Raoul Wallenberg Arrives in Budapest

Raoul Wallenberg arrives in Budapest as first secretary to the Swedish legation in Hungary and with financing from the US War Refugee Board.

Along with numerous other legations, including the Swiss, the Turkish, the Italian, and several Latin American legations, the Sweden delegation, inspired by the activism of Wallenberg, effectively protected tens of thousands of Budapest Jews endangered by German and Hungarian plans to deport them. Assigned as first secretary to the Swedish legation in Hungary, Wallenberg arrived in Budapest on July 9, 1944. Despite a complete lack of experience in diplomacy and clandestine operations, he led one of the most extensive and successful rescue efforts during the Holocaust. His work with the War Refugee Board and the World Jewish Congress prevented the deportation of tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews to the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center.