An Unpleasant Order

During Folke Bernadotte’s negotiations with the Germans, he had received a promise that Swedish Red Cross personnel would be allowed to inspect the accommodations and other facilities for the Scandinavian prisoners at Neuengamme. We had brought along a special team assigned to handle this, but they had not yet been granted access to the camp, despite several attempts.

The Germans always had some excuse. The Swedes understood that it was because the conditions were such that the Germans did not want anyone to see them. When new attempts were made, the Germans plainly stated that the camp was overcrowded and that a large number of non-Scandinavians had to be transported out before we could deliver more prisoners there. They also said that they had no transportation of their own and that it was up to the Swedes to handle it.

The Swedes, of course, flatly refused—we were there to transport Scandinavians, not to handle German transports. The Germans replied just as bluntly that, in that case, all our transports would be stopped entirely. Faced with such an ultimatum, it was decided at the highest level that we would comply with the Germans’ demands.