Surrender on Demand

by Varian Fry

Like Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg, Varian Fry risked his life to rescue those targeted by the Gestapo in "the most gigantic man-trap in history." Now, more than fifty years later, the story of this neglected American hero is back in print. Varian Fry, a young editor from New York, traveled to Marseilles after Germany defeated France in the summer of 1940. As the representative of the Emergency Rescue Committee, a private American relief organization, he offered aid and advice to refugees who found themselves threatened with extradition to Nazi Germany under Article 19 of the Franco-German armistice—the "Surrender on Demand" clause. Working day and night in opposition to French and even American authorities, Fry assembled an unlikely band of associates and built an elaborate rescue network. By the time Fry left France after 13 months, he and his colleagues had managed to spirit more than 1,500 people from France, among them some of Europe’s most prominent politicians, artists, writers, scientists, and musicians. Their arrival in the United States significantly expanded the intellectual exodus from Europe that began when Hitler came to power, and permanently changed the face of American culture.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Holocaust, Biography, World War II, Memoir

268 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1944

About the author

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varian_Fry

Reviews

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This riveting, nail-biting first hand account by Varian Fry details his 13 months in France during 1940-41.

His job was to assist at risk intellectuals, artist, novelists and such to escape the country and the Gestapo. Fry was a most unlikely candidate for this work as previously he had been a journalist and Foreign Correspondent with absolutely no knowledge of what would be required to get these people out of an occupied country.

At first Fry was dubious about using any illegal means to do his job but it soon became obvious that that was the only option in most cases. Varian Fry simply did what had to be done with no regard to his personal safety. He was there to do a job, and do it he would.

When Fry was eventually arrested and expelled from France he had already spirited out of the country at least 1,500 people, many of whom would go on to contribute greatly to American culture. After Fry left France the organization he had put together continued to operate and is said to have assisted up to 4,000 refugees get out of occupied France.

A list of those aided by Fry and his organization can be found on Google.

Varian Fry died alone in Connecticut in September 1967, up to which time he had not yet received one word of recognition for his work. He was 59 years old.

[Poiema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is the story of an unsung hero, a young American journalist who spent 13 months in France delivering about 2,000 people from the grip of the Gestapo. While his work was not greatly recognized in his own time, Varian Fry has posthumously been designated as one of the "Righteous Among the Nations" by Israel's Holocaust Museum. There are several books that tell his story, but this one is his own account and was chosen by my book group for discussion. It is a worthy read.

Varian Fry's mission was a little different from other rescue missions; his role was to whisk to safety the cream-of-the-crop intelligentsia who were on the run from the encircling Nazi sharks. He did this by setting up a charity relief office in France, a false front for his real purpose, which was to provide visas for safe passage to artists and other greats.

"Among the people who have come into my office. . . are not only some of the greatest living authors, painters, sculptors of Europe. . . but also former cabinet ministers and even prime ministers of half a dozen countries. What a strange place Europe is when men like this are reduced to waiting patiently in the anteroom of a young American of no importance whatever." ~ Varian Fry

The quote speaks loudly of his humility, which I admired. I also loved the fact that Varian sought to extend an intangible---something that could make or break his mission---HOPE.

"When they were ready to leave, I shook their hands, and said, 'I'll see you in New York.' Many of them were incredulous, hardly daring to hope. But that short sentence, spoken with conviction, seemed to do more than anything else to restore their faith in the future. If the American is so sure he will see us soon in New York, they must have thought, then maybe there is some hope."

In the midst of the craziness, his incessant work schedule, the dangers of being arrested, and the deprivations caused by war shortages, Varian managed to savor the culture of France. Even in the throes of occupation, France drew him in and he relished the brief season. This is the paradox of war; it brings out beauty in aching contrast to destruction. When Varian was expelled from the country, he brought home some wonderful memories, especially of the time spent with cultural greats in Villa Air-Bel. I am sure he probably also brought home regrets; for there were many he was unable to help.

