Editing Fridtjof Nansen (section)

== National figure ==

=== Scientist and polar oracle ===
Nansen's first task on his return was to write his account of the voyage. This he did remarkably quickly, producing 300,000 words of Norwegian text by November 1896; the English translation, titled ''Farthest North'', was ready in January 1897. The book was an instant success, and secured Nansen's long-term financial future.<ref>Huntford 2001, pp. 441–442.</ref> Nansen included without comment the one significant adverse criticism of his conduct, that of Greely, who had written in ''[[Harper's Weekly]]'' on Nansen's decision to leave ''Fram'' and strike for the pole: "It passes comprehension how Nansen could have thus deviated from the most sacred duty devolving on the commander of a naval expedition."<ref>Nansen 1897, vol. 1 pp. 51–52.</ref>

During the 20 years following his return from the Arctic, Nansen devoted most of his energies to scientific work. In 1897 he accepted a professorship in zoology at the [[University of Oslo|Royal Frederick University]],<ref>Huntford 2001, p. 452.</ref> which gave him a base from which he could tackle the major task of editing the reports of the scientific results of the ''Fram'' expedition. This was a much more arduous task than writing the expedition narrative. The results were eventually published in six volumes, and according to a later polar scientist, [[Robert Neal Rudmose-Brown|Robert Rudmose-Brown]], "were to Arctic oceanography what the [[Challenger expedition|''Challenger'' expedition]] results had been to the oceanography of other oceans."<ref>Reynolds 1949, pp. 159–160.</ref>

In 1900, Nansen became director of the Christiania-based International Laboratory for North Sea Research, and helped found the [[International Council for the Exploration of the Sea]].<ref>Reynolds 1949, p. 165.</ref> Through his connection with the latter body, in the summer of 1900 Nansen embarked on his first visit to Arctic waters since the ''Fram'' expedition, a cruise to Iceland and Jan Mayen Land on the oceanographic research vessel ''Michael Sars'', named after Eva's father.<ref>Huntford 2001, p. 467.</ref> Shortly after his return he learned that his Farthest North record had been passed, by members of [[Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi|the Duke of the Abruzzi]]'s Italian expedition. They had reached 86°34′N on 24 April 1900, in an attempt to reach the North Pole from Franz Josef Land.<ref>Fleming 2002, p. 323.</ref> Nansen received the news philosophically: "What is the value of having goals for their own sake? They all vanish&nbsp;... it is merely a question of time."<ref>Huntford 2001, p. 468.</ref>

[[File:Polhøgda.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|alt=A substantial building in pink stone or cladding, consisting of a three-storey square tower with two two-storey wings. The building stands, framed by trees, in a snow-covered garden.|[[Fridtjof Nansen Institute]] at [[Polhøgda]]]]

Nansen was now considered an oracle by all would-be explorers of the north and south polar regions. Abruzzi had consulted him, as had the Belgian [[Adrien de Gerlache]], each of whom took expeditions to the Antarctic.<ref>Huntford 2001, pp. 451–452, 463.</ref> Although Nansen refused to meet his own countryman and fellow-explorer [[Carsten Borchgrevink]] (whom he considered a fraud),<ref>Huntford 2001, p. 463.</ref> he gave advice to [[Robert Falcon Scott]] on polar equipment and transport, prior to the 1901–04 [[Discovery Expedition|''Discovery'' expedition]]. At one point Nansen seriously considered leading a South Pole expedition himself, and asked Colin Archer to design two ships. However, these plans remained on the drawing board.<ref>Huntford 2001, pp. 464–465</ref>

By 1901 Nansen's family had expanded considerably. A daughter, Liv, had been born just before ''Fram'' set out; a son, Kåre was born in 1897 followed by a daughter, Irmelin, in 1900 and a second son [[Odd Nansen|Odd]] in 1901.<ref>Huntford 2001, pp. 200, 452, 467, 477.</ref> The family home, which Nansen had built in 1891 from the profits of his Greenland expedition book,<ref>Huntford 2001, pp. 177–178.</ref> was now too small. Nansen acquired a plot of land in the [[Lysaker]] district and built, substantially to his own design, a large and imposing house which combined some of the characteristics of an English [[manor house]] with features from the [[Renaissance architecture|Italian renaissance]].

