[2] His father, carpenter Martin Lie, left the family to emigrate to the United States in 1902 and was never heard from again.

During this period, he acquired a reputation for settling disputes early and bringing test cases before the courts.

A socialist from an early age, Lie once met Vladimir Lenin while on a Labour Party visit to Moscow and gave permission for Leon Trotsky to settle in Norway after he was exiled from the Soviet Union.

[5] When Nazi Germany invaded Norway in 1940, Lie ordered all Norwegian ships to sail to Allied ports.

Lie first stood for the election for president of the General Assembly but lost to Paul-Henri Spaak of Belgium.

[9] As secretary-general, Lie appointed, among others, Jan Pedersen, Raymond Fourier, Oskar Larsen and a wide variety of officials to the positions of under-secretaries-general or special advisors during his tenure, with a tendency to prefer individuals he had previously worked with.

His passionate support for Israel included passing secret military and diplomatic information to Israeli officials.

[9] Regarding Iran, Lies' memorandum on a potential solution was not implemented, but, as a result of the need for raising important issues, the Security Council changed its rules of procedures to enable the secretary general to address it on any question under consideration.

Following the June 25, 1950, attack by North Korean forces, Lie immediately invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter to convene the Security Council that day.

[18] The UN came under US official scrutiny after the conviction of Alger Hiss, who had served as acting secretary general at the first convening of the UN in San Francisco (in 1945).

A State Department report dated 17 January 1951, states: Subject: McCarran Act—Possible Conflict with Headquarters AgreementIn conversation with Abe Feller in New York recently he expressed the view that the regulations which have been issued under the McCarran Act make it fairly clear to him that there is likely to be some conflict between that Act and the way in which it is being interpreted and the Headquarters Agreement.

[19]Abraham Feller, general counsel and principal director, Legal Department, United Nations Secretariat, was reportedly a close friend of Alger Hiss.

[20] On 14 November 1952, just days after Lie's resignation from the UN, Feller died by suicide, jumping out of the window of his apartment in New York City.

[citation needed] Some scholars rank him at the bottom of all UN secretaries-general; one who "presided over a long list of diplomatic failures, tarnished the UN, and accomplished very little".

In the square stands the bronze statue of Trygve Lie, which was created by the Norwegian artist Nicolaus Widerberg and erected in 1994.