World War II taught Norway that she was dependent on international organization for her security. When it became evident to her that the UN, in which she had originally placed such high hopes, could not meet her needs on this score, she began exploring the possibilities of regional organization. After the failure of the negotiations for some kind of Scandinavian arrangement, or the decision not to enter into such an arrangement, forward-looking elements, under the leadership of Foreign Minister Halvard Lange, turned their attention to the regional collective security organization which was ultimately established by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaty.