. During this period, there was widespread public support for a national unity government under the leadership of explorer and diplomat Fridtjof Nansen. Sunde was among the influential individuals advocating for conservative factions to urge King Haakon VII to invite Nansen to form such a government. In 1929, Sunde was elected deputy mayor of Aker, and he advanced to the position of mayor in 1930, holding that office until 1931, except for intervals during which he served as Minister of Justice.

In November 1930, Sunde assumed the role of Minister of Justice within the Liberal Party of Norway's Mowinckel's Second Cabinet, remaining in this capacity until May 1931 when the Agrarian-led Kolstad's Cabinet took power. Between 1932 and 1933, he acted as Norway’s representative in the Eastern Greenland Case before the Permanent Court of International Justice. After the Agrarian cabinet's collapse in March 1933, Sunde returned to his ministerial post in Mowinckel's Third Cabinet, continuing until March 1935 when it was replaced by the Nygaardsvold's Cabinet.

Additionally, Sunde was affiliated with the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights as a member.

Supreme Court Justice and banker

Following his initial political tenure, Sunde spent one year serving as a Justice on the Supreme Court of Norway. Subsequently, he became director of the Oslo branch of Bergens Privatbank, a position he held until the German invasion in 1940.

Norwegian Campaign

As a reserve major, Arne Sunde actively engaged in combat during the German invasion of Norway. On April 9th, he reached out to the Norwegian Ministry of Defence expressing his readiness to serve; however, mobilization was scheduled for April 11th. Undeterred, on April 12th he skied through Nordmarka in search of military units to join.

Battle of Dombås

Between April 17th and 19th, 1940, Major Sunde commanded the 1st Battalion of Infantry Regiment 11 along with other forces to successfully repel a German Fallschirmjäger company that had been deployed near the crucial railway and road intersection at Dombås. The German objective was to disrupt connections between the port town of Åndalsnes and the valley of Gudbrandsdal. On April 19th, German commander Oberleutnant Herbert Schmidt sought to negotiate surrender terms; Sunde refused and insisted on unconditional capitulation within ten minutes or else artillery fire would resume. Shortly before this deadline, roughly 150 German troops surrendered.

In exile

After Nygaardsvold's Cabinet requisitioned control over Norway’s merchant fleet, Sunde was dispatched to London alongside Øivind Lorentzen and Benjamin Vogt to organize the Norwegian shipping operation abroad known as Nortraship. He departed Norway aboard HMS Galatea on April 23rd, 1940, transporting approximately 200 crates containing gold bars from the Norwegian National Treasury to Britain. The gold had been secured by soldiers under the command of his brother, Major Bjørn Sunde. While in London, Sunde oversaw Norwegian financial affairs and successfully arranged a £100,000 credit line from Hambros Bank. On June 7th, 1940, he was appointed consultative Councillor of State without portfolio—one of only two such councillors outside the Labour Party. King Haakon VII referenced this appointment during a BBC radio broadcast on August 26th, 1940. Furthermore, Sunde contributed to the consultative council on shipping matters. From November 1940 until November 1942, he led the Ministry of Provisioning, after which he served as Minister of Shipping until his departure from cabinet following Norway’s liberation on June 25th, 1945.

Disputes

During his exile, Sunde frequently clashed with the leadership of Nortraship. While Sunde and numerous politicians advocated for enhanced governmental oversight of the shipping enterprise, Nortraship’s executives favored increased operational independence. This friction culminated in a Royal Resolution on 3 September 1943, which curtailed the Minister of Shipping’s powers.

An early significant dispute arose on 6 August 1940, when Sunde, supported by ministers Anders Fjelstad and Sven Nielsen, called for the resignation of Minister of Foreign Affairs Halvdan Koht. The conflict was rooted in personal grievances and accusations directed at Koht for Norway’s unsuccessful neutrality stance prior to the German invasion in April 1940. Lacking backing from Prime Minister Johan Nygaardsvold, Sunde eventually retracted his demand. At that juncture, Sunde had been considered for the Foreign Affairs portfolio but was instead appointed Minister of Provisioning after Trygve Lie transitioned to Foreign Affairs.

Despite internal tensions within the Norwegian government-in-exile, Sunde defended Cabinet Nygaardsvold during a 21 October 1942 assembly with Norwegian Church Abroad clergy who criticized the cabinet for excluding non-Labour members from influential positions. He emphasized that the cabinet prioritized expertise over political loyalty.

Nortraship’s Closure

Following his departure from government in 1945, Sunde chaired Nortraship’s final board in 1946, managing its orderly winding up. Between 1945 and 1948, he also resumed leadership at Bergens Privatbank’s Oslo branch.

Ambassador to the United Nations

From 1949 until 1952, Sunde represented Norway as ambassador to the United Nations. A career highlight occurred on 7 July 1950 when, as Security Council President, he oversaw the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 84. This resolution urged UN member states to support the Republic of Korea against North Korea’s invasion, facilitating the establishment of the US-led UN Command during the Korean War. During these negotiations, Sunde encountered friction with US ambassador Warren R. Austin, which strained diplomatic relations between Norway and the United States. At this period, Norwegian Trygve Lie served as UN Secretary-General, and Norway held a non-permanent seat on the Security Council. Additionally, Sunde had presided over the Security Council in June 1949. In a 1964 interview, he reflected on his Security Council service as the zenith of his professional life.

Notable Statements

...the stamina and courage of American boys who hardly dreamed 14 days ago that they were to be the first to fight for the ideals and principles of the United Nations . . . Let us hope that we shall not fall too far behind these men in our determination and in our dedication. (Security Council President Sunde about US soldiers fighting in the early phases of the Korean War).

Malik is very rude. And he looks as if he believed in his rudeness. (Ambassador Sunde about fellow United Nations ambassador, Soviet Yakov Malik).

After the Korean Conflict

Between 1953 and 1958, Sunde chaired NATO’s control commission responsible for overseeing expenditures related to jointly funded military facilities.

Honours

By the year 1935, Sunde had been awarded Haakon VII's Jubilee Medal 1905–1930, honored as a Chevalier in the French Légion d'honneur, and appointed an Officer within the Portuguese Order of Christ. Subsequently, he was elevated to Commander with Star of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and received both the Defence Medal 1940–1945 and the French Croix de guerre.

A modest intersection close to the Lysakerelva river bears the name Arne Sundes plass ("Arne Sunde's square").