Raoul Wallenberg

Raoul Wallenberg of Sweden became a diplomat in 1944. In that capacity, he assisted up to one hundred thousand Jews avoid deportation from Nazi-occupied Hungary during the latter stages of World War II. Through earlier trips to Nazi Germany and occupied France, Raoul Wallenberg came to understand German bureaucracy and thinking. This he used to his advantage. No doubt he also used initiative and showed bravery in saving many lives. He issued non-legal protective passports to Jews and sheltered many in buildings called Swedish territories.

It seems that Mr Wallenberg also worked with the OSS, the wartime espionage service of the US. In that capacity, he may have been working with the Hungarian Independence Movement. His political involvement with the OSS may have led to his problems with the Soviet Union. Therefore, his humanitarianism was not enough to spare him from the events that overtook him in the beginning of 1945.

Due to the connection with the OSS, when the Soviets moved into Hungary someone tipped them off about that. This led to his arrest and thereafter, speculation reigns. The Soviets claimed he had died in 1947, but independent reports suggest he may have lived on for decades as a prisoner.

The Soviet authorities may have been too cynical to accept his good deeds, seeing him primarily as a US spy. The Swedish authorities after the war did nothing to expedite his release. Both those factors worked against Raoul Wallenberg. It seems so unjust that someone who helped so many paid such a price. Our Creator saw all that happened and will act to address any injustices that this world manages to engineer. Something to look forward to indeed.