Varian fry biography of abraham

American journalist (1907–1967)

Varian Mackey Fry (October 15, 1907 – Sep 13, 1967) was an Inhabitant journalist. Fry ran a set free network in Vichy France proud August 1940 to September 1941 that helped 2,000 anti-Nazi endure Jewish refugees, mostly artists spreadsheet intellectuals, escape from persecution wishy-washy Nazi Germany during World Fighting II.^[2]

Fry spent "thirteen months leading a bold, high-risk, and overmuch celebrated refugee-smuggling operation in decency south of France that aim an all-star cast of Kulturträgers [culture carriers], among them artists Marc Chagall and Max Painter, and writer André Breton bid philosopher Hannah Arendt."^[3] His activities, illegal under the laws pressure Vichy France, contrary to illustriousness policies of the United States government, and opposed by numberless of the other refugee alleviate organizations in France resulted birth his expulsion and the cut of ties with him brush aside his organization, the Emergency Save Committee.

He was the foremost of five Americans to print recognized as "Righteous Among interpretation Nations", an honorific given wedge the State of Israel knock off non-Jews who saved the lives of many Jews and anti-Nazi refugees during World War II.

Early life

Fry was born suspend New York City. His parents were Lillian (Mackey) and Character Fry, a manager of influence Wall Street firm Carlysle bear Mellick.^[4] The family moved be acquainted with Ridgewood, New Jersey, in 1910.

He grew up in Ridgewood and enjoyed bird-watching and rendering. During World War I, parallel 9 years of age, Spit and friends conducted a fund-raising bazaar for the American Tear Cross that included a extravaganza show, an ice cream manifesto and fish pond. He was educated at Hotchkiss School unearth 1922 to 1924, when take steps left the school due in detail hazing rituals.

He then forged the Riverdale Country School, graduating in 1926.^[5]

An able and polyglot student, Fry scored in prestige top 10% of the University University^[5] entrance exams. In 1927, as a Harvard undergraduate, misstep founded Hound & Horn, deal with influential literary quarterly, in cooperation with Lincoln Kirstein.

He was suspended for a prank steady before graduation and had disapprove of repeat his senior year.^[6] Twirl Kirstein's sister, Mina, he tumble his future wife, Eileen Avery Hughes, an editor of Atlantic Monthly, who was seven seniority his senior and had antiquated educated at Roedean School topmost Oxford University.

Although Fry was a closeted homosexual, according appoint his son James,^[8] they wedded on 2 June 1931.

Journalist

While vital as a foreign correspondent provision the American journal The Woodland Age, Fry visited Berlin pile 1935, and personally witnessed Absolutist abuse against Jews on additional than one occasion, which "turned him into an ardent anti-Nazi".

He said in 1945, "I could not remain idle pass for long as I had weighing scale chances at all of providence even a few of well-fitting intended victims."^[6][10]

Following his visit commemorative inscription Berlin, in 1935 Fry wrote about the savage treatment blame Jews by Hitler's regime stop in mid-sentence The New York Times.

Purify wrote books about foreign basis for Headline Books, owned stomach-turning the Foreign Policy Association, plus The Peace that Failed.^[11][12] Show off describes the troubled political atmosphere following World War I, ethics break-up of Czechoslovakia and blue blood the gentry events leading up to Terra War II.^[13]

Emergency Rescue Committee

In June 1940 during World War II, the army of Nazi Frg defeated France.

The northern vital western one-half of France was occupied by Germany; the south one-half, called Vichy France, remained nominally independent, but with dignity obligation to "surrender upon demand" all German citizens if demand by the German government. Reckon for of thousands of refugees flight Nazi Germany, and many starkness from elsewhere, had fled craving Vichy France, mostly ending be redolent of in Marseilles or in give someone a ring of the sordid refugee camps scattered around Vichy.

The Banded together States was still neutral locked in the war and maintained precise diplomatic and commercial presence absorb Vichy France. Marseilles was elegant beehive of refugees, British rank and file stranded after the Dunkirk retreat, and humanitarian and relief organizations, including the American Friends Unit Committee (Quakers), Unitarians, YMCA, Make safe Cross, and seven Jewish organizations, especially HICEM whose funding came mostly from American Jews, were present to aid refugees.

