Bulletinen
{{Short description|Norwegian underground newspaper}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=June 2023}}
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Bulletinen ("The Bulletin") was an underground newspaper in Norway during World War II. Its first issue came in November 1940, and the publication continued until the end of the war. The name Bulletinen was adapted in November 1944.{{cite encyclopedia |last=Halvorsen |encyclopedia=Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45 |title=Bulletinen |language=Norwegian |first=Terje |editor=Dahl |editor-link=Hans Fredrik Dahl |editor2=Hjeltnes |editor2-link=Guri Hjeltnes |editor3=Nøkleby |editor3-link=Berit Nøkleby |editor4=Ringdal |editor4-link=Nils Johan Ringdal |editor5=Sørensen |editor5-link=Øystein Sørensen |url=http://mediabase1.uib.no/krigslex/b/b5.html#bulletinen |accessdate=4 September 2009 |year=1995 |publisher=Cappelen |location=Oslo |isbn=82-02-14138-9 |pages=56–57 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104063939/http://mediabase1.uib.no/krigslex/b/b5.html#bulletinen |archivedate=4 January 2010 }} It was edited by central persons of the civil resistance in Norway, such as members of "Koordinasjonskomiteen" and "Kretsen" Jan Birger Jansen and Tore Gjelsvik.
Publishing history
The periodical was started as a link between organizations connected to the so-called R-Group, after an initiative from later prime minister Einar Gerhardsen.{{cite book |title=Krigens Dagbok |chapter=Bulletinen, offisiell, men illegal avis |language=Norwegian |editor=Voksø, Per |editor-link=Per Voksø |year=1984 |publisher=Det Beste |location=Oslo |isbn=82-7010-166-4 |page=86 }} Responsible for the bi-weekly bulletin was the propaganda group, headed by Christian A. R. Christensen, and the first editors were Olav Larssen and Olaf Solumsmoen.{{cite book |last=Gjelsvik |first=Tore |author-link=Tore Gjelsvik |title=Hjemmefronten. Den sivile motstand under okkupasjonen 1940-1945 |chapter=Norsk Front — R-gruppen |language=Norwegian |year=1977 |publisher=Cappelen |location=Oslo |pages=25–28 }} The first issue was published 18 November 1940. When Solumsmoen and Larssen were arrested in January 1942,{{cite encyclopedia |title=2751. Larsen, Olav |encyclopedia=Norsk Fangeleksikon. Grinifangene |language=Norwegian |editor=Giertsen, Børre R. |year=1946 |publisher=Cappelen |location=Oslo |page=102}}{{cite encyclopedia |title=2756. Solumsmoen, Olaf |encyclopedia=Norsk Fangeleksikon. Grinifangene |language=Norwegian |editor=Giertsen, Børre R. |year=1946 |publisher=Cappelen |location=Oslo |page=103}} sports leaders Asbjørn Halvorsen and Gunnar Hansen took over as editors. Halvorsen and Hansen were arrested in August 1942,{{cite encyclopedia |title=4058. Halvorsen, Asbjørn |encyclopedia=Norsk Fangeleksikon. Grinifangene |language=Norwegian |editor=Giertsen, Børre R. |year=1946 |publisher=Cappelen |location=Oslo |page=148 }}{{cite encyclopedia |title=4084. Hansen, Gunnar |encyclopedia=Norsk Fangeleksikon. Grinifangene |language=Norwegian |editor=Giertsen, Børre R. |year=1946 |publisher=Cappelen |location=Oslo |page=149 }} and Jan Birger Jansen took over as the sole editor, only informing other resistance members that he had contacts to the editorial staff, while in fact he was the single responsible editor himself.{{cite book |title=Krigens Dagbok |chapter=Vaktskifte i Bulletinen |language=Norwegian |editor=Voksø, Per |year=1984 |publisher=Det Beste |location=Oslo |isbn=82-7010-166-4 |page=423 }}{{cite book |last=Gjelsvik |first=Tore |title=Hjemmefronten. Den sivile motstand under okkupasjonen 1940-1945 |chapter=Redaksjonsskifte i Bulletinen |language=Norwegian |year=1977 |publisher=Cappelen |location=Oslo |pages=183–184 }} In February 1944 the German occupants unraveled several underground newspapers, such as London-Nytt, London Radio, Svart på hvitt, Vårt Land and Fri Fagbevegelse, which all had to cease publication. Among the newspapers which had distributed informations and paroles from the civil leadership of the resistance movement, only Bulletinen was intact after the press collapse.{{cite book |title=Krigens Dagbok |chapter=Det store pressekrakket |language=Norwegian |editor=Voksø, Per |year=1984 |publisher=Det Beste |location=Oslo |isbn=82-7010-166-4 |page=400 }} In May 1944 Jansen had to flee to Sweden, and asked Tore Gjelsvik to take over. Jansen and Gjelsvik had cooperated since 1940, then at the distribution side. Gjelsvik was rather busy with other resistance work, and asked Christian A. R. Christensen and Tore Sund to join as editors.
A total of about 150 issues of Bulletinen were produced during the war. The publication had limited circulation, as it was primarily aimed to distribute news, comments and paroles to other underground newspapers.