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Raoul Wallenberg: Report of the Swedish-Russian Working Group

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Raoul Wallenberg: Report of the Swedish-Russian Working Group Raoul Wallenberg Report of the Swedish-Russian Working Group STOCKHOLM 2000 Additional copies of this report can be ordered from: Fritzes kundservice 106 47 Stockholm Fax: 08-690 9191 Tel: 08-690 9190 Internet: www.fritzes.se E-mail: [email protected] Ministry for Foreign Affairs Department for Central and Eastern Europe SE-103 39 Stockholm Tel: 08-405 10 00 Fax: 08-723 11 76 _______________ Editorial group: Ingrid Palmklint, Daniel Larsson Cover design: Ingrid Palmklint Cover photo: Raoul Wallenberg in Budapest, November 1944, Raoul Wallenbergföreningen Printed by: Elanders Gotab AB, Stockholm, 2000 ISBN: ISBN: 91-7496-230-2 2 Contents Preface ..........................................7 I Introduction ...................................9 II Planning and implementation ..................12 Examining the records.............................. 16 Interviews......................................... 22 III Political background - The USSR 1944-1957 ...24 IV Soviet Security Organs 1945-1947 .............28 V Raoul Wallenberg in Budapest .................32 Background to the assignment....................... 32 Operations begin................................... 34 Protective power assignment........................ 37 Did Raoul Wallenberg visit Stockholm in late autumn 1944?.............................................. 38 VI American papers on Raoul Wallenberg - was he an undercover agent for OSS? .........40 Conclusions........................................ 44 VII Circumstances surrounding Raoul Wallenberg’s detention and arrest in Budapest .............46 Documentation...................................... 46 Oral information and comments...................... 49 Russian military reports ......................... 49 Statements from Raoul Wallenberg’s colleagues .... 51 Soviet actions..................................... 53 What part did Tolstoy-Kutuzov play?................ 54 Who really ordered the arrest?..................... 55 Statements from Raoul Wallenberg’s fellow prisoners 55 VIII Reasons for arresting and imprisoning Raoul Wallenberg ......................................57 Introduction....................................... 57 3 Contents Documentary sources................................ 58 Oral sources and comments.......................... 60 IX Circumstances surrounding Raoul Wallenberg’s imprisonment in Moscow 1945-1947 ..............73 Archive documents.................................. 73 Oral statements.................................... 77 Statements from people returning from imprisonment in the USSR ......................... 77 Interviews with former security service officials 80 X How the Soviet authorities and the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs dealt with the Wallenberg case ................84 Documentation...................................... 85 Swedish approaches 1945-1946 ..................... 86 Swedish minister calls on Stalin ................. 90 More about Russian exchange proposals ............ 91 MID informed that Raoul Wallenberg is in Moscow .. 94 Vyshinsky wants to settle the Raoul Wallenberg case ................................................. 95 Sweden informed .................................. 98 New testimony and new Swedish approaches ......... 99 Erlander and Hedlund in Moscow; new, irrefutable testimony presented ............................. 102 New Soviet version prepared ..................... 103 The Gromyko memorandum .......................... 109 Langfelder’s fate ............................... 111 Later testimony ................................. 112 Nanna Svartz’ statement ......................... 113 Svingel - an exchange proposal? ................. 115 New testimony - from Kalinski and Kaplan - results in Swedish approaches ................. 116 An exchange with Bergling? ...................... 117 Recent years .................................... 118 The question of missing documents ............... 119 Oral statements................................... 122 Private Finnish-Soviet diplomatic talks about Wallenberg ...................................... 122 Preparations for a show trial in Hungary, 1953 .. 126 XI What happened to Raoul Wallenberg in July 1947? ...............................................129 Documentation..................................... 129 Oral statements and comments...................... 132 The Smoltsov report - analysis and comment........ 132 Differing versions of Raoul Wallenberg’s fate in July 1947.............................................. 138 Langfelder’s and Roedel’s fates................... 143 Analagous cases................................... 145 4 Contents Evidence of German war prisoners in the 1957 White Paper............................................. 