Aristides de Sousa Mendes

Aristides de Sousa Mendes (July 19th 1885 - April 3rd 1954), diplomatic Portuguese which, in station with Bordeaux at the time of the rout of 1940, refused to follow the orders of its government and delivered visas with the refugees of all nationalities wishing to flee the France.

Biography

Before 1940

Aristides was born with Cabanas from Viriato, small village of the District of Viseu in a family of the land Aristocratie, Catholique, Conservatrice and Monarchiste. His/her father was member of the Supreme court.

Its complete name is Aristides de Sousa Mendes C Amaral E Abranches .

In 1907, Aristides and its twin brother César obtain a diploma of Droit to the university of Coïmbre. Both start then a career Diplomatique. Aristides thus occupies several Portuguese consular delegations in the world: Zanzibar, Brazil, the United States. After almost ten years of service in Belgium, Salazar, president of the Council and Foreign Minister, appoints it consul with Bordeaux.

In 1940, at 55 years, it approaches the end of its career and is father of fourteen children. Politically, it was never pointed out.

The Second world war

Aristides de Sousa Mendes is always consul with Bordeaux with release of the Second world war and during the Bataille of France with the fast projection of the troops of Adolf Hitler. Salazar manages to maintain the Neutralité of Portugal, but its personal opinions are rather favorable to Hitler. By the circular 14 , it orders to the consuls to refuse the granting of visa S with the following categories: “foreigners of indefinite nationality, disputed or in litigation; the Stateless person S; Jewish expelled of their country of origin or the country to which they are amenable”.

However, with Bordeaux where the French government took refuge, tributary tens of thousands of refugees who want to flee the projection Nazi and to arrive at the Portugal or with the the United States. For that, it is necessary a visa of the Portuguese consulate for them, that Sousa Mendes is thus charged to exempt with parsimony. However, the consulate is invaded refugees wishing to reach Lisbon.

At the end of 1939, Sousa Mendes disobeys and gives some visas. Among those which it decides to help finds the rabbi Antwerp ois Jacob Kruger who makes him understand that they are all the Jewish refugees who should be saved.

The June 16th 1940, it decides to deliver some with all the refugees who make the request of it: “From now on, I will give aimed to everyone, it does not have there more nationality, of race, religion”. Helped of his children and nephews, as well as Kruger rabbi, it plugs the passports with prolifically, signs visas on forms, then on white sheets and any piece of paper available. With the first warnings of Lisbon, he would have declared: “ If it is necessary me to disobey, I prefer that it is with an order of the men that to an order of God ”.

Whereas Salazar already required measurements against him, the consul continues from June 20th to 23rd, his activity with Bayonne in the office of the vice-consul jellyfish, while at the same time it is surrounded by two civils servant of Salazar. The 22, France required an armistice. On the road of Hendaye, it continues to write and sign visas for the refugees of misfortune which it crosses with the approach of the border. However, the 23, Salazar dislocated it its functions.

In spite of the civils servant sent to bring back it, it takes with its car the head of a column of refugees whom it guides to a small customs house, where Spanish side, it does not have there a telephone. The customs officer was not informed yet of the decision of Madrid to close the border with the France. Sousa Mendes impresses the customs officer who lets pass all the refugees who will be able thus, provided with their visa, reach the Portugal.

Forfeiture

The July 8th 1940, it is of return to Portugal. Salazar is baited: it deprives Sousa Mendes, father of an large family, her diplomatic employment for one year, decreases by half its treatment before putting it in retirement. In addition, Sousa Mendes loses the right to follow the lawyer occupation. Its driving license, emitted abroad, is refused.

The deposed consul and his family survive thanks to the solidarity of the Jewish community of Lisbon: this one allows some children of Sousa Mendes to make their studies with the the United States. Two of its sons took part in the unloading in Normandy. It was to attend with his the canteen of the international Jewish assistance and, although it impressed by its neat setting and its imposing presence, it had to confirm one day: “Us also, we are refugees”.