Since I have been reading The Hiding Place alongside of this one, I have reflected on the contrasts. Corrie ten Boom's motivation was spiritual, and she never turned away a person in need. Often, she ended up harboring the undesirables, such as "Wheezing Mary." Conversely, Varian Fry's mission was to the upper crust. It was an humanitarian effort, not particularly spiritual, but borne of a love for his fellow man and a respect for the rights of the individual. He desired to preserve the cultural greats as a gift to future generations. His narrow vision required that he had to turn away many, many (thousands) of people. I would not want to be in his shoes, deciding who to save and who to turn away. He did what he could and as such deserves the posthumous recognition he has been given.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a selection for my book group, suggested by a friend who has taken up the cause of obtaining recognition for Varian Fry's heroism and courage. Fry, an American, spent 13 months in France helping writers, artists, and political refugees escape the Gestapo's reach. Written by Varian Fry himself, this is a worth-while and informative read.

Another group member provided an excellent review of this book, that review may be read here. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a somewhat selfish motivation for reading this book, the author was my great uncle. I never knew him he was long deceased, and his relationship with his wife, my grandfather's sister, was strained. However, he was someone interesting, who was "related" to me. I had heard Varian's story from my great Aunt, and my father had, on occasion, recounted his memories of Uncle Varian, but I really wanted to learn more than just dusty memories. Here was a man honored by many and the American Schindler.

This is a wonderfully fascinating book. It's too short. Fry doesn't spend enough time examining why he got no support from the American government... but its also pretty apparent why he didn't... It was too soon, too close to home, and too hurtful.

Are there better books about the Holocaust? Yes. Are the biographies of Varian Fry more thorough? Yes. (Read A Quiet American [http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-American-...], the biography, not the Graham Greene book... Its the best one on Fry) However, there is something about this book, written in 1945, while the memories were still so fresh, that is so captivating. It was written by the man who so selflessly saved the lives of Hannah Arendt, Marc Chagall, Jacques Lipchitz, Max Ernst, Leon Feuctwanger, and countless others...

Read it... its quick... its riveting... and you will really enjoy it.

[Dierregi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Varian Fry tried to help artists, politicians, writers and other assorted “personalities” to escape from Vichy France between 1940 and 1941, when he was expelled from the country because of his activities.

Some reviews objected to the fact that Fry focussed on saving “famous” people, but he did not, as he clearly stated in the book. He had left the US as the representative of the Emergency Rescue Commission, an anonymous label that was chosen exactly not to attract attention, and he had a list of a few hundred people who were known to be most at risk and therefore in need of the faster evacuation.

Once he reached Marseille in the summer of 1940, he found a catastrophic situation, the city filling up daily with more refugees and the French authorities being unsympathetic at best and cooperating with the Gestapo at worse.

Therefore, Fry felt compelled to modify slightly the scope of his operation and soon got entangled with the local fauna, most of them ready to play all sorts of tricks for a handful of dollars. The business of getting refugees out of Europe was indeed very complicate, because they needed a truckload of visas: transit visas to leave France, visas to enter Spain and Portugal and a final destination visa, which couldn’t not be the US. Fry got creative and with the help of his colleagues got fake visas to China, Peru and other far flung destinations stamped on fake passports.

His story is compelling and intriguing, thrilling and heartbreaking. Eventually Fry managed to get over 2000 people out of France, but he also saw some get arrested and one actually dying of a heart attack in his office, once the guy knew there was no way out for him. Fry went to great lengths to save as many people as possible, but had to give up when the French authorities joined the US consulate with its attempts to get him expelled.

I found some additional information on internet, stating that Fry considered that the best period of his life and that he had trouble adapting to “normal” life, leading perhaps to a premature death. I am not surprised that after over a year of dealing with actual life or death matters, a “normal” life might have seemed dull and meaningless.

Fry was recognised as “Righteous Among the Nations”, one of the five Americans to be so.

[Sofia Jimenez Orsini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly funny and fast paced

[Anne E. Nicolson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read about Julian Fry from The USHCMM, Dara Horn's monograph The Rescuers, and in the novel The Bridal Chair by Gloria Goldreich, and most recently The Flight Portfolio by Julie Orringer. I found the latter disturbing for reasons I should give in a review of that book, so I decided it was time to see what Fry had to say for himself. His prose is strong and clear. And it is very timely. We seem never to learn from history and continue to repeat destructive patterns. A remarkable story of a remarkable man at a remarkable time. I also appreciated the Afterword to the 1997 edition for adding so much more of Fry's preparation for his mission and his life afterward.

