Unveiling of a George Marshall statue (June 16)
In a ceremony on Monday June 16 at Akershus quay, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas
Gahr Støre unveiled a statue of George C. Marshall by the Norwegian sculptor Asbjørn Høglund.
In his remarks, Foreign Minister Støre honored "a man, a vision and a mission that changed Europe and thus changed Norway half a century ago." The statue was erected and donated by a committee representing "grateful Norwegians," led by Sigval Maartman-Moe. U.S. Ambassador Benson K. Whitney recalled how King Haakon had led the audience in applause for General Marshall when the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony was disrupted by demonstrators, and Mayor of Oslo Fabian Stang commended the Committee for its perserverance, over several years, in securing a site and overcoming considerable bureaucratic obstacles to see the project through to its completion.
George C. Marshall was U.S. Secretary of State from 1947 to
1949 and the man behind the Marshall Plan, which did so much to help rebuild Norway and
other European countries after World War II. For those efforts, he was awarded
the Nobel peace prize in 1953.
Read more about the Marshall Plan here