146 XII Testimony relating to the period after July 1947 ...........................................150 Method of inquiry................................. 150 Name and number prisoners......................... 151 Vladimir Prison particularly interesting.......... 152 Testimony from Kalinski - Kaplan - Melnichuk - Kupriyanov........................................ 158 Svartz - Myasnikov................................ 160 Other evidence.................................... 161 XIII Concluding arguments ......................164 XIV Following up the report ....................171 Outstanding unresolved matters.................... 172 XVI Summary ....................................175 Chronology of the first phase of the Raoul Wallenberg case ................................180 Chronological summary of changes to the security services 1944-1957 .....................193 List of abbreviations ..........................196 Bibliography ...................................197 Index ..........................................202 Appendicies ....................................217 Contents.......................................... 219 5 6 Preface Ever since Soviet troops abducted Raoul Wallenberg in Budapest in January 1945, his life work and fate have captured the imagination of many people in many countries. Largely because of this, he still attracts as much attention as he ever did. The fate that befell Raoul Wallenberg became the biggest and most protracted individual case dealt with by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The length of time it has taken is of course extremely regrettable, but no more than fitting considering the considerable efforts made in attempting to solve the case. We owe it, quite simply, to the memory of Raoul Wallenberg and his heroic actions in Budapest. Nor should the efforts of his colleagues be forgotten. Recent political developments in Russia have enabled us to enlist the help of the Russian authorities in our search to discover the true fate of the Swedish diplomat. We had high hopes that with the help of the new, open and more veracious Russia we would achieve full enlightenment. We have received considerable cooperation. Unfortunately, we still do not have a complete, legally tenable account of Raoul Wallenberg’s fate or the reasons for his arrest, despite the tremendous efforts of everyone involved. Documents appear to have been destroyed, key persons have died or are either unable or unwilling to remember. It is not therefore possible to close the Raoul Wallenberg file. Our attempts must aim to achieve complete clarity in the case. We hope, however, that this account will contribute towards increasing our knowledge about him and lead to suggestions for new lines of inquiry. We are all aware of Raoul Wallenberg’s achievements. Together with his colleagues, he saved thousands of lives in Budapest. With little time at his disposal, he wasted none of it. The task grew unceasingly and took complete hold on him. Raoul Wallenberg realised the risk of delay, the damage done by not acting in time. Timely preventive action is essentially a matter of respect for life 7 Preface and human dignity. With this in mind, he and his colleagues drafted a plan during his last weeks in Budapest for the future rehabilitation of the surviving Jews in Hungary. In the midst of his intolerably hard rescue work and the chaos of the final battle, he was making plans for survival, for the future. Feeling and compassion were needed to be able to do all this. Raoul Wallenberg possessed both in abundance. Despite the abhorrent events in Budapest, his quick-fire humour brought pleasure to his fellow humans and fired them to great exploits. He did not ask what should be done. He did not need a decision-making process in the face of evil. His unerring inner moral compass indicated the path that he should take. Raoul Wallenberg thus set an example, showing that action is possible and necessary. He knew that we do not always need to be prepared in order to do what is right. He showed that we are all capable of meeting a challenge. Hans Dahlgren State Secretary for Foreign Affairs 8 I Introduction This report describes the findings of the Swedish-Russian working group on Raoul Wallenberg, commissioned to inquire into his fate in September 1991. The findings are mainly but not exclusively based on what has emerged from Russian sources. Although aiming to reach full enlightenment on what happened to Raoul Wallenberg, it has unfortunately not been possible to achieve, despite the very extensive search of Russian records in particular. The case cannot therefore be finally closed, and this cannot be described as the final report. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to give an account of all that has been accomplished over a nine year period. The arguments put forward are
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