Page 15 of The Righteous

WHILE REVIEWING THE State Department documents, Theresa searched diligently for any news concerning the Budapest Jewish community. Nothing significant had surfaced thus far, but one afternoon, John Pehle came to see her.

“I’ve received some disturbing news about Hungary,” said John. “I’m sorry to say the situation is getting dicey. I want you to hear it from someone you trust, not just from the rumor mill.”

Theresa’s face flushed. Her jaw trembled. “What do you mean by that?”

“It seems that the complacency enjoyed by the Hungarian citizens might be threatened. Though Hungary is a country in a state of war, the Hungarian people have been relatively unaffected. Their way of life hasn’t materially changed.

That is true for the Jewish population as well.

Oh, it’s true, young Jewish men have been drafted as soldiers and laborers, and the economy is strained with less goods and materials, but the relationship with Germany has been stable. That may be changing.”

“Hungary and Germany are allies,” Theresa said. “Hitler has kept his hands off Hungary for the last five years, since the war started. Why would that relationship change? What has happened?”

John held up a hand. “Hold on. I didn’t say that it had changed; I said it may be changing.

There are rumors, unconfirmed, and no one knows for sure, but Prime Minister Kállay has apparently sent another round of peace feelers to Germany’s enemies.

He’s done that before, but it was always kept a secret from Germany.

This time, there is cause to believe that Germany has learned about it.

The question is, why would Kállay turn his back on Germany and reach out to its enemies?

Is Hungary’s loyalty now in question? If so, how does that affect German-Hungarian relations? ”

“Maybe Kállay reached out because Hungary is tired of fighting Germany’s war,” Theresa suggested.

“Germany caused Hungary to send hundreds of thousands of soldiers to the Russian Front as an Axis member, and one hundred thousand never came back. From what we hear, Germany is not doing well on the Russian Front.”

“They’re not. There is no doubt of that, but think about this,” John said.

“Hitler has up to now let Horthy and Kállay run their country without his interference. That is extremely rare in that part of the world. Now, if Hitler hears that peace feelers are floating, Hungary’s loyalty might be in question.

Anyway, that is what we hear, and that is what I mean by the relationship is dicey.

You and Julia have been examining the State Department’s records on Hungary, right?

Did you see anything that would confirm that peace feelers were received by the US from Hungary? ”

Theresa shook her head. “We haven’t seen any peace feelers. If they were sent, then the State Department destroyed them.”

“Well, there are a lot of ifs here. If peace feelers were actually sent, if Hitler does learn about them, then he will have to weigh his options. Would such a message really pose a threat to Germany? Probably not. How could a peace feeler, sent to the US, thousands of miles away, make any difference? What can the US do for Hungary? Probably nothing. There are no Allied troops anywhere on the continent. On the other hand, Hitler might conclude that Kállay and Horthy are no longer trustworthy, and he may want a change in Hungary’s leadership, and he may send his troops to occupy the country.

Anyway, keep your eyes open while you are reviewing the documents. ”

“Of course. Although it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” Theresa said. “What does Hitler have to gain by occupying an ally? That’s irrational.”

“Hitler is not rational,” John said flatly. “If he reads such a message and becomes furious, like he frequently does, he will send his troops into Hungary without a second thought. They would immediately occupy Hungary and make it a puppet state.”

“That’s a horrible thought,” Theresa said, “because the first thing he’d do is implement his racial laws, right? He’d send his squads to arrest all the Jews wherever they could be found. That’s what he did in the Netherlands and Poland and Belgium and Austria—”

“All right, all right.” John held his hand up. “We know. Just keep your eyes open for further information you might come across in your review.”

“If you want accurate information, why doesn’t the WRB send someone into Budapest to find out and report back?” Theresa said. “Like me?”

“Easier said than done. The WRB is planning on sending its agents wherever they are needed. That is the WRB’s reason for being. It’s in the charter, to aid refugees wherever they may be. But it takes time; it doesn’t happen overnight.”

Theresa stuck out her chin. “Send me . I’ll report back. I know who to talk to. My family has contacts. I’ll find out what is going on.”