The house was ready for occupation by April 1902; Nansen called it ''[[Polhøgda]]'' (in English "polar heights"), and it remained his home for the rest of his life. A fifth and final child, son Asmund, was born at Polhøgda in 1903.<ref>Huntford 2001, pp. 477–478.</ref>

=== Politician and diplomat ===
[[File:Oskar II by Oscar Björck - torso small (Nationalmuseum, 38942).png|thumb|200px| upright|alt=An elderly, bearded man in ornate robes, wearing a jewelled crown surmounted by a cross, looks straight out of the picture.|[[Oscar II of Sweden|King Oscar II]], last king of the union of Sweden and Norway. He remained Sweden's king after Norway's independence in 1905.]]
[[Union between Sweden and Norway|The union between Norway and Sweden]], imposed by the Great Powers in 1814, had been under considerable strain through the 1890s, the chief issue in question being Norway's rights to its own [[Consul (representative)|consular service]].<ref name="Union">{{cite web | title = Norway, Sweden & union | url = http://www.nb.no/baser/1905/tidsl_e.html|publisher = National Library of Norway | year = 2003 | access-date =31 July 2010 }}</ref> Nansen, although not by inclination a politician, had spoken out on the issue on several occasions in defence of Norway's interests.<ref>Huntford, pp. 481–484</ref> As of 1898 Nansen was among the contributors of ''[[Ringeren]]'', an anti-Union magazine established by [[Sigurd Ibsen]].<ref>{{cite journal|issue=3|author=Terje I. Leiren|title=Catalysts to Disunion: Sigurd Ibsen and "Ringeren", 1898-1899|date=Fall 1999
|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40920149|pages=297–299|journal=Scandinavian Studies|volume=71|jstor=40920149}}</ref> It seemed, early in the 20th century that agreement between the two countries might be possible, but hopes were dashed when negotiations broke down in February 1905. The Norwegian government fell, and was replaced by one led by [[Christian Michelsen]], whose programme was one of separation from Sweden.<ref name="Union" />

In February and March Nansen published a series of newspaper articles which placed him firmly in the separatist camp. The new prime minister wanted Nansen in the cabinet, but Nansen had no political ambitions.<ref>Huntford, pp. 489–490</ref> However, at Michelsen's request he went to Berlin and then to London where, in a letter to ''The Times'', he presented Norway's legal case for a separate consular service to the English-speaking world. On 17 May 1905, Norway's Constitution Day, Nansen addressed a large crowd in Christiania, saying: "Now have all ways of retreat been closed. Now remains only one path, the way forward, perhaps through difficulties and hardships, but forward for our country, to a free Norway".<ref>Scott, p. 285</ref> He also wrote a book, ''Norway and the Union with Sweden'', to promote Norway's case abroad.<ref>Reynolds, p. 147</ref>

On 23 May the Storting passed the Consulate Act establishing a separate consular service. King Oscar refused his assent; on 27 May the Norwegian cabinet resigned, but the king would not recognise this step. On 7 June the Storting unilaterally announced that the union with Sweden was dissolved. In a tense situation the Swedish government agreed to Norway's request that the dissolution should be put to a referendum of the Norwegian people.<ref name="Union" /> This was held on 13 August 1905 and resulted in an overwhelming vote for independence, at which point King Oscar relinquished the crown of Norway while retaining the Swedish throne. A second referendum, held in November, determined that the new independent state should be a [[monarchy]] rather than a republic. In anticipation of this, Michelsen's government had been considering the suitability of various princes as candidates for the Norwegian throne. Faced with King Oscar's refusal to allow anyone from his own [[House of Bernadotte]] to accept the crown, the favoured choice was [[Haakon VII of Norway|Prince Charles of Denmark]]. In July 1905 Michelsen sent Nansen to Copenhagen on a secret mission to persuade Charles to accept the Norwegian throne.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Leiren | first = Terje | title = A Century of Norwegian Independence | url = https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1254607651.html  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160911183211/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1254607651.html  | url-status = dead  | archive-date = 11 September 2016 | journal = The Scandinavian Review | date =Spring 2005 | page = 7 | access-date =2 August 2005 }} {{subscription required}}</ref> Nansen was successful; shortly after the second referendum Charles was proclaimed king, taking the name Haakon VII. He and his wife, the British princess [[Maud of Wales|Maud]], were crowned in the [[Nidaros Cathedral]] in [[Trondheim]] on 22 June 1906.<ref name="Union" />

