New eBook: Raoul Wallenberg Biography

Part I

Introduction

Worn, weary, with thinning hair and sad eyes, Raoul Wallenberg looked older than his 31 years of age when he took on the responsibility of saving Jewish people as a Swedish diplomat in Hungary during World War II. The assignment came in collaboration with the War Refugee Board, an American organization formed earlier that year to help those at risk of Nazi Germany's genocidal Final Solution.

Just months before Raoul arrived in July 1944, Hungary was one of the few European countries whose Jewish community had largely survived the worst of the Holocaust, as the country's leader, Regent Miklós Horthy, had resisted Nazi pressure to deport its Jewish population, despite Hungary's alliance with Germany and Horthy's own anti-Semitic views. But as war momentum shifted, Nazi leadership feared Hungary might switch sides, so they took over the country on March 19, 1944. Deportations began soon after. Approximately 400,000 of the country's 750,000 Jewish residents were sent to death camps over the following couple of months.

Understanding the Nazi's intentions and that wasted time meant the death of more men, women, and children, Raoul worked with a singular sense of purpose, doing anything to keep Jewish people and others at risk safe. He used diplomatic means whenever possible, but Raoul also bribed, extorted, bluffed, and cajoled when necessary. He did whatever was required. As he would say to a colleague, "I've taken on this assignment, and I will never be able to go back to Stockholm without knowing inside myself that I'd done all a man could do to save as many Jews as possible." Around 100,000 people were saved as a result of Raoul's efforts.

Sadly, however, as Soviet forces took control of Budapest in 1945, they arrested Raoul on suspicion of espionage. The reasons for his charge and what happened afterward remain unclear. It's widely believed that Raoul died in a Soviet prison within a few years, but despite numerous investigations, his exact fate remains a mystery.

Chapter 1: Raoul's Upbringing & College Years

"From the very start he was the joy of the family...He was the sweetest of brothers, and I adored him." - Nina Lagergren, Raoul's sister

Raoul's birth on August 4, 1912, came during a time of sorrow for the Wallenberg family. His father had died three months prior from cancer. How the loss would impact Raoul throughout life isn't clear, as he didn't speak much of it. But whatever trauma that may have resulted was somewhat eased by the Wallenberg family coming together to provide the young boy stability. His mother, Maj, remarried a man who cared deeply for Raoul and provided a pleasant home life. And Raoul's paternal grandfather, Gustav, took an active role in raising the young boy, becoming a particularly important influence.

Like many in the influential and wealthy Wallenberg family, Gustav was renowned in Sweden for his diplomacy work. Determined to see his grandson molded into a man of influence capable of maintaining and extending the Wallenberg family legacy, Gustav encouraged Raoul through financial support and personal counsel while always stressing the importance of success, writing to Raoul in 1929,

"When one comes from a family in which several generations have managed to acquire a certain reputation for competence and skill, it is more important than ever that you understand how unacceptable failure is as a legacy. The fact that one generation has succeeded financially makes it almost harder for those who follow."

While the tone of Gustav's counsel reads as domineering and full of pressure, he and Raoul appear to have had a loving and caring relationship. Raoul's letters to his grandfather were warm and appreciative. As he wrote to Gustav in one in 1932: "I want to express my deep gratitude, which I owe you not only for the financial responsibilities you undertake for my sake, but because I know that I am the constant object of your concern and love."

Amongst the many recommendations Gustav had for Raoul, one was to attend college in the U.S., advice the young boy heeded. Gustav's reasoning was made clear in a letter when Raoul was an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan,

"Where you will stand out when you return to Sweden is in your knowledge of human nature and experience with life. During your studies in Ann Arbor, you have already had the opportunity to exchange ideas with people who live and think differently from us. I don't mean that the American way of thinking is superior to ours. But it is different. So you are already ahead of the game through your contact with young people in Ann Arbor. My plan now is to place you even further ahead by putting you in touch with the right people during a vacation trip to California, so that you might profit by their experience and their views on life."

Following his grandfather's encouragement to meet Americans around the country, Raoul, somewhat challenged by the Great Depression, chose to hitchhike for his travels. It was good timing for doing so. While the times certainly brought great suffering, they also engendered spaces of greater community, one of which being hitchhiking, as people put "Let's go, America - Ask for a Ride" signs on their car windshields. Raoul greatly enjoyed this way of travel, writing to his grandfather, "When you travel like a hobo, everything's different. You have to be on the alert the whole time. You're in close contact with new people every day. Hitchhiking gives you training in diplomacy and tact."

For Raoul, college life in America was a delight. He studied architecture, the field he wanted to work in, and just as his grandfather intended, met people and saw a different way of life. He made good friends, one of whom described Raoul as "a very talented yet modest person who showed great insight in finding simple solutions to complex problems. Neither his conduct nor his manner of dress gave anyone who knew him the slightest clue to his high station in life as a member of one of Sweden's most distinguished families." Another said about Raoul that he was“full of energy, good humor and generally a good guy,” who “ always thought through to the essence.” But as Raoul went through college in the early 1930s, Europe, particularly Germany, began undergoing one of the most significant changes in modern history.

Chapter 2: The Beginnings of Nazi Germany

World War I ended in 1918 with Germany defeated and on the brink of collapse, having exhausted its military, economic, and political resources. Devastating the country further was the Treaty of Versailles, which placed full responsibility for the war on Germany and imposed harsh penalties, including heavy reparations, military restrictions, and the ceding of significant territories.