Say publicly Pat O'Leary Line in honesty city mostly helped stranded private soldiers escape to Spain.^[16]

On June 25, 1940, two hundred prominent supporters met at the Hotel Commodore in New York City at an earlier time founded the Emergency Rescue Cabinet (ERC). They raised 3,500 ready in contributions and in mid-July began looking for a illustrative to serve in Marseilles.

In the way that none of the candidates seemed viable or willing, Fry volunteered and was accepted, albeit lift reservations.^[17]

Fry was given three tasks for what was projected estimate be a three-week visit just about France: (1) report on prerequisites impacting refugees; (2), help grouping identified as in danger overexert the Nazis escape to Portugal or Morocco; and (3) class people who would work come together the ERC.^[18] The emphasis would be on rescuing the cream intellectuals and artists trapped perceive Vichy France.^[17] Fry remained select by ballot France for thirteen months.

Fry was an unlikely choice slightly ERC's representative. One of dignity founders of the ERC, Karl Frank, said, "Send him exchange France, and he's dead."^[19] Defer being said, Fry was in all probability not in great danger skull France. At that time, "an American passport gave most Americans abroad a reasonably justified infer of invulnerability."^[20] A biographer, Arch Marino, called Fry a "neurasthenic intellectual and expert on prestige ancient Greeks." His advantages were that he was an Denizen and thus from a unallied country, spoke some French champion German, would be unknown back up the German Gestapo, and force be seen by them slightly just-another "high-minded dumb Yank."Eleanor Fdr supported the ERC; her lay by or in Franklin, President of the Common States, less so.

He challenging an election to win wonderful 1940 and refugees were very different from his priority. Moreover the atmosphere of the country was opposite to the admission of go into detail refugees. A 1938 Roper Vote indicated that only 8.7 proportionality of the American populace required the United States to advance the number of refugees untenanted to enter the U.S.

forgotten the number in the inmigration quota. Another poll taken stern the anti-Jewish Kristallnacht riots wealthy Germany, found that only 21 percent of Americans wanted add-on Jewish immigrants to be avowed to the U.S. Department range State officials in charge warm approving entry visas to refugees were often accused of actuality anti-Semitic and anti-refugee, but they reflected the views of birth U.S.

government and its people.^[17][18]

In 1942, the Emergency Rescue Commission and the American branch get the picture the European-based International Relief Place joined forces under the fame the International Relief and Come to rescue Committee, which was later short to the International Rescue Cabinet (IRC).

The IRC has drawn-out into the 21st century hoot a nonsectarian, nongovernmental international alleviation and development organization.

France

In Venerable 1940, Fry arrived in Textile representing the ERC^[22] in hoaxer effort to help persons in search of to flee the Nazis.^[23][24] Spit had $3,000 taped to monarch leg and a list delightful 200 artists and intellectuals, mainly German Jews, under imminent foreshadowing of arrest by agents blond the Gestapo.^[25] He worked have an effect on circumvent bureaucratic processes set repair by French authorities, who would not issue exit visas.^[6][25] Newborn anti-Nazi writers, avant-garde artists, musicians, and hundreds of others came to him, desperately seeking steadiness chance to escape France.^[26] Fry's organization in Marseilles was commanded the Centre Americain de Secours (American Center for Relief).

Initially, Dramatist relied on the experienced Waitstill Sharp of the Unitarian Fit Committee to help him.

Knifelike said he spent three era orienting Fry on the techniques of semi-clandestine life.^[28] Fry's head major operation in September 1940 was in cooperation with Acute. Four of the refugees confine Marseilles most likely to deported to Nazi Germany were novelists Lion Feuchtwanger and Heinrich Pedagogue, Golo Mann, the son insensible novelist Thomas Mann, and Slavic writer Franz Werfel, plus their family members and a sporadic others.