In April 1906 Nansen was appointed Norway's first [[Minister (diplomacy)|Minister]] in London.<ref name="Scott202">Scott, pp. 202–205</ref> His main task was to work with representatives of the major European powers on an Integrity Treaty which would guarantee Norway's position.<ref>{{cite journal |jstor=2186570 |pages=176–178 |title=The Integrity of Norway Guaranteed |volume=2 |issue=1 |journal=The American Journal of International Law |year=1908 |doi=10.2307/2186570|s2cid=246004823 }}</ref> Nansen was popular in England, and got on well with King Edward, though he found court functions and diplomatic duties disagreeable; "frivolous and boring" was his description.<ref name="Scott202" /> However, he was able to pursue his geographical and scientific interests through contacts with the Royal Geographical Society and other learned bodies. The Treaty was signed on 2 November 1907, and Nansen considered his task complete. Resisting the pleas of, among others, King Edward that he should remain in London, on 15 November Nansen resigned his post.<ref>Huntford, p. 551</ref> A few weeks later, still in England as the king's guest at [[Sandringham House|Sandringham]], Nansen received word that Eva was seriously ill with [[pneumonia]]. On 8 December he set out for home, but before he reached Polhøgda he learned, from a telegram, that Eva had died.<ref>Huntford, pp. 552–554</ref>

=== Oceanographer and traveller ===
[[File:Ekman water bottle.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The [[Nansen bottle]] was used to sample seawater temperature at specific depths]]
After a period of mourning, Nansen returned to London. He had been persuaded by his government to rescind his resignation until after King Edward's state visit to Norway in April 1908. His formal retirement from the diplomatic service was dated 1 May 1908, the same day on which his university professorship was changed from zoology to oceanography. This new designation reflected the general character of Nansen's more recent scientific interests.<ref>Huntford, pp. 555–556.</ref>

In 1905, he had supplied the Swedish physicist [[Walfrid Ekman]] with the data which established the principle in oceanography known as the [[Ekman spiral]]. Based on Nansen's observations of ocean currents recorded during the ''Fram'' expedition, Ekman concluded that the effect of wind on the sea's surface produced currents which "formed something like a spiral staircase, down towards the depths".<ref>Huntford, p. 476.</ref>

In 1909 Nansen combined with [[Bjørn Helland-Hansen]] to publish an academic paper, ''The Norwegian Sea: its Physical Oceanography'', based on the ''Michael Sars'' voyage of 1900.<ref>Reynolds, pp. 177–178.</ref> Nansen had by now retired from polar exploration, the decisive step being his release of ''Fram'' to fellow Norwegian [[Roald Amundsen]], who was planning a North Pole expedition.<ref>Huntford, pp. 548–549.</ref> When Amundsen made his controversial change of plan and [[Amundsen's South Pole expedition|set out for the South Pole]], Nansen stood by him.<ref>Huntford, p. 564.</ref>{{refn| Amundsen kept his South Pole intentions secret until ''Fram'' was beyond contact. He reached the South Pole on 14 December 1911, five weeks before Robert Falcon Scott, who died with his polar party on the return journey. In public Nansen praised Amundsen; in private, according to biographer Roland Huntford, he was "sick at heart".<ref>Huntford, p. 569.</ref> | group = n }}
[[File:Fridtjof Nansen detail, from- Nansen F. - Through Siberia. The Land of the Future - 1914 (page 6 crop).jpg|left|thumb]]
Between 1910 and 1914, Nansen participated in several oceanographic voyages. In 1910, aboard the Norwegian naval vessel ''Fridtjof'', he carried out researches in the northern Atlantic,<ref name="Reynolds179">Reynolds, pp. 179–184.</ref> and in 1912 he took his own yacht, ''Veslemøy'', to [[Bear Island (Norway)|Bear Island]] and [[Spitsbergen]]. The main objective of the ''Veslemøy'' cruise was the investigation of [[salinity]] in the North Polar Basin.<ref name="Reynolds184">Reynolds, pp. 184–189.</ref> One of Nansen's lasting contributions to oceanography was his work designing instruments and equipment; the "[[Nansen bottle]]" for taking deep water samples remained in use into the 21st century, in a version updated by [[Shale Niskin]].<ref>Spitz (ed.), p. [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780618455041/page/421 421].</ref>

At the request of the Royal Geographical Society, Nansen began work on a study of Arctic discoveries, which developed into a two-volume history of the exploration of the northern regions up to the beginning of the 16th century. This was published in 1911 as ''Nord i Tåkeheimen'' ("In Northern Mists").<ref name="Reynolds179" /> That year he renewed an acquaintance with [[Kathleen Scott]], wife of Robert Falcon Scott, whose [[Terra Nova Expedition|''Terra Nova'' Expedition]] had sailed for Antarctica in 1910.

