History of Svalbard - Cold War

Cold War

In 1944, the Soviet Union proposed that Svalbard become a condominium under joint Norwegian and Soviet rule, except for Bjørnøya, which would be transferred to the Soviet Union. Although the proposal was discussed in Norway, it was ultimately rejected in 1947. Reconstruction of the Norwegian settlements started in 1945 and they were quickly operational, and reaching pre-war production levels within a few years. Soviet reconstruction started in 1946, but Arktikugol was slower at gaining momentum in production. The Norwegian population stabilized at about 1,000 people, while there were about twice as many Soviets. The two nations built infrastructure, such as postal service, radio stations and transport, independent of each other.

The political tension between Norway and the Soviet Union became heated after Norway joined NATO in 1949. The Soviet Union issues memorandums to Norway stating that Svalbard could not be under a NATO joint command, but this was rejected by Norway, and the issue laid at rest. A new protest was issued in 1958 after Norsk Polar Navigasjon proposed building an private airport at Ny-Ålesund, which was then actively opposed by the Norwegian Government to not agitate the Soviet Union. New protests were issued against the establishment of the European Space Research Organization's Kongsfjord Telemetry Station, although the protests did not stop construction. A compromise about a Norwegian civilian airport was reached in 1971 and Svalbard Airport, Longyear opened in 1975, serving both Soviet and Norwegian towns.

Grumant was closed in 1961. The following year, 21 miners were killed in an accident in Ny-Ålesund, which led to the Kings Bay Affair which ultimately resulted in the withdrawal of Gerhardsen's Third Cabinet. Oil drilling was started by Caltex in 1961. They were granted claims based on indications, rather than samples, or oil, which was not granted to Arktikugol, leading to a heated relationship with the Soviet Union. No commercially viable wells were found. A new round of searching in the 1980s was also fruitless.

Both the Kings Bay Affair and the Caltex Affair initiate public debate about the administration of Svalbard, and in particular the lack of resources and control of Soviet settlements. Funding for local and central administration was increased heavily and the Governor increased its activities in Soviet settlements. After mining was closed in Ny-Ålesund, the Norwegian Polar Institute took a dominant role in converting it to an international research station. In 1973, more than half the archipelago was protected through four national parks, fourteen bird sanctuaries and four nature reserves. Store Norske was nationalized between 1973 and 1976. From 1973, they started mining at Svea, but operations ceased in 1987.