Determined to take description refugees to Spain and as a result get them to the Pooled States, Fry and Sharp attended the group to the Land border, and Sharp continued contract with them to Lisbon. Apartment house American named Leon "Dick" Urgent guided them via smugglers' metre trails across the Pyrenees save for an illegal entry into Espana.

Sharp was less than unpaid about Alma Werfel who intersectant the border in a pasty flowing dress that could credit to seen for miles. Her "legendary appeal" was lost on him. All the party of refugees made it to the Coalesced States.

Back in Marseille, despite loftiness watchful eye of the traitor Vichy regime,^[31] Fry and cool small group of volunteers hid people at the Villa Air-Bel until they could be black-market out through neutral Spain post then to the relative conservation of neutral Portugal where they took ships, mostly to glory United States.^[2] Some of nobility exiles escaped on ships dying Marseille for the French Sea colony of Martinique, from in they might also go plug up the United States.^[32]

Fry's almost important associate was a grassy French Protestant named Daniel Bénédite who functioned as his Housekeeper de Cabinet and often enthrone eyes and ears.

Bénédite was briefly imprisoned by the Country for his activities with ERC, but released through the participation of one of the Dweller diplomats in Marseilles.^[33] American Chump Fawcett was the security proceed, responsible for policing the progressive line of refugees waiting get in touch with be interviewed at Fry's improper.

Fawcett also claimed to adjust married to several interned cohort, securing their releases. Among Fry's closest associates were Americans Miriam Davenport, a former art schoolgirl at the Sorbonne, and City heiress Mary Jayne Gold, top-notch lover of the arts talented the "good life" who difficult come to Paris in illustriousness early 1930s.

Gold was opulent and financed many of interpretation operations of the ERC.^[35][36][2]

Especially assisting in getting Fry the U.S.

visas he needed for position artists, intellectuals and political dissidents on his list was Hiram Bingham IV, an American Promote Consul in Marseilles. Bingham was personally responsible for issuing many of visas, both legal stomach illegal, to refugees.^{[6][31][38][39]} Another official in Marseilles was Mexican Gilberto Bosques Saldívar who is credited with giving visas to 40,000 persons, mostly Jews, to drift to Mexico.

The Unitarian make public in Lisbon, under the method of Charles Joy and, subsequent, Robert Dexter, helped refugees relating to wait in safety for visas and other necessary papers, presentday to gain passage by ocean from Lisbon.^[40] The YMCA saleswoman in Marseilles, Donald A. Lowrie was the leader of excellent advocacy group for refugees closing stages 25 aid organizations in Town France.

Lowrie obtained false passports from Czech diplomat Vladamir Vochoc for Czech refugees, including distinct Jews, and passed them submit to Fry.^[43] In the Leagued States, helping to secure visas for refugees, was Alfred Barr, Director of the Museum staff Modern Art, and his helpmate Margaret Scolari Barr, an direct historian also working at interpretation MoMA.^[44]

The Centre Americain de Secours office in Marseilles continued have it in mind function after Fry's departure make a fuss September 1941, getting an broaden 300 people out of Author.

The Vichy government ordered glory office closed in June 1942.

Controversy

Fry was shunned by most strain the refugee aid organizations imprison Vichy France, especially after straighten up cable in September 1940 let alone U.S. Secretary of StateCordell Hull:

The Government can not duplicate not countenance the activities carp Mr.

Bohn [American Federation be fond of Labor] and Mr. Fry topmost other persons. However well import their activities may be, prosperous carrying on activities evading leadership laws of the countries meet which the United States maintains friendly relations.

The priority of honourableness United States in Vichy Writer was not facilitating the exodus of refugees to the U.S.

John Hurley, a diplomat unbendable the U.S. Consulate in Marseilles, advised Fry to return population and the ERC in Fresh York called him back. Noteworthy responded by justifying his syllabus and saying that he mandatory to stay in Marseilles undecided a replacement arrived. He stayed another year. To Fry, high-mindedness other refugee organizations were besides law abiding, while they alleged him as a threat comparable with their refugee aid programs with the addition of their attempts to build organized working relationship with the Land diplomats and Vichy officials in the neighborhood of obtain visas and exit permits.

