Page 55 of The Righteous
THE FIRST STEP on Raoul Wallenberg’s Budapest agenda was to check in at the Swedish legation office.
Then he was scheduled to spend the day with Carl Lutz at the Swiss embassy and become better acquainted with the situation in Hungary.
He didn’t need to familiarize himself with Budapest, as he had spent many a day in the ancient city.
He had even been there, off and on, during the war, but not since the Germans had taken control.
Not since there had been a Judenfrei operation.
Carl had requested that Julia and Theresa be present as well, if that wouldn’t step on Raoul’s plans.
“Definitely not,” he answered. “I am so pleased that they are working for you.”
For Julia, the reunion was a bit awkward.
A hug from Raoul made her feel as if it were only yesterday.
A thousand memories circled around in her head.
Oh, the choices she had made, the paths she had followed.
Had she done otherwise, had she stayed with Rudy, had she never met Spencer and his stupid band, life would have been so much different.
They were a good couple in Michigan. Who knows what would have developed?
But then, there would have been no Amsterdam, nor that part of her life when she helped to save so many children.
Nor would she had experienced the times she’d spent with Teddy and Sara and the underground rescue group.
The receipt of her Distinguished Service Medal would never have happened.
Nonetheless, his hug brought back memories of warm nights and joyful days in Ann Arbor.
She was happy to see him. He hadn’t changed a bit.
I wonder if he’s experiencing the same feelings I am , she thought. They say he never married, at least not yet. Julia looked over at Theresa, who was enjoying the reunion as well, though she had never known Rudy romantically. They were just good friends.
After a few minutes of small talk, it was time to get down to business.
“I understand that trains are leaving every day from Hungary and heading straight to the Auschwitz concentration camp,” Raoul said.
“Twelve thousand a day, isn’t that what you told me?
How many have they taken and how many are left? ”
“Very good questions,” Carl said. “We estimate that four hundred forty thousand people have been taken, never to be heard from again. They were primarily from the countryside, outside of Budapest. It is thought that somewhere around four hundred thousand Jews are left in all of Hungary, including Budapest. Many have received letters of protection, and many are living in safe houses rented or owned by Switzerland. Those houses have identification badges on the front, showing that they are Swiss owned and occupied.”
“Two days ago, the pope joined other nations’ leaders, including our Swedish King Gustav, in condemning Miklós Horthy, the ruler of Hungary, for allowing his military and transportation militia to cooperate with the Nazis and transport his Jewish subjects to their deaths,” said Raoul.
“King Gustav also joined with Churchill, Roosevelt, and other leaders in demanding that Horthy be tried for war crimes and sentenced to a similar fate.”
“That’s true,” said Carl, “and it had an effect. When it seemed like the whole world was coming down on him, Horthy ordered the Auschwitz transports to be paused. As of today, trains have stopped transporting Jews out of the country. It’s unclear how that will sit with the Nazis, but Horthy called for his military and train personnel to cease all train transports leaving Hungary. ”
“Did the Nazis also stop arresting people in the countryside? I have heard that the Nazis have not, but is that true? Are they still arresting people?”
“We don’t know,” Carl said. “This is all happening in real time. There have been no major announcements coming from Hungarian leadership. No one has declared that the Jews are free to leave, or that they won’t be arrested, or that they can have their phones or their cars or that any restrictions have been lifted.
Horthy may have the title of regent, but Hungary is still under German control.
Eichmann is still in charge. His mission has always been to remove Jews from wherever they can be found and then send them north to Auschwitz.
He may not have the manpower to run the trains right now, but don’t fool yourselves.
It’s Eichmann, not Horthy, who will dictate the future of Jews in Hungary.
” Carl turned to Raoul and the envelope he was carrying.
“It’s quiet at the moment, but one cannot trust the Nazis.
So it is still of the utmost importance that we pass out our letters of protection.
I understand that you brought Swedish documents. ”
Raoul reached into the envelope and took out a stack of papers. “There are Schutz-Passes, or safe passes. I was able to convince the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue forty-five hundred passes to begin. Believe me, I have the full support of my government.”
“You’re lucky,” Carl said. “Mine has set a limit, and no more letters of protection can be issued.”
“And they are also sending volunteers to help me,” Raoul added.
“They have set aside offices here at the Swedish legation. They have authorized me to rent thirty-two safe houses for Jewish refugees. Of great importance, I am authorized to declare Jews of Hungarian origin to be Swedish citizens. My capital has made the political choice to admit these migrants as immigrants after the war, on humanitarian grounds, should they be able to make their way to Sweden.”
“God bless them,” Carl said. “I know of no other country willing to do that. Certainly not Switzerland.”
“And not the United States either,” Julia said.
Carl reached behind him and pulled out another stack of papers.
“You remember George Mantello. He and his good friend Florian Manoliu were the ones who brought the Vrba-Wetzler report to me. George is the first secretary in the El Salvador consulate in Geneva.” Carl held up papers.
“I am holding one thousand citizenship papers formally issued by El Salvador. All that is needed is for the holder to print his name and put a picture of his face on the certificate and he is then a recognized citizen of El Salvador. Because of Salvadoran neutrality, the holder is free to come and go as he pleases. The Germans and the border police in Hungary and in Romania will honor that status. George said we will have thirteen thousand by the end of the week.”
Raoul examined one of the Salvadoran passports and said, “How are these to be authenticated? If a Nazi officer was to question the validity of the Swedish Schutz-Pass, he could contact the Swedish legation. They would verify it. How is someone to authenticate a citizenship paper from El Salvador?”
“Same way. Contact the Salvadoran embassy in Geneva. They’ll verify it.”
Carl stood. “Okay, we all have passes. Let’s get out there and distribute them. It’s a beautiful day.”