Evening star., 1946-06-09
BY Newbold Noyes, Jr.


States, has taken a beating
more than once during his time
in this country. BY now he is used to
people who think he must be an Eskimo
and who wonder out loud whether he
misses his igloo and dog sled. His most
often-repeated statement goes some
thing like this:
There are no Eskimos in Iceland.
We have never had an Eskimo in Ice
land. We are mostly Of Norwegian and
Irish stock. We do not live in snow
huts What is more, our country Is full
of hot springs and geysers-some Of the
finest anywhere!"
Mr.. Thors usually lets 1t 60 at that,
for except when he is with intimate
friends he is man Of few words. But
II he wants to cut loose there is plenty
he can say to dispel the legend that Ice
land is nothing but primitive snow
drop on the bleak northern map.
One Of those odd bits Of information
picked up for no apparent reason by q
surprising number of people. for in
stance, is that Iceland's Althing is the
Oldest parliament in the world. 1t met
first in the year $50 and has been going
strong ever since. Mr.. Thors can say,
If he wants to, that Iceland probably
comes closer to realizing true political
democracy than any other nation.
Representing Iceland Poses
Many Special Problems
He can also say that Iceland is GER
tainly the only nation having no rail-
roads, no army, no navy, no fortifica-
tions. no deficit, no unemployment, no
illiteracy and no desire to borrow money
from the United States.
1t Is clear, however, that there are
special problems involved in represent
ing in the worlds most important capi-
tai" state so small that all its people,
including infants. could comfortably
have watched the Army-Navy game last
winter in Philadelphia Municipal
Stadium capacity. 100000. In the
press Of events, you might be overlooked.
People might not take you seriously.
There are two big reasons why Mr..
Thors is, in fact, taken seriously here.
The first is that, as an individual he
is serious proposition. His outlook is
decidedly cosmopolitan. After taking
his law degree at the University of Ice
land. 20 years ago. he spent some time
polishing off his education at Eng
lands Cambridge and at Frances Sor-
bonne. Since then he has travelled
widely and worked effectively, serving
Icelandic Committee at the New York
World Fair to manager Of the Union Of
Icelandic Producers fish are to Iceland
what automobiles are to the United
States, only more so,.
Mr.. Thors is former Parliament
member and the brother of the current
Icelandic Prime Minister He has won
the respect of the other statesmen of the
world through his participation in such
international conferences as the Hot
Springs Food Conference. the Chicago
Civil Aviation Conference the Quebec
Food and Agriculture Conference, the
Savannah International Bank and
NlOIietd4S SoLlCl CINc dllQ tilc eSJUIu
Civil Aviation Conference at Montreal.
The other reason why nobody in
Washington pats Mr.. Thors on the head
is the inescapable strategic importance
OF Iceland in today's troubled and ar
conscious world. The recent war brought
this Importance into sharp focus. In
March, 1899, Germany tried to arrange
commercial and scientific purposes" and
Iceland became the first state to offer
successful resistance to the Nazis when
it answered with firm No" Fourteen
months later, the country was occupied
by British expeditionary force The
Germans. it was said, were about to
invade, and the British troops were there