The president Obama paid tribute to Raoul Wallenberg on Wednesday. As we all know Wallenberg was a famous Swedish businessman, architect and a humanitarian. He was a real life hero who showered his endless efforts and saved thousands of Jews in Hungary from the Holocaust clutches of Nazi troops during the World War II. He was serving Sweden as special envoy while he issued protective passports and government documents to the struggling Jews in order to help them escape and survive.
Wallenberg actually saved more than 70,000 Jews and moved them to safe living spaces. He saved many innocent Jews and that includes Tom Lantos who later became the United State House of Representatives’ honorable member and Lars Ernster the biochemist. He was later detained by the Red Army Soviet officials in Budapest because of their suspicion of him being US espionage in the year 1945. But Wallenberg then disappeared suddenly until he was reported to be dead on July 1947. His death still remains a mystery to the globe.
The Russian government was initially denying the fact that Wallenberg was under their custody but later they declared that he suffered by heart attack and died while he was in prison. Thus Obama was also moved by the emotional request that was set by the Wallenberg’s family. The family wanted to unveil the secrets that have been haunting millions of souls from the day Wallenberg disappeared.
Raoul Wallenberg has been honored for decades with monuments and honorary throughout the world. He was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions during the Holocaust. But his death keeps the family members restless and worried. Therefore Wallenberg family pleaded to Obama to help them with essential guidance to put pressure on the Russia in order to unveil the truth about what exactly happened to Wallenberg after he was arrested by the Russian Government during the year 1945.
The Wallenberg family had submitted their urge to the President through a letter, which was later obtained by the Associated Press Professor Guy Von Dardel who is a physicist and the half brother of Raoul Wallenberg, has dedicated half his life in researching through the records in the Vladimir prison in order to understand the reality behind his brother’s death. He has collected rich information about the survival period of Wallenberg along with the help contributed by his daughters Maries and Louise respectively. Still their quench for truth has not yet been satisfied.
In their personal letter the family said, “Researchers need committed support in their efforts to obtain direct and uncensored access to Russian archival collections, especially those of the Soviet era intelligence and security services,” The grief struck Wllenberg family also noted their concern to Obama by saying, “It is time that the world finally learns what happened to him … It would be a fitting tribute to all those who risk their lives every day in the defense of civil liberties and to the millions of victims who, in spite of all efforts, could not be saved.” The U.S. President Obama came to Great Synagogue in Stockholm to attend a ceremony on Wednesday and at that auspicious moment he addressed to the Swedish Citizens that Wallenberg is “beloved in both our countries.”
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