John Rabe

John Rabe (November 23rd 1882 -5 January 1949) was a German business man which endeavoured to protect the inhabitants from Nankin at the time of the massacre of 1937.

Biography

After a career of several years in the businesses in Africa, it leaves in 1908 for the China, where it works between 1910 and 1938 for Siemens AG with Shenyang, Beijing and Tianjin, then to Shanghai and later to Nanjing (Nankin).

In 1931, the Armée imperial Japanese woman invades the China following an attack against a way of Railroad pertaining to a Japanese company, most probably carried out by the Japanese themselves to justify the invasion.

In December 1937, the town of Nankin is bombarded then invaded. Rabe creates with other foreign nationals a Committee and an international zone to provide the civilians of Nankin food and shelter. He and the administrators of the international zone undertake to circumscribe the massacre perpetrated by the Japanese soldiers while protecting from the their best civilians.

It is repatriated in Germany by its company in February 1938. Member of the party Nazi, it benefits from his contacts to go in April to Berlin where it gives some conferences on the atrocities of Nankin, in particular to the Office of the Foreign affairs of Alfred Rosenberg. At the time of a confidential ceremony, it receives the medal of the German Croix-Rouge on recommendation of the German ambassador with Nankin and the Nazi Ernst Bohle.

He writes in June with Hitler while offering to transmit to him a film made by John Magge and of the photographs of the atrocities, and asking him to use of his influence to persuade the Japanese to stop the massacres. For any answer, it is held and questioned by the Gestapo, then released thanks to the intervention of Siemens AG.

After the war, he is denounced like Nazi and decree by the Soviet , then given to the British. He is finally exonerated from any load by the occupying forces. Nevertheless, it loses its work and survives after war thanks to monthly parcels of food and money sent by the inhabitants of Nankin.

He dies of an heart attack on January 5th 1949. In 1997, its skin is transferred from Berlin to Nankin where it is accommodated with the honors. It rests from now on with the site of the memorial of the massacre.

Its newspaper was translated into English by John E. Woods and was published under the title The Good man off Nanking , (Knopf, 1998).

External bonds

John Rabe Communication Center
John Rabe Film project

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