Page 18 of The Righteous
Carl’s expression turned serious. He spoke softly.
“What I am about to tell you is very private,” he said.
“Keep in mind I am not recommending that you come to Hungary as my assistant. Hungary right now is a very dangerous place to be. It is teetering, and that is the principal reason I have come here to Washington. Things could escalate quickly in Hungary, and the government may struggle to maintain its stability. It is not the place to go these days. If there is a weakness of leadership…”
“Then Hitler would fill the void? Is that what you’re saying?” Theresa added nervously. “He would send his troops and conquer Hungary, even though it is an ally?”
“I’m afraid we believe that to be correct.”
“Does this have anything to do with Minister Kállay’s peace feeler?” Theresa asked.
Carl turned to John. “How does this woman know about that?”
“She knows,” John answered. “Apparently, Kállay’s messages are no longer a secret.”
“That’s right,” Theresa said. “We heard that they were sent to the State Department and to Great Britain. Maybe to Russia as well. What do you think Hitler will do when he considers that? If he determines that Horthy and Kállay are no longer loyal, will he replace them? Will he require Hungary to hold another election, just like Hungary was forced to do at the end of the First World War, but this time under Hitler’s rules? ”
“It wouldn’t be an election,” John said, “it would be an appointment. If Germany overtakes and occupies Hungary, it would appoint a ruler. Kállay’s message is a turning point.
Hitler cannot allow a peace agreement between Hungary and Russia.
Germany is already retreating on the Russian Front.
If Hungary aligns with Russia, then Germany has a stronger enemy on its southern border. ”
“But right now, they are allies,” Theresa said, “and it makes no sense for them to battle each other.”
“I’m afraid that logic may not hold,” said Carl knowingly.
“Even though an alliance or a peace agreement has yet to be formed between Hungary and Russia, or between Hungary and Great Britain or the United States or any other member of the Allied forces, we find it extremely likely that Germany will decide to take over Hungary in the very near future. It may be purely defensive, but the result would be the same.”
“Very near future?” said John. “What do you know that we don’t know?”
“We both know that the Kállay peace feelers, as they are called, have been delivered to Washington. The State Department has yet to act.”
“And it won’t. Kállay’s messages have been discarded,” John said. “That offer has been sent before. Six months ago, I think. Nothing came of it.”
“Ah, but Moscow received the peace feeler and did not discard it,” Carl said.
“There are diplomatic discussions taking place. They may come to nothing, or maybe they will be kept on hold. Or they result in a military partnership. But the fact that Kállay has reached out to Berlin’s closest and most powerful enemy is enough. ”
“What do you mean, it’s enough?”
Carl hesitated, looked to one side, then to the other, and said in a quiet tone, “Germany is mobilizing forces right now, mostly along its southwest border. Tanks and armored vehicles are being moved there. Troop strength is being increased.”
“And you know this for a fact?”
“We have sources deep in the Reichstag. I am confident that the information is correct. That is the real reason why I have come here to talk to both the Pentagon and to the WRB.”
Theresa’s hand shot up and covered her mouth. Finally, she said, “If Germany moves into Hungary, they will commence plans to make Hungary Judenfrei , won’t they? And it will happen right away, won’t it?”
Carl lowered his eyes.
“Won’t it?” Theresa repeated, raising her voice.
“They will make plans to arrest, transfer, and murder nine hundred thousand innocent people in cold blood, won’t they?
Won’t they?” Theresa repeated, her voice becoming shriller and her tears beginning to cover her cheeks.
“And who will stand between them and this ghastly scenario?”
Carl and John stood silent. Their lips were clenched.
“We can’t allow this to happen,” Theresa insisted. “We can’t let them commit mass murder.” She looked at Pehle. “Now that the US knows about it, why can’t we stop them? Good people must stand up.”
“Theresa, we must face reality,” John answered. “Germany is in control of Europe. There are no Allied forces anywhere on the continent. If Hitler decides to institute another Poland, there will be nothing in his way, and it would be hell to stop him.”
“Julia told me what she witnessed when she was assigned to Holland,” Theresa said.
“How the SS collected all the innocent Jewish families, their children, even the babies, and shipped them by train to concentration camps to die. But there were other people who think like we do, and they chose to stand up. In the face of the Nazi plan to murder the nation’s Jews, some people did stand up,”
Theresa continued boldly, “The Nazis didn’t get all of Holland’s Jews, did they?