[Babs · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing account of his rescue efforts of refugees from the Nazi empowerment. Varian Fry was a man devoted to his cause, in turn sacrificing his personal life and dreams.

[Circlestones Books Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Ich verließ Amerika, die Taschen vollgestopft mit den Listen der Namen von Männern und Frauen, die ich retten müßte, und den Kopf voller Ideen, wie ich das bewerkstelligen wollte. Es waren mehr als zweihundert Namen, und viele Hundert kamen später dazu.“ (Zitat Seite 11)

Inhalt und Thema
1935 besucht Varian Fry Deutschland und erlebt in Berlin bereits die ersten großen Judenverfolgungen mit. Als daher vergeblich jemand gesucht wird, der die neu gegründete amerikanische Hilfsorganisation Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC) vor Ort leitet, ist es für Varian Fry selbstverständlich, im August 1940 selbst nach Marseille zu reisen. Denn die Zeit drängt und die Gefahr wurde mit dem Waffenstillstandsabkommen vom Juni 1940 zwischen Frankreich und Deutschland besonders für deutsche Emigranten, die auf den Listen der Gestapo standen, täglich größer. Eine Klausel besagt, dass sich die französische Vichy-Regierung verpflichtet, Deutsche auf Verlangen der Gestapo an diese auszuliefern. Auf den Listen stehen die Namen von bekannten jüdischen Intellektuellen, Schriftstellern, bildenden Künstlern, aber auch von Widerstandskämpfern und politischen Flüchtlingen. Aus den geplanten wenigen Wochen werden dreizehn Monate, in denen Fry und sein Team sich immer neuen Situationen und Hindernissen stellen müssen, neue Wege suchen, Länder, die noch bereit waren, Flüchtlinge aufzunehmen, oder zumindest Visa auszustellen. Bald werden auch Fry und das ERC genau beobachtet, bis er im August 1941 unter Zwang nach Amerika zurückkehren muss.

Umsetzung
Chronologisch erzählt der Journalist Varian Fry die Geschichte des Emergency Rescue Committee in Marseille, schildert die Entwicklung von immer neuen kreativen Fluchtwegen, die Probleme mit den Behörden, falsche Hoffnungen, Rückschläge, plötzliche Lichtblicke und erfolgreich durchgeführte Aktionen. Manche Flüchtlinge müssen erst aus französischen Konzentrationslagern befreit werden und immer wieder müssen fehlende Dokumente, Passierscheine, Reisepässe beschafft werden, oder sichere Fälschungen dieser Unterlagen. Doch es geht auch um die Weiterreise, bald gibt es kaum mehr Schiffe und gerade Amerika prüft die politische Gewinnung genau, bevor ein Einreisevisum erteilt wird, stringent bereits bei Mitgliedern von sozialistischen Parteien. Spanien und Portugal dagegen bestehen auf Visa von Übersee-Ländern, aus Sorge, die Flüchtlinge könnten im Land bleiben. Es sind bekannte Namen wie Lion Feuchtwanger, Heinrich und Golo Mann, Franz Werfel und Max Ernst, deren illegale Flucht aus Frankreich Fry, seine engen Mitarbeiter und heimlichen Helfer ermöglicht haben. Fry schildert unaufgeregt, sachlich, ohne sich selbst in den Mittelpunkt zu stellen, dies macht seinen Tatsachenbericht nicht nur von der ersten Seite an extrem packend, sondern auch sehr sympathisch.

Fazit
Ein authentischer, geschichtlich sehr interessanter Bericht, spannend wie ein Thriller und man muss sich selbst beim Lesen in Erinnerung rufen, dass es hier ausschließlich um reale Schicksale, Gefahren und Erlebnisse von Menschen auf der Flucht vor der Ermordung in einem Konzentrationslager handelt. Es sind selbstlose und sehr mutige Menschen, die im ERC unermüdlich und unter Einsatz des eigenen Lebens tätig sind. Ein zeitlos brisantes Buch und eine wichtige Ergänzung zu dem im Februar 2024 erschienenen, ebenfalls großartigen Buch „Marseille 1940“ von Uwe Wittstock.

