Page 17 of The Righteous
A FEW DAYS later, as Theresa and Julia were about to break for lunch, they received a telephone call from John Pehle.
“The Swiss vice consul, Carl Lutz, has arrived from Hungary,” he said, “and he is meeting with the WRB this afternoon at two o’clock.
It is not open to the public, only to the board, and the fact that Mr. Lutz is in Washington for a meeting is itself confidential. ”
“Only to the board?” Theresa groaned. “You told me that I would be able to talk with him when he came. I’m disappointed.”
“Well, don’t be. While Carl and I were talking, I brought up the issue of contacts within the Budapest Jewish community.
Did he have them, did he need them? Carl bemoaned the fact that he didn’t have deep contacts in that community, at least not any that he could trust. He would like a contact who would trust him and could make the leaders feel more at ease. ”
Theresa jumped up. “That’s me! I could be that contact. I could provide introductions to the head rabbi, to the business leaders, to my father. They would all trust me. They know my family.”
“I mentioned you to Carl,” John said, “and he asked if he might meet with you prior to this afternoon’s board meeting. He’s at the Swiss embassy. If you can make it, I’d advise you to come right away.”
“What about Julia?”
“We only spoke about you. This afternoon’s meeting with the WRB is very private.
I don’t know how many people are aware that Carl is even in the US.
He has a few high-level diplomatic meetings, and then he is returning to Budapest. If you can, come over here as soon as possible.
You would have a few minutes with Carl before the others arrive. ”
“On my way,” she said, and set down the phone.
When she arrived at the embassy, Theresa was shown into an office where Carl and John were seated.
Carl looked to be in his middle to late forties.
He was thin and nicely dressed in a suit and tie, and he wore frameless glasses.
His dark hair was combed to the side. Most importantly to Theresa, he wore a welcoming smile.
“Carl,” John said, “allow me to introduce you to Professor Theresa Weissbach. She is the one I have been telling you about.”
Carl nodded and extended his hand. “Very nice to meet you, Professor Weissbach. John tells me that you have been imploring him to be appointed as a WRB agent in Budapest. Is that right?”
John smiled. “ Imploring is a gentle term to describe Theresa’s gift of persuasion. Persistent is more like it. She is understandably worried about her family. She hasn’t heard from them in a long time. The news that comes out of Hungary these days is by rumor only, and it is disturbing.”
Carl agreed. “Long-distance communications are limited, if they are available at all. We have them at the embassy, but the average man has only local service.”
“Do you happen to know my parents,” Theresa said, “Benjamin and Greta Weissbach? Until recently, my father was a top surgeon at Semmelweis University Hospital. He is on the board of directors. He is also on the board of directors of the Great Synagogue on Dohány Street, the largest synagogue in all of Europe. But I haven’t heard a word in so long. I am worried sick about them.”
“I’ve heard his name mentioned,” Carl said, “and I wish I had better news about your community. I’m afraid it’s all very unsettling.
A big part of my problem is that I lack access into your community on a personal level.
As a Swiss diplomat, my job is to cultivate relationships with all prongs of Hungarian society, not only the Hungarian government but also influential leaders in the community, including religious leaders and even German officials stationed in Budapest. I can tell you that while the Jewish people are physically unharmed, they are not free from discrimination.
There are numerous laws restricting their freedom.
That is why I have assisted some in contacting representatives of British-occupied Palestine. ”
“Before his appointment in Budapest, Carl was at the Swiss consulate in Jaffa in British Palestine,” John interjected. “And for a brief time, he served at the Swiss embassy in Berlin.”
“He was at Berlin in the midst of the war?”
John nodded. “Germany respects Carl and also Switzerland’s neutrality. Carl was in Jaffa in 1939 when the war started. Germany was one of the countries that asked Switzerland to represent its interest in British Palestine, especially with regard to German citizens.”
Theresa shook her head as if to clear the cobwebs. “This is all confusing to me. Germany is at war with Great Britain, yet Germany has interests in British Palestine that it wants protected?”