Biographer [[Roland Huntford]] has claimed that Nansen and Kathleen Scott had a brief affair.<ref>Huntford, pp. 566–568.</ref> [[Louisa Young]], in her biography of Lady Scott, rejects the claim.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Great Task of Happiness |publisher=Macmillan |year=1994}}</ref> Many women were attracted to Nansen, and he had a reputation as a womaniser.<ref>Abrams, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ny77bPwKxaUC&pg=PA102 102].</ref> His personal life was troubled around this time; in January 1913 he received news of the suicide of [[Hjalmar Johansen]], who had returned in disgrace from Amundsen's successful South Pole expedition.<ref>Huntford, pp. 571–573.</ref> In March 1913, Nansen's youngest son Asmund died after a long illness.<ref name="Reynolds184" />

In the summer of 1913, Nansen travelled to the Kara Sea, by the invitation of [[Jonas Lied]], as part of a delegation investigating a possible trade route between Western Europe and the Siberian interior. The party then took a steamer up the [[Yenisei River]] to [[Krasnoyarsk]], and travelled on the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] to [[Vladivostok]] before turning for home. Nansen published a report from the trip in ''Through Siberia''.<ref>{{cite Q|Q123378908|first=Fridtjof |last=Nansen}}</ref> The life and culture of the Russian peoples aroused in Nansen an interest and sympathy he would carry through to his later life.<ref>Reynolds, pp. 190–203.</ref> Immediately before the [[First World War]], Nansen joined Helland-Hansen in an oceanographical cruise in eastern Atlantic waters.<ref name="Reynolds204">Reynolds, p. 204.</ref>

=== Statesman and humanitarian ===

==== League of Nations ====
On the outbreak of war in 1914, Norway declared its neutrality, alongside Sweden and Denmark. Nansen was appointed as the president of the Norwegian Union of Defence, but had few official duties, and continued with his professional work as far as circumstances permitted.<ref name="Reynolds204" /> As the war progressed, the loss of Norway's overseas trade led to acute shortages of food in the country, which became critical in April 1917, when the United States entered the war and placed extra restrictions on international trade. Nansen was dispatched to Washington by the Norwegian government; after months of discussion, he secured food and other supplies in return for the introduction of a rationing system. When his government hesitated over the deal, he signed the agreement on his own initiative.<ref>Reynolds, p. 214.</ref>

Within a few months of the war's end in November 1918, a draft agreement had been accepted by the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]] to create a [[League of Nations]], as a means of resolving disputes between nations by peaceful means.<ref>Pollock, pp. 88–89.</ref> The foundation of the League at this time was providential as far as Nansen was concerned, giving him a new outlet for his restless energy.<ref>Huntford, p. 583.</ref> He became president of the Norwegian League of Nations Society, and although the Scandinavian nations with their traditions of neutrality initially held themselves aloof, his advocacy helped to ensure that Norway became a full member of the League in 1920, and he became one of its three delegates to the League's General Assembly.<ref>Reynolds, p. 216.</ref>

In April 1920, at the League's request, Nansen began organising the repatriation of around half a million prisoners of war, stranded in various parts of the world. Of these, 300,000 were in Russia which, gripped by revolution and civil war, had little interest in their fate.<ref name="Ryne" /> Nansen was able to report to the Assembly in November 1920 that around 200,000&nbsp;men had been returned to their homes. "Never in my life", he said, "have I been brought into touch with so formidable an amount of suffering."<ref>Reynolds, p. 221.</ref>

Nansen continued this work for a further two years until, in his final report to the Assembly in 1922, he was able to state that 427,886 prisoners had been repatriated to around 30&nbsp;different countries. In paying tribute to his work, the responsible committee recorded that the story of his efforts "would contain tales of heroic endeavour worthy of those in the accounts of the crossing of Greenland and the great Arctic voyage."<ref>Reynolds, pp. 222–223.</ref>

