"All suffer is boundless, which you have to try to mitigate." This was how Raoul Wallenberg saw the situation when he arrived to Budapest Sunday the 9th of July 1944.

The Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg's extraordinary rescue operation during World War II is well known all over the world. His efforts to save Hungarian Jews from the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust are indeed amazing and unique.

There are different estimates regarding the number of Jews Raoul Wallenberg saved in Hungary. Some credit him for saving 30 000 people. Others estimate the number of persons saved directly or indirectly by Wallenberg to be 100 000. No matter which number is correct, Raoul Wallenberg is one of the greatest heroes of World War II.

Tragically, Wallenberg did not return to Sweden. Early in the morning on January 17th, 1945 Raoul Wallenberg visited a Swedish hospital and said: "I am happy that my mission has not been in vain." Shortly afterwards the entering Soviet troops captured him. The Soviet Union declared later that he died in 1947 of a heart attack. However, many witnesses have appeared since declaring that Raoul Wallenberg is alive, or lived - somewhere in a Russian prison or mental hospital long after 1947.

Who was Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Wallenberg was born on the 4th of August 1912 in Lidingö, Sweden. In 1930, he graduated with top grades in Russian and drawing. In 1931, after his army service he traveled to the USA to study architecture. Raoul graduated with honors in 1935 from the University of Michigan in the United States and received a medal for his impressive academic record.

Background to his mission
A massive deportation took place in Hungary in March 1944; the destination was Auschwitz-Birkenau. In desperation, the legations commenced issuing provisional passes for Jews with special connections to their countries. The Swedish legation in Budapest succeeded in convincing the Germans that the bearers of these passes would be treated as Swedish citizens and be exempt from wearing the yellow Star of David. However, the Swedish legation needed immediate staff reinforcements to carry on this highly dangerous mission.

The rescue operation
Raoul Wallenberg arrived on July 9, 1944 to Budapest. His first task was to design a Swedish protective pass to rescue the Jews from the "nazihorrors". However, to reach his goal of rescuing as many Hungarian Jews as possible from deportation, Raoul did not use traditional diplomacy. Methods ranging from bribes to extortion threats were used instead to obtain results and his methods proved to be very efficient.

What happened then
On January 13, 1945, an advancing Soviet troop saw a man standing and waiting for them in front of a house with a large Swedish flag above the door. In fluent Russian, Raoul Wallenberg explained to a surprised Russian sergeant that he was Swedish chargé d'affaires for the Russian-liberated parts of Hungary.

Personal stories
While Raoul was in Budapest, he affected many people's lives from Jewish orphans to Adolf Eichmann himself. Presented here are just a few of the interesting personal accounts that testify to the kind of man this Angel of Rescue really was.
© 2004 The Raoul Wallenberg Committee.
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