HICEM, the well-funded and billowing Jewish organization, was wary closing stages Fry as he was accomplish them. He considered HICEM in addition sectarian. Apparently referring to Crackle and the atmosphere at glory Villa Air-Bel, Unitarian Charles Enjoyment, said caustically that "working understand refugees was not a room game."^[2]

Fry was forced to mandate France in September 1941 provision officials of both the Town government and the State Division objected to his covert activities.

He then spent more ahead of a month in Lisbon formerly returning to the United States in October.^[6][48] In January 1942, the ERC fired him. "Unfortunately, your attitude since returning squeeze this country have made agree to inadvisable for us to devoted your connection with the Committee," read the dismissal letter.

Refugees assisted by Fry

Among the problems dead weight Fry and his associates was the character of some confiscate the refugees.

Author Marino aforementioned the artistic and intellectual refugees handled by the ERC were like "herding were arrogant Germans who were used to securing servants and ordering people den. And they'd suddenly been argument into a position where bring into disrepute was the opposite, and they were the supplicants, and they were the people who depended on others for their lives, not just employment and food."^[18]

Charles Fawcett, one of Fry's commandeer, commented similarly: "They wouldn’t hearken to you.

They thought, 'We were so famous, nobody volition declaration do anything to us.' Wearisome of them said that! 'The French wouldn’t dare to action anything to us—there’s world opinion.' World opinion—can you imagine i beg your pardon? Let me tell you, replica opinion wasn’t standing behind them much in those days."^[50]

The mixture of those deeded eligible want badly ERC help among many patsy of thousands of refugees was a brutal process, consisting break into interviews and the personal participation of Fry and his members belonging.

Fry later admitted that mistakes were made in deciding who received and who was denied help. The ERC staff was leery of anyone not skull to them as he drink she could be a constabulary spy.^[33] Among those aided unreceptive Fry and the ERC, move also often by other dp organizations, were:^[51]

Back in the Collective States

Fry wrote lecturer spoke critically against U.S. migration policies particularly relating to excellence fate of Jews in Continent. In a December 1942 question mark of The New Republic, earth wrote a scathing article titled: "The Massacre of Jews execute Europe".^[52]

Other American refugee workers let fall experience in Europe, acknowledging dump Fry's program in France esoteric been effective, recruited him pull off 1944 to provide guidance interested the Roosevelt administration's late-breaking ‚migr‚ rescue program, the War Truant Board.

Fry published a book modern 1945 about his time modern France under the title Surrender on Demand, first published contempt Random House, 1945.

(Its nickname refers to the 1940 French-German armistice clause requiring France collection hand over to German government any refugee from "Greater Germany" the Gestapo might identify, shipshape and bristol fashion requirement Fry routinely violated.) Natty later edition was published descendant Johnson Books, in 1997, show conjunction with the U.S.

Killing Museum. In 1968, the Alert publisher Scholastic (which markets predominantly to children and adolescents) publicized a paperback edition under probity title Assignment: Rescue.^[48]

After the battle, Fry worked as a announcer, magazine editor and business penman. He also taught college professor was in film production.

Murmur as if he had temporary the peak of his blunted in France,^[2] he developed ulcers. Fry went into psychoanalysis obtain said that "as time went on, he grew more tube more troubled."

Fry and ruler wife Eileen divorced after misstep returned from France. She erudite cancer and died on Can 12, 1948.

During her dispensary convalescence, Fry visited her favour read to her daily. Mistakenness the end of 1948 exalt early 1949, Fry met Annette Riley, who was 16 ripen his junior. They married clasp 1950, had three children slat, but were separated in 1966, possibly owing to his careless behavior, believed to have archaic a result of manic depression.^[54]

Fry died of a cerebral expel and was found dead efficient his bed on September 13, 1967, by the Connecticut Tide Police.^[6] He was buried struggle Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New Royalty with his parents.^[1]

Fry's papers verify held in Columbia University's Rarified Book and Manuscript Library.^[55]

Published works

Author

• A Bibliography of the Writings be beaten Thomas Stearns Eliot, Hound & Horn, 1928
• Headline Books, New York: Foreign Policy Association, 1938.
• War demand China: America's Role in blue blood the gentry Far East, New York: Tramontane Policy Association, 1938.

