A memorial to Raoul Wallenberg was unveiled here Wednesday with a pledge by a Reagan Administration official that the U.S. will continue to probe the fate of the Swedish diplomat who saved 100,000 Jews from deportation to Nazi death camps during World War II.
Interior Secretary Donald Hodel declared at the ceremony, “We will not be satisfied until we learn the truth about this great man.” Wallenberg was arrested by the Red Army when it entered Budapest in January, 1945 and has not been heard from since. Soviet authorities claimed that he died in prison some years later.
A section of 15th Street near the Tidal Basin was named Wallenberg Place and a bronze plaque designating the area was unveiled by Rep. Thomas Lantos (D. Calif.). Lantos and his wife, Annette, as children, were among the Hungarian Jews saved by Wallenberg.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
