Mission to Oslo (Paperback)

Mission to Oslo is a rollicking tale of the true adventures of President Bill Clinton’s ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway: Tom Loftus, grandson of Norwegian immigrants and former Speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly.

Told with wit and wry humor, the memoir covers 1993 to 1998, the momentous years of the first Clinton administration. It was a time of historic change after the end of the Cold War, with policies adopted that are still debated today: the building of relations with a fledgling Russian democracy, the expansion of NATO to Eastern Europe and the Baltics. And, the Norwegian-brokered Oslo Accords that laid the groundwork for a path to peace in the Mideast.

Loftus is a gifted storyteller, and the job of an American ambassador comes to vibrant life. Everything from traveling with The King and The Queen to dodging tanks on a winter road in Russia. Food, wine, and entertaining in Oslo’s spectacular Ambassador’s Residence. It is all there.

"Mission to Oslo" is a delightful book and a unique look into understanding the duties and machinations involved in the life of an American ambassador… not only does it give us an insight into a complicated job, but it gives us a better understanding of an important time in American and world history… Loftus’ sense of humor and his renowned wit are very much in evidence…”
–Dave Zweifel, The Capital Times

Tom Loftus served as U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway from 1993 to 1998. A member of the Wisconsin Legislature from 1977 to 1991, he was the longest-serving Democratic Speaker of the Assembly, from 1983 to 1991. In 1990, he was the Democratic candidate for governor. Tom was special advisor to the director general of the World Health Organization from 1998 to 2005. He was a member of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents from 2005 to 2011, and in 2020 and 2021 was senior policy advisor to the UW System president. Tom is on the board of the Outrider Foundation. A U.S. Army veteran, he is a UW-Whitewater graduate and earned a master's degree from UW-Madison's La Follette School of Public Affairs.