=== Nansen Mission ===
The '''Nansen Mission''' is the colloquial term used by inhabitants of former [[Soviet Socialist Republics]] to describe the series of humanitarian initiatives undertaken by the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] and headed by Fridtjof Nansen.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Coudreau |first=Marin |date=2012 |title=Le Comité international de secours à la Russie, l'Action Nansen et les bolcheviks (1921-1924) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48611546 |journal=Relations Internationales |issue=151 |pages=49–62 |doi=10.3917/ri.151.0049 |jstor=48611546 |issn=0335-2013}}</ref> This international effort included the involvement of the Swiss, Swedish, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian and German branches of the Red Cross, the Swiss and Italian Children's Aids, the Seventh-day Adventist Society, as well as many other organisations.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=НАНСЕНА МІСІЯ |url=http://resource.history.org.ua/cgi-bin/eiu/history.exe?&I21DBN=EIU&P21DBN=EIU&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=eiu_all&C21COM=S&S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=TRN=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=Nansena_misiia |access-date=17 March 2022 |website=resource.history.org.ua}}</ref> The mobilisation effort began in August 1921 and the first programmes in Russia began soon after, with the signing of an agreement of assistance between Nansen and [[Georgy Chicherin]], which provided aid to mitigate starvation in Russia and Ukraine.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kyoichi |first=Sugino |title=The "Non-Political and Humanitarian" Clause in Unhcr's Statute |date=1998 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45054673 |journal=Refugee Survey Quarterly |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=33–59 |doi=10.1093/rsq/17.1.33 |jstor=45054673 |issn=1020-4067}}</ref>

==== Russian famine ====
[[File:Fridtjof Nansen, Les deux étapes de la faim (1922) (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=.8|Nansen's photos on postcards were meant to raise awareness about the famine]]
Even before this work was complete, Nansen was involved in a further humanitarian effort. On 1 September 1921, prompted by the British delegate [[Philip Noel-Baker]], he accepted the post of the League's High Commissioner for Refugees.<ref>Huntford, pp. 599–603.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1017/S1560775500119285 |url=https://www.icrc.org/ara/assets/files/other/727_738_jaeger.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011130607/https://www.icrc.org/ara/assets/files/other/727_738_jaeger.pdf |archive-date=11 October 2017 |url-status=live |first1=Gilbert |last1=Jaeger |year=2001 |title=On the history of the international protection of refugees |journal=Revue Internationale de la Croix-Rouge |volume=83 |issue=843 |pages=727–738|s2cid=145129127 }}</ref> His main brief was the resettlement of around two million Russian refugees displaced by the upheavals of the [[Russian Revolution (1917)|Russian Revolution]].

At the same time he tried to tackle the urgent problem of [[Russian famine of 1921|famine in Russia]]; following a widespread failure of crops around 30&nbsp;million people were threatened with starvation and death. Despite Nansen's pleas on behalf of the starving, Russia's revolutionary government was feared and distrusted internationally, and the League was reluctant to come to its peoples' aid.<ref>Reynolds, pp. 224–229.</ref> Nansen had to rely largely on fundraising from private organisations, and his efforts met with limited success.<ref name="Ryne" /> Later he was to express himself bitterly on the matter:

{{blockquote|"There was in various transatlantic countries such an abundance of maize, that the farmers had to burn it as fuel in their railway engines. At the same time, the ships in Europe were idle, for there were no cargoes. Simultaneously there were thousands, nay millions of unemployed. All this, while thirty million people in the Volga region—not far away and easily reached by our ships—were allowed to starve and die. The politicians of the world at large, except in the United States, were trying to find an excuse for doing nothing on the pretext that it was the Russians' own fault – a result of the Bolshevik system."<ref>Reynolds, p. 230.</ref>}}

[[File:Nansenpass.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|left|The Nansen passport allowed stateless persons to legally cross borders]]
A major problem impeding Nansen's work on behalf of refugees was that most of them lacked documentary proof of identity or nationality. Without legal status in their country of refuge, their lack of papers meant they were unable to go anywhere else. To overcome this, Nansen devised a document that became known as the "[[Nansen passport]]", a form of identity for [[Statelessness|stateless persons]] that was in time recognised by more than 50&nbsp;governments, and which allowed refugees to cross borders legally. Although the passport was created initially for refugees from Russia, it was extended to cover other groups.<ref name="GibneyHarrison2005">Gibney & Harrison, pp. [https://archive.org/details/immigrationasylu00matt/page/441 441]–[https://archive.org/details/immigrationasylu00matt/page/442 442].</ref>