“That’s right,” John said. “German people have economic interests throughout the Middle East. The Swiss embassy represented them in dealings with British Palestine. During this time, thousands of German refugees made their way out of Germany and down to Palestine. Carl witnessed their plight and learned their stories. The first thing he did was take down the German consulate’s swastika and replace it with the flag of Switzerland.
He even looked after German prisoners of war held in Jaffa, for which the German state praised him. ”
Theresa’s eyes opened wide. “He can do that? He can arrange for Jewish citizens to immigrate to Palestine? Were there many who took advantage of that and emigrated?”
John nodded. “Thousands. Isn’t that right, Carl?”
Carl shrugged modestly and then nodded.
“If it was necessary for all those children to leave Hungary,” Theresa said, “then the conditions must have deteriorated badly after I left in 1933. Is that correct?”
“As you know, 1933 was a pivotal year, not only for Germany but for all of Europe,” Carl answered.
“That was the year that Adolf Hitler was appointed as German chancellor and took power. Since then, there have been many laws directed against minorities, not just Jews, and not only in Germany, but in the countries that Germany now controls.”
“Germany doesn’t control Hungary,” Theresa argued, “at least as far as I’m aware.”
“And we hope it never will,” said Carl, “yet through the social and political biases held by Germany and the Axis countries, antisemitism in Hungary has increased. The Hungarian government has passed laws restricting Jewish freedom, making it difficult for Jews to hold a license or earn a living, limiting Jewish freedom to travel or even to own property. These days, Jews are prevented from leaving the country. I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. ”
“I don’t know all that,” Theresa said. “I’ve lost touch with my people. Tell me, if Jews are prevented from traveling outside the country, how did the thousands of Jewish children immigrate to Palestine?”
“Many of them were protected by the government of Switzerland. They were covered by Swiss letters of protection. It allowed safe travel to and from Swiss areas.”
“Why would the Nazis honor that? They don’t have to. If they felt like it, they could take over Switzerland tomorrow.”
“The Germans are not at war with Switzerland, and in many respects, the neutrality serves German interests. Germany recognizes Switzerland and its sovereign immunity. I was allowed to come to Berlin as a Swiss emissary, and I lived in Germany for a year. Because of my credentials, I was free from Germany’s abuse and its restrictive laws. ”
“Let me ask you a question, if I may,” Theresa said. “If I had one of those letters you mentioned, could I travel to Budapest, spend time there, check on my family, and then leave and return to America?”
“Conceivably,” Carl said. “It would not be easy to travel there, and you have no Swiss business, but it is likely that your letter of protection would still be honored.”
“And I wouldn’t be arrested or restricted because I am Jewish?”
“Again, conceivably. You might be stopped at the border and asked for your identification, and they might ask you what your business is. And it is possible that your religious affiliation might be revealed, but the letter is supposed to allow for safe passage.”
“So, I could travel to Budapest and see my family without fear of arrest or punishment if I had one of those letters?”
“Hmm. Nothing is free from risk these days. A Swiss letter of protection indicates that your business is in Switzerland’s interest. It should ensure your safety, but we are in a world of human beings.
Some understand and follow the law and its regulations, and some do not.
Swiss letters are official. They are numbered.
Some are issued to travel away from Hungary to a safe location, like Turkey or Palestine, but their most common use is for businessmen from friendly or neutral nations to conduct their business within the Axis countries.
There is a lot of money to be made by going into Germany or Austria on business.
They come and go, protected from local restrictions. ”
“Wouldn’t my providing you with information about the Budapest Jewish community help you to cultivate relationships? You said that a letter of protection would have to be in Switzerland’s interest. I could be your assistant, right?”
“Theoretically, but even if you possessed such a letter, Miss Weissbach, how do you plan on safely traveling into Budapest and back again?”
“I don’t know that part yet. How do you safely travel there and back?” Theresa asked with a shrug. “I’m not afraid. If my family can face the dangers, so can I. If you can issue a letter to me, I’ll find a way.”
Carl looked over at John and said, “Is she always this unrestrained?”
“This and much more,” John said.