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March 2008

Links related to Holocaust and WW2

    Estonian: Estonian National Archives Museum of Occupations;on the Soviet and German occupation, includes documents, photographs, lists of Estonian prisoners Great Britain: National Archives,include online catalogues. Hungary: Budapest Memorial Center Historical Text Archives Open Society Archives Terrohaza, about The Soviet’s terror in… 

    Sweden refuses to press Russia for Key Files in the Raoul Wallenberg Case

      In spite of the sharply worded conclusions by two Swedish Commissions – the Swedish-Russian Working Group from 2001 and the Eliasson Commission from 2003 – that Russian efforts to investigate Raoul Wallenberg’s fate in the Soviet Union have been deeply flawed and evasive, the Swedish government has shown no urgency to ensure that researchers can review material deemed vital for clarifying the circumstances of Raoul Wallenberg’s disappearance in Russia. Wallenberg, a young Swedish businessman-diplomat who helped to protect thousands of Jews from Nazi persecution in wartime Hungary, was arrested by Soviet forces in January 1945 and subsequently taken to Moscow. In 1957, Soviet officials announced that he had succumbed to a heart attack in prison in 1947 — a claim which has never been substantiated.

      Born, Friedrich

        The New Delegate In Budapest

        On the 10th of March 1944 Friedrich Born was appointed ICRC delegator in Budapest. Repeatedly, Born, requested that the ICRC were to expand their efforts to help. “I can´t sit still, while daily Jews are being sent do death. Please do something to helpsave them. I want to save, I want to intervene.“

        Baranski, Tibor

          Tibor Baranski, was the right man of the Papal Nunzio Angelo Rotta issuing tens of thousands baptismal certificates to Jews . He was executive director of the Protection of Jews movement. Rotta and Baranski worked in close cooperation with Raoul… 

          The International “Red Cross”

            Jean de Bavier And The “Red Cross“

            The Red Cross was an international organisation and was expected to help. Since 1943 Jean de Bavier was delegator for the international „Red Cross“ in Budapest. The operational circumstances were quite positive but de Bavier´s hands were tied because of the instructions from Genf. In his statements and handlings he was to remain totally neutral. He was not allowed to make any political or religious statements.

            Lutz, Carl

              Along with Wallenberg the most active person in the „Hungarian Rescue Mission“ was the Swiss Carl Lutz. On the 02.01.1942 he became head of the „Protection“ department in the Swiss Legation to Budapest. Here he represented the interests of twelve countries, who were also at war like Hungary. Carl Lutz was under very strict Swiss direction. It was not possible for him to take precedence against the deportation plans in May of 1944

              Mandel-Mantello, George

                Citizenship For Jews George Mandel-Mantello was born in Rumania, into a Jewish family. In 1939 he acquired citizenship in El Salvador. In Bucarest in 1942 following transactions in the diplomatic corp., he was appointed First Secretary of General Consulate for… 

                Ocksay, Laszlo

                  A man whom the nazis expected to be a killer, was instead the savior of more thab 2000 Hungarian Jews in the waning of World War II.

                  Giorgio Perlasca

                    Giorgio Perlasca In Budapest Perlasca was a commercial traveller for an import-export-company. Following the cease fire in Italy in September 1943, he disappeared in Hungary´s underground as a hostile foreigner. In April 1944 he surrendered to the Hungarian authorities and… 

                    Rotta, Angelo

                      Rotta´s Protest Against Measures Taken Against Jews

                      Angelo Rotta was Papal Nuncio in Budapest. By March 1944 he had urgently requested the prime minister to make a statement. In the following months Rotta, under Vatican direction, protested against the merciless measures carried out on the Jews. On the 24th of April, Rotta got in contact with the special ambassador Arnóthy Jungerth and notified him: … „The Holy Father deeply regrets the occurrances. He recognizes that also Hungary, a land in which he has always been proud of, which belongs to the „Christian“ countries, has taken another direction, thus creating conflict with Evangelist teachings.“On the 15th of May the Hungarian government was presented with a very significant written protest.