Julia and Teddy and Sara, along with all the others, formed rescue squads and saved tens of thousands of innocent Dutch.
Those who were saved went into hiding, and they’re still there, alive in the Netherlands, waiting until Germany is finally smashed.
And it will be. You know it will be. Evil may win a battle, but it never wins the war. ”
Carl held up his hand. “Theresa, we don’t know for certain that Germany will invade Hungary,” he said. “It may be massing its forces, but it hasn’t moved. As of today, Hungary and Germany are still allies, and Hitler hasn’t invaded.”
“But you said you have information from your contact in the Reichstag,” Theresa said. “We shouldn’t wait. What good does waiting do? We must do something. We must make plans. Over nine hundred thousand Jewish lives depend on it!”
Carl lowered his eyes. “There were over three million Jews in Poland when this war started, and it was a much larger and stronger country than Hungary. Nothing stopped the Nazis from their Judenfrei murders. We don’t know how many they murdered, but there aren’t many left to save.”
“But she’s right. It doesn’t mean that we give up,” John said.
“That’s why we have a War Refugee Board.
The president supports us. The American people support us.
We are well funded. Theresa is on the right track when she says that good people will stand up against tyranny.
Our forces are on the southern tip of Europe.
They are moving up the Italian peninsula.
Mussolini is gone. Russia is moving in from the east. Until Hitler and his henchmen are defeated, we must do all we can to rescue the civilians.
That is the purpose of the War Refugee Board. ”
Theresa raised a finger. “Mr. Lutz, you said that the Germans strictly abided by laws and rules enacted by countries that were not their enemies. For example, they respected safe conduct passes issued by Switzerland and other neutral countries. Isn’t that right?”
Carl nodded. “That’s true. A citizen with a Swiss letter of protection should be able to travel anywhere without fear of arrest.”
“Why couldn’t we protect the Jewish community by issuing and distributing safe conduct letters? Pass them out to all nine hundred thousand?”
Carl shook his head. “That is not possible. All nine hundred thousand could not possibly be on Switzerland’s business.
Official stamped, embossed letters are personal to the holder.
They are issued to a specifically named person.
They are not issued to a city or a community.
Can you imagine the manpower needed to write out nine hundred thousand personal letters of protection?
Even a few thousand letters? It couldn’t be done. ”
“What if you had extra help?” said Theresa.
Carl smiled. “We would need an army, but we could always use an extra hand at the embassy. A little while ago, you said you have deep contacts in Budapest. Isn’t that right?”
“I do, and my family does. Many, many contacts.”
“What if I were to accept your offer,” Carl said, “and you were to supply a contact for me when I go back to Budapest, maybe an elder from the synagogue?”
“I can do better than that. I can supply myself. I could be your contact to the Jewish community in Hungary.”
Carl stood silent. Should he take her offer?
Finally, he said, “What if you were to come and work with me for a given period of time? I am not suggesting that you come solely to write safe conduct letters for nine hundred thousand people but that you act as a go-between with the Jewish community. You could help get the word out. There might be something they could do or steps they could take to defend themselves.”
Theresa smiled. “I would be happy to accompany you back to Budapest and be your assistant. I can help you interface with the leaders of the community like Rabbi Levy and my father. I can help you pass out letters of protection when necessary. But at some point, if things get bad enough, we have to help people escape from Hungary. Should it become necessary, I will need the assistance of the Swiss embassy to get my family safely out of Hungary.”
Carl nodded. “We would do whatever we could, not just for your parents but for the entire Jewish population. You could introduce me to leaders in the Jewish community and help me cultivate a closer relationship. In some instances, it may be possible to issue multiple letters of protection. We’re on the same side here. ”
“If I understand you correctly, Mr. Lutz, am I to travel with you when you return to Budapest?” Theresa glanced at John, who nodded his approval. “If so, I’m ready, and I gratefully accept,” she said.
“Wonderful,” Carl said. “I’ll get to work on your papers. Get your things together. We’ll be leaving in a couple of days.”
“One more thing,” Theresa added. “A few minutes ago, I mentioned my friend Julia Powers, the woman who was assigned to the US consulate in Amsterdam. She and I are very close friends. We are staying together in Washington. It would be rude just to walk out without talking to her. May I disclose our agreement to her? She would respect the confidentiality. She’s very trustworthy.
She received a medal for the services she performed rescuing people in the Netherlands.
She is presently volunteering for the War Refugee Board. ”
“I’m sure it would be all right to discuss this with her.”