In 1945, while being pleased hypocritically with the assistance which Portugal brought to the refugees during the war, Salazar refuses nevertheless to reinstate Sousa Mendes in the diplomatic corps. Misery is done more pressing then: sale of the goods, died of its wife in 1948, emigration of all his/her children except one.

Aristides de Sousa Mendes dies in misery the April 3rd 1954 at the hospital of the fathers Franciscain S of Lisbon. Not having more clean clothing, it is buried in a dress of bore-hole.

Saved

Nearly 30.000 visas were emitted by the consul Sousa Mendes, including 10.000 with refugees of Jewish confession.

Among those which obtained a visa of the Portuguese consul, are:

Of the politicians:

Otto de Habsbourg, wire of Charles Ier of Austria, last emperor. Hated by Hitler prince Otto fled with his family his Belgian exile to join the the United States and to alert the public opinion.
Charlotte, large duchess of the Luxembourg which said of Sousa Mendes: “… its merit, in a time of tragedy and panic, will be always recalled by the Luxembourg refugees and those of my own family, which were saved by her initiative of an unquestionable persecution and thus could reach the free countries. Its humanitarian action will remain forever exemplary abnegation with which he devoted himself to the cause of freedom and comprehension between all the nations and all races. ”
Several Ministers for the Belgian government in exile.

Of the artists:

Norbert Gingold, pianist.
Salvador Dali would have also profited from it
Charles Oulmont, French writer and professor in Sorbonne.

Rehabilitation

In 1966, the Mémorial of Yad Vashem in Israel honors it with the title of “Juste among the Nations”.

In 1987, the Republic of Portugal starts the process of rehabilitation of Aristides de Sousa Mendes: it is decorated about freedom and its family receives public excuses.

In 1994, the president Soares, reveals a bust of the consul with Bordeaux, as well as a plate with 14 quai Louis-XVIII, addresses consulate of Portugal in 1940.

In 1995, in Lisbon, 25 years after the death of Salazar and 21 years after the democratization of Portugal, Mario Soares, President of the Portuguese Republic, rehabilitates the memory of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, and decorates it with the cross of the merit on a purely posthumous basis for its actions with Bordeaux.

Aristides de Sousa Mendes is not the only civil servant whose country severely punished disobedience during the Second world war in spite of the accuracy of its acts. Among them, one finds at the same time: Chiune Sugihara Japanese consul with Kaunas (Lithuania) and Paul Grüninger, chief of the police force of the Swiss canton of Saint-Gall.

Quotations

Henri Zvi Deutsch, refugee helped by the consul: “There were the hope of those which climbed of the consulate of Portugal and the joy of those which went down again with their visa in hand. ”

A. of Sousa Mendes in a report given to the Foreign Minister to justify his acts:

“It may be that I have made errors but if I did it were not intentionally because I always acted according to my conscience. I was guided only by the direction of the duty, in full knowledge of my responsibilities. ”
“I could not make distinctions between nationalities, the races or the religions, since I obeyed reasons of humanity which, they, do not make distinction between nationalities, the races or the religions. ”

Salazar on Sousa Mendes: “dared to put its requirements of conscience beyond its obligations of civil servant”.

A. of Sousa Mendes to the Kruger rabbi a few years afterwards: “So as many Jews, he will add, can suffer in the name of Hitler, it there does not have nothing of shocking so that a catholic suffers for so many Jews. I could not act differently, and I accept what it arrives to me from now on with love”. (Quotation whose certain terms are discussed: Sousa Mendes would have employed the term “demon” to describe Hitler. See To discuss: Aristides de Sousa Mendes ).

See too

Sources

Michael d' Avranches (editor), Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Juste among the nations: the documents , published by the French National committee of homage to Aristides de Sousa Mendes, 2003 Card-index BNF.

Random links: