Surrender on Demand: The Story of American Hero Varian Fry
Varian Mackey Fry (October 15, 1907 – September 13, 1967) was an American journalist. Fry ran a rescue network in Vichy France that helped approximately 2,000 to 4,000 anti-Nazi and Jewish refugees to escape Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. He was the first of five Americans to be recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations", an honorific given by the State of Israel to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
After France surrendered to Nazi Germany in June 1940, the Emergency Rescue Committee, a private American relief organization, sent Fry to Marseille to aid anti-Nazi refugees who were in danger of being arrested and turned over to authorities in Nazi Germany. Fry used legal and illegal techniques to help between 2,000 and 4,000 people, including a number of prominent writers and artists, Jews and non-Jews, escape France and emigrate to the United States.
Shortly before Fry’s death, the French government awarded him the Croix de Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, France’s highest decoration of merit. It was the only official recognition he received in his lifetime for the lives he saved.
Varian Fry died of a cerebral hemorrhage and was found dead in his bed on September 13, 1967, by the Connecticut State Police. He was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York with his parents. Fry's papers are held in Columbia University's Rare Book and Manuscript Library. In 1991, the United States Holocaust Memorial Council awarded the Eisenhower Liberation Medal to Varian Fry. Three years later, Fry became the first American to be honored by Yad Vashem as a "Righteous Among the Nations." In 2000, the square in front of the US consulate in Marseilles was renamed “Place Varian Fry.”
The above information was provided by Wikipedia and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial and Museum. We here at Hidden History will now provide a bit more information:
On September 3, 1939, France declared war on Nazi Germany following the German invasion of Poland. Now it's important to keep in mind that the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 marked the beginning of World War II. Now moving forward, on May 10, 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and France.
On June 22, 1940, the armistice agreement detailing France’s surrender to Germany was signed by both countries. This armistice established a German occupation zone in Northern and Western France that encompassed about three fifths of France's European territory, including all English Channel and Atlantic Ocean ports. The remainder of the country was to be left unoccupied by the Germans and in control of a Nazi puppet government known as Vichy France, which adopted a policy of collaboration.
A policy of collaboration meant that Vichy France would basically do anything that Nazi Germany told them to. In fact, this armistice between Germany and France included a clause that required Vichy France to turn over to Nazi authorities any German national on French territory, who would then frequently face deportation to a concentration camp. This was also known as the “Surrender on Demand” clause and included not only anti-Nazi refugees but Jews as well.
Deeply concerned about the situation in France and Europe, American journalist Varian Fry and other individuals decided they would rescue endangered intellectuals in France. Their rescue efforts would expand to include anti-Nazi writers and artists, Jews and non-Jews, anyone who was in danger of being arrested and turned over to authorities in Nazi Germany. The problem for Fry would be that at that time, the United States was not involved in World War II and as an American, Fry was technically performing illegal actions by aiding the refugees in France. The U.S. State Department complained that Fry’s illegal work interfered with American efforts to stay neutral in World War II. Nonetheless, Fry did what he felt was right.
Fry's story, hidden history that has remained long forgotten, is the story of one American's mission to help anti-Nazi refugees escape from France and a world still unaware of the threat to humanity that the Nazi regime presented.
For the rest of Fry's story, please check out the audio link provided for EPISODE FOURTEEN of our podcast, Hidden History: An Odyssey Through Time -
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Varian Fry & his mother, Lilian Mackey Fry, 1908 (Courtesy of Annette Fry).
Varian Fry at Coney Island, 1912 (Courtesy of Annette Fry).
Varian Fry, age 12 or 13 (Courtesy of Annette Fry).
Varian Fry poses on a balcony in Berlin, where he traveled in 1935 while serving as editor of "The Living Age" (USHMM, courtesy of Annette Fry).
Varian Fry walking along the street in Marseille, 1940 - 1941 (USHMM, courtesy of Annette Fry).
Varian Fry in France, date unknown (Courtesy of USHMM).
Varian Fry stands at train station, 1940 - 1941, Marseille, France (USHMM, courtesy of Annette Fry).
Varian Fry seated at his desk in the offices of the Centre Americain de Secours, 1940 - 1941, Marseille, France (Courtesy of USHMM).
Varian Fry in Marseille, date unknown (Courtesy of Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library).
Varian Fry (right) shows a document to his associate, Daniel Benedite, in the offices of the Centre Americain de Secours, 1940 - 1941, Marseille, France (Courtesy of USHMM).
Letter written by Varian Fry to the American consul at the U.S. embassy in Vichy seeking his help in obtaining an exit visa for Walter Meyerhof, Marseille, France (USHMM, courtesy of Walter Ernst Meyerhof).
Varian Fry (left) views a Chagall painting outside the artist's home in Gordes, France, 1941. From left to right: Varian Fry, Marc Chagall, Bella Chagall, & Hiram Bingham behind Bella (USHMM, courtesy of Cynthia Jaffee McCabe).
Targeted by the Nazis, artist Marc Chagall (left) escaped to the United States with help from Varian Fry (right) and the organization that would become the International Rescue Committee, date unknown (Courtesy of the IRC).
A group of artists pose around Varian Fry (center wearing glasses) at the Villa Air-Bel outside Marseille, 1941 (Courtesy of USHMM).
Varian Fry at his office in Marseille in the spring of 1941. "I felt obliged to help", he said of his daring rescue operation (Courtesy of the IRC).
Jacqueline Breton, André Masson, André Breton, and Varian Fry at the Villa Air-Bel, near Marseille, France, 1941 (Courtesy of Ylla/United Archives GmbH).
Varian Fry, escorted by Inspector Garandel of the Vichy French police, on a train leaving France, Aug. 1941 (Courtesy of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University).
Varian Fry, 1944 (Courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Irène Halsman).
An advertisement for a lecture series given in New York City by Varian Fry, 1942 (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Annette Fry).
Eileen Fry, Varian's first wife, c. 1948 (Courtesy of Annette Fry).
Varian Fry, 1951 (Courtesy of Annette Fry).
Annette & Varian Fry on their wedding day, Nov. 11, 1950.
Varian Fry with two of his children, Tom & Sylvia, 1959 (Courtesy of Annette Fry).
Varian Fry teaching Greek, 1963-64 (Courtesy of Annette Fry).
Varian Fry receiving the French Legion of Honor in 1967, shortly before his death. Left to right - the French cultural ambassador, James Fry, Varian Fry, Sylvia, Annette and Thomas Fry (Courtesy of Annette Fry).
American journalist Varian Fry in 1967 (Courtesy of Associated Press).
The final resting place of Varian Fry at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York. He is buried with his parents and his son Thomas.
The certificate of honor awarded by Yad Vashem to Varian Fry in 1996. Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. Their vision is: "To lead the documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust, and to convey the chronicles of this singular Jewish and human event to every person in Israel, to the Jewish people, and to every significant and relevant audience worldwide."
Varian Fry’s son (left) and the U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher (second from right) plant a tree at Yad Vashem in Varian Fry’s honor, 1996. On this occasion, U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher apologized for the State Department's abusive treatment of Varian Fry during the war years (Courtesy of Yad Vashem).
The United States alone could not have prevented the Holocaust, but more could have been done to save some of the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis and their allies and collaborators. The American response to news of the Holocaust was shaped by economic concerns, xenophobia, and antisemitism. American attitudes towards foreign policy and war also shaped the response of the United States.
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In May 1940 France was invaded by Nazi German forces. Within a month France was defeated. An armistice was signed on June 22, 1940 and following it France was divided into a German occupied zone in the North, a French governed zone in the South, also known as Vichy, which collaborated with the Nazi Germans and had certain authority also in the German-occupied zone, and a small demilitarized Italian occupied zone in the Southeast.
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