Varian Fry, The American Schindler by

His Story Begins

hcps_fosterre — 2013-12-11 18:01:21 UTC

Varian left the US to go to Marseilles, France on August 4, 1940 as a representative for the Emergency Rescue Committee, he was given a list and tasked to save over 200 refugees

How He Helped

hcps_fosterre — 2013-12-11 18:14:33 UTC

Fry worked with the French Resistance and the Corsican Mob to forge papers create fake visas, bribe guards, and escort people out of France by mountain and sea as well as establishing the American Relief Center in France

The American Relief Center

hcps_fosterre — 2013-12-11 18:22:07 UTC

A legal center started by Fry to help Jewish people escape France

hcps_fosterre — 2013-12-11 18:27:31 UTC

Details

hcps_fosterre — 2013-12-15 21:58:16 UTC

He stayed in Marseilles for 13 months in the Hotel Splendide , helped roughly 2,000 people, and was expelled from France in September 1941

Inspiration

hcps_fosterre — 2013-12-15 22:19:07 UTC

Fry witnessed Jews being beaten and harassed in Berlin in 1935 and looked up to his grandfather who cared for needy kids

Encounters with the Law

hcps_fosterre — 2013-12-15 22:33:44 UTC

The US govt. tried many times to make him leave, he was interrogated numerous times by french police, was under constant surveillance by the gestpo, and was finally forced out by the French govt.

hcps_fosterre — 2013-12-16 16:49:49 UTC

hcps_fosterre — 2013-12-16 16:53:17 UTC

If Caught...

hcps_fosterre — 2013-12-16 17:03:35 UTC

If caught, Varian would have been turned over to German authorities based on the "Surrender on Demand" policy of France and most likely sent to a concentration camp or killed

Recognition

hcps_fosterre — 2013-12-16 17:09:17 UTC

He only received one form of official recognition, the Knights Cross of the Legion of Honor, during his life. Although he was given many awards after his death.

ocho8murph — 2013-12-16 18:22:31 UTC