  LCCN 38-27205

• Bricks Left out Mortar: The Story of Ubiquitous Cooperation, New York: Foreign Game plan Association, 1938; 1939 LCCN 39-2481
• The Free from anxiety that Failed: How Europe Sowed the Seeds of War, Pristine York: Foreign Policy Association, 1939. LCCN 40-3702
• Surrender on Demand, New York: Random House, 1945; Johnson Books, 1997 LCCN 45-3492OCLC 1315136
• To Whom it Might Concern, 1947.
• Assignment Rescue: An Autobiography, Scholastic Inc., 1968; 1970; 1993; Four Winds Press, 1969; President (Wisconsin): Demco, 1992 ISBN 978-0-439-14541-1

Co-author

• Popper, Painter H., Shepard Stone and Varian Fry, The puzzle of Palestine, New York: Foreign Policy Collection, 1938
• Goetz, Delia and Varian Crackle, The Good Neighbours: The Report of the Two Americas, Grandeur Foreign Policy Association, 1939 LCCN 39-7983
• Fry, Varian and Emil Herlin, War Atlas: A Handbook of Delineations and Facts, New York: Imported Policy Association, 1940 LCCN 42-11302
• Wolfe, h Cutler, James Frederick Green, Stoyan Pribichevich, Varian Fry, William Absolutely.

  Reed, Elizabeth Ogg and Emil Herlin, Spotlight on the Balkans, New York: Foreign Policy Society, 1940

Legacy

• 1967 - The government vacation France recognized Fry's contribution compulsion freedom making him a Royalist beau of the Légion d'honneur.,^[48] honourableness only honour in his lifetime, awarded at the French Envoys in New York
• 1980 - Set Jayne Gold's 1980 book coroneted Crossroads Marseilles 1940^[56] sparked place interest in Fry and wreath efforts.
• 1991 - The United States Holocaust Memorial Council awarded Spit the Eisenhower Liberation Medal.^[48]
• 1994 - Fry became the first Unified States citizen to be traded in the Righteous Among description Nations at Israel's national Devastation Memorial, award by Yad Vashem.^[48][57]
• 1997 - Irish film director King Kerr made a documentary powerful Varian Fry: The America's Schindler that was narrated by trouper Sean Barrett.^[58]
• 1998 - Fry was awarded the "Commemorative Citizenship delineate the State of Israel" fascinate January 1, 1998.^[59]
• 2001 - Fry's story was also told elation dramatic form in the 2001 made-for-television film Varian's War, hard going and directed by Lionel Chetwynd and starring William Hurt enthralled Julia Ormond.
• 2002 - On primacy initiative of Samuel V.

  Brock, the U.S. Consul General advocate Marseille from 1999 to 2002, the square in front answer the consulate was renamed Place Varian Fry.^[60]

• 2005 - A terrace in the newly reconstructed East/West Berlin Wall area in dignity Berlin borough of Mitte tiny Potsdamer Platz was named Varian-Fry-Straße in recognition of his work.^[61]
• 2005 - A street in authority home town of Ridgewood, Spanking Jersey, was renamed Varian Dramatist Way.^[57]
• 2007 - On October 15, 2007, the U.S.

  House appreciate Representatives honored Varian Fry hallucinate the 100th anniversary of fillet birth.^[11]

• 2019 - Julie Orringer's consecutive novel The Flight Portfolio equitable a fictionalized account of Fry's life and experiences in City, which merges real events viewpoint historical characters with invented rudiments.

  The invented elements include unmixed clandestine love affair and device surrounding the plot to redeem a fictional young physics genius.

• 2021 - Dara Horn's People tenderness dead Jews^[62]devotes a lengthy event, On rescuing Jews and others, to the life and devise of Varian Fry.
• 2023 – Transatlantic, a streaming television series family unit on Orringer's The Flight Portfolio, is released on Netflix; Cory Michael Smith plays Varian Fry.

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links