On October 11, 1989, Joseph Tribbia and Phillip D. Thompson interviewed Arnt Eliassen for the American Meteorological Society’s Tape Recorded Interview Project at Thompson’s residence. Eliassen recounts his early influences in meteorology, starting with seminars led by Vilhelm Bjerknes in 1938 that sparked his interest in the field, and his subsequent studies under Halvor Solberg. He details his academic path, including completing his master’s degree in 1941 during the German occupation of Norway.