“I appreciate the offer, but not at this time. For one thing, we already have a contact in Budapest. He’s not exactly a WRB agent, but he is someone we can talk to in confidence. His name is Carl Lutz. Do you know him?”

“I’m not familiar with the name. It doesn’t sound Hungarian. Is he Hungarian? Has he always lived in Budapest?”

John shook his head. “No and no. Carl is Swiss. He is the vice consul in Switzerland’s embassy in Budapest. As you know, Switzerland is a neutral country, and it represents the interests of other foreign countries that do not have diplomatic relations with the host country.

The US previously had diplomatic relations with Hungary but has broken them off since the war.

The Swiss embassy in Budapest is a go-between for governments that do not have embassies or consulates in Hungary but want to interact.

Switzerland is the representative of fourteen countries in Hungary.

Much of our Hungarian information comes through Carl. ”

Theresa’s expression conveyed a bit of uncertainty.

“Is Mr. Lutz Jewish? If not, I would wonder whether his reports contain accurate information about the Jewish community. You know, the kind of information someone like me could provide,” Theresa said with a smile.

“But if he is the only source of our information from Hungary, I would question how thorough it is. He’s not Hungarian, he didn’t grow up there, he’s not Jewish, and he doesn’t have roots or family ties there.

How deep can he dig for information? Is it only on the surface or does it go deeper? ”

“I see your point, Theresa, and that’s very astute,” said John.

“I’m sure you have contacts in the Hungarian community that Carl does not have, but he’s been there for two years and he’s an experienced diplomat.

Moreover, he is a Swiss diplomat, safe from German or Hungarian arrest. This is not his first posting.

I have confidence in him, and once you meet him, you will too. ”

“I respect your confidence and your evaluation of Mr. Lutz. I suppose because he’s a Swiss diplomat he can come and go as he pleases, and everyone will regard him as untouchable?”

John nodded. “That’s correct, and Carl knows how to use it.

Give him a chance and you’ll feel the same way I do.

He is a very intelligent, college-educated man.

In fact, he graduated from George Washington University.

I met him when he was here in Washington.

Carl was appointed chancellor at the Swiss consulate in Philadelphia.

Then he was with the Swiss consulate in St. Louis, which was where he met his wife, Gertrud, a remarkable woman.

Then they were transferred to British Palestine, where Carl served as a diplomatic representative of several nations, including Germany.

While there, Carl and Gertrud worked to aid both Jewish and non-Jewish refugees from Germany who had found their way to Palestine.

The stories that Carl told me about what he and Gertrud did for women, children, and elderly people in Palestine are beyond belief.

Now Carl has been appointed to the prestigious post of Swiss vice consul at the embassy in Budapest. That is where he and Gertrud are now. ”

“He is a contact, not a WRB agent? Is that correct?”

John nodded. “Yes, Theresa, you are correct. Carl is a Swiss diplomat. He runs the embassy. If he were a representative of a US agency, he would lose his immunity. So he is a contact, not a WRB agent. He exchanges information. He performs the same function on behalf of other countries that do not have diplomatic relations with the host country.”

“Then let me ask this,” Theresa said. “Did Kállay’s peace feeler to the US go through Carl? Otherwise, how would they get to Washington? Did he pass it on to the State Department?”

“Who knows? Could be,” John said, “but that would be confidential. I wouldn’t have that information.

Carl does provide information to us about Hungary, and Budapest in particular.

It may not be as deep as the information that you could supply, but it is valuable.

Up to now, the Jewish community isn’t clamoring to be rescued.

Things have been quiet there. My worry is that things could change. Quite abruptly.”

“Things may be quiet, but that doesn’t mean that citizens can come and go as they please. You said so yourself,” Theresa said. “The families are basically trapped. My parents are basically trapped in a country run by a despot, who is admittedly antisemitic. Do you deny that?”

“No, I don’t, though there are degrees of antisemitism. Horthy does not seem troublesome to the Jewish community right now.”

“If a refugee needs help, or a community of refugees needs help, who can they turn to? Who speaks on behalf of my community? Who would stand up for them? I hope those are the questions the WRB is asking when it considers appointing agents.”

John smiled. “You are a tough number, Miss Weissbach. You have the heart of a diplomat. Or a lion.”

“I want to be that WRB agent.”