Protective letter [Schutzbrief] issued to a Jewish man, Ármin Grosz, by the Swiss Embassy in Budapest on 23.10.1944.
The letter is typewritten in German and Hungarian on the official stationery of the Department of Foreign Interests of the Swiss Embassy (Schweizerische Gesandtschaft, Abteilung für fremde Interessen), which was directed by the diplomat Carl Lutz, confirming that the name of its holder was included in a collective Swiss passport.
Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz (1895-1975) was appointed Swiss vice-consul in Budapest, in charge of foreign interests, in 1942. He worked to assist Jews in leaving Hungary, whose borders were still open; shortly before the occupation of Hungary by the Nazis he started issuing protective letters (Schutzpass) – an idea conceived by Miklos Moshe Krausz, director of the Palestine Office in Budapest – providing diplomatic protection to Jews who were candidates for immigration (the idea of protective letters was later adopted by other diplomats, saving tens of thousands of Jews). Lutz worked relentlessly to protect Hungarian Jews and remained in Budapest during the siege of the city. He returned to Switzerland only in 1945, after the occupation of Budapest by the Red Army. He was honored as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 1965.
[1] leaf, 29.5 cm. Good condition. Fold lines. Tears and minor creases.