While attending the [[Lausanne Conference of 1922–23|Conference of Lausanne]] in November 1922, Nansen learned that he had been awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for 1922. The citation referred to "his work for the repatriation of the prisoners of war, his work for the Russian refugees, his work to bring succour to the millions of Russians afflicted by famine, and finally his present work for the refugees in Asia Minor and Thrace".<ref>Huntford, pp. 649–650.</ref><ref>[https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1922/summary/ The Nobel Peace Prize 1922]".</ref> Nansen donated the prize money to international relief efforts.<ref name="Ryne" />

==== Greco-Turkish resettlement ====
After the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)|Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922]], Nansen travelled to [[Constantinople]] to negotiate the resettlement of hundreds of thousands of refugees, mainly ethnic Greeks who had fled from Turkey after the defeat of the Greek Army. The impoverished Greek state was unable to take them in,<ref name="Ryne" /> and so Nansen devised a scheme for a [[Population exchange between Greece and Turkey|population exchange]] whereby half a million Turks in Greece were returned to Turkey, with full financial compensation, while further loans facilitated the absorption of the refugee Greeks into their homeland.<ref>Reynolds, p. 241.</ref> Despite some controversy over the principle of a population exchange,<ref name="GibneyHarrison2005" /> the plan was implemented successfully over a period of several years.

==== Armenian genocide ====
[[File:No-nb bldsa 6d141.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Nansen in front of an Armenian orphanage, 25 June 1925]]
From 1925 onwards, Nansen devoted much time trying to help Armenian refugees, victims of [[Armenian genocide]] at the hands of the [[Ottoman Empire]] during the First World War and further ill-treatment thereafter.<ref>[http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/armenian_genocide.htm "Armenian Genocide"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181947/http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/Genocide/armenian_genocide.htm |date=3 March 2016 }}, United Human Rights Council. Retrieved 18 August 2010.</ref> His goal was the establishment of a national home for these refugees, within the borders of [[Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic|Soviet Armenia]]. His main assistant in this endeavour was [[Vidkun Quisling]], the future [[Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy|Nazi collaborator]] and head of a [[Quisling regime|Norwegian puppet government]] during the [[Second World War]].<ref name="Huntford659">Huntford, pp. 659–660.</ref>

After visiting the region, Nansen presented the Assembly with a modest plan for the irrigation of {{convert|360|km2}} on which 15,000&nbsp;refugees could be settled.<ref>Reynolds, p. 262.</ref> The plan ultimately failed, because even with Nansen's unremitting advocacy the money to finance the scheme was not forthcoming. Despite this failure, his reputation among the Armenian people remains high.<ref name="Ryne" />

Nansen wrote ''Armenia and the Near East'' (1923) wherein he describes the plight of the Armenians in the wake of losing its independence to the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite news|last=Abalyan|first=Karine|title=Fridtjof Nansen and the Armenians|url=http://massispost.com/2011/10/fridtjof-nansen-and-the-armenians/ |newspaper=Massis Post|date=17 October 2011}}</ref> The book was translated into many languages. After his visit to Armenia, Nansen wrote two additional books: ''Across Armenia'' (1927) and ''Through the Caucasus to the Volga'' (1930).<ref>{{cite web|title=Fridtjof Nansen|url=http://armenianhouse.org/nansen/nansen-en.html|publisher=ArmeniaHouse}}</ref>

Within the League's Assembly, Nansen spoke out on many issues besides those related to refugees. He believed that the Assembly gave the smaller countries such as Norway a "unique opportunity for speaking in the councils of the world."<ref>Scott, p. 230.</ref> He believed that the extent of the League's success in reducing armaments would be the greatest test of its credibility.<ref>Reynolds, p. 247.</ref> He was a signatory to the [[1926 Slavery Convention|Slavery Convention]] of 25 September 1926, which sought to outlaw the use of forced labour.<ref>[http://www.anti-slaverysociety.addr.com/cxslavery.htm "Slavery Convention 1926"], The Anti-Slavery Society, 2003. Retrieved 18 August 2010.</ref> He supported a settlement of the [[World War I reparations|post-war reparations]] issue and championed Germany's membership of the League, which was granted in September 1926 after intensive preparatory work by Nansen.<ref name="Huntford659" />