[Ken Wilsher · Rating 4 out of 5]

In June 1940 France was defeated by Germany and the French 1st World War hero, Marshal Petain, was allowed to form a collaborationist government that ruled southern France from the spa town of Vichy. The German army was excluded from Vichy France. Consequently, many foreigners and French Communists living in northern France travelled to the south to avoid immediate arrest and almost certain deportation to a German labor camp. Actually, the south was not that safe as the Gestapo could operate there.

Varian Fry was a well connected American journalist who wanted to help people escape from Vichy France. An independent Emergency Rescue Commitee was formed with the aid of Eleanor Roosevelt. The USA was not yet at war with Germany so he was able to travel to Marseilles in August 1940 and remain there until expelled in September 1941. He was a major figure in the rescue of thousands of people.

This book is his account of that year in France, probably as well told as it could be, given the chaotic nature of the project. Forgery, bribery, being cheated by gangsters while setting up escape routes under the eyes of the Gestapo and the collaborating French.

The official USA position at that time was neutral, and he did not get a huge amount of help from the US Consulate in Marseilles, so it is fitting that there is now a "Place Varian Fry" right in front of the Consulate!

There is another book that covers some of the same ground - Villa Bel Air, by Rosemay Sullivan. Villa Bel Air was the house used by Fry in Marseilles. From the literary point of view, the autobiographies of Arther Koestler covering his "adventures" in southern France in the same period are far superior to both.

[Lynda West · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a stunning account of a thirteen-month period the author, Varian Fry, an American journalist and civil servant, endured in Marseille just after the Nazis invaded and conquered France and established a puppet Vichy government during World War II. It was written only a few years after he returned to the U.S., and the sense of immediacy and intensity of his writing – although clean and factual – revealed the incredible and terrifying story of his efforts like an espionage thriller; together with a handful of brave colleagues/volunteers he enabled several thousand “enemies” of the Third Reich to escape Hitler’s “man-trap.” Many of these refugees were also renowned artists, writers and scientists.
The title derives from Article 19 of a Nazi law in which the Vichy French were obliged ‘to surrender upon demand” all Germans named by the German Government in France as well as in French territories. With little real support from the surrounding countries – all still caught up in Europe’s war – Fry’s fledgling front organization, The Emergency Rescue Committee, provided the mostly underground ways and means to smuggle their terrified “clients” to safety through countries at war with Germany and each other. His story also revealed a shameful period of the U.S. Department of State’s inhumane government policies toward refugees of war.
Fry’s matter-of-fact style only makes the details he relates more astounding and suspenseful. And it’s actually true!

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one I might read again sometime, which is very rare for me. It was well written and engaging. We streamed Transatlantic on Netflix and enjoyed it much. That was the first I remember hearing about Varian Fry and the Emergency Rescue Committee. So then I read Julie Oringer's novel on which the show was based. It was good, but not factual. There were many characters created just to flush out her novel. So then I dug further and found this autobiographical account. The story is fully as compelling as the fictionalized version and even more thrilling knowing it is all real. I wish our history classes would incorporate more real life hero stories such as this. I think it might help students take more interest in the subject.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fry was one in a million. He had a passion for his mission and managed to save over 2,000 individuals who were in danger from the Nazis and French collaborators. He received little help from the U.S. government. Initially, Eleanor Roosevelt helped him, as did individual donors.
He went to Marseille with no knowledge and set up a rescue committee. At 32 years old.
The U.S. did so little to help the refugees, except for Mr. Bingham of the consulate who did what he could.
He is recognized by the Israel's official memorial to Holocaust victims, as "Righteous Among the Nations."
This book was copyrighted in 1945.

[Marcia Sielaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Varian Fry completes the story begun in Roosevelt and the Jews

Varian Fry was the brave journalist who went to France to try and save the artists, intellectuals snd writers trapped in Vichy France. He worked for over a year to also rescue Jews and others in danger of being arrested and sent to concentration and slave labor camps. It is the story of how the U.S. Department of State not only refused to support these efforts but thwarted them at every turn. Fry’s story should be widely read.

[Frank Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A crackling and deeply personal account of an American’s effort to save refugees - particularly prominent Germans, French, Czechs, Italians and Poles - from the murderous grasp of the Gestapo and quisling French police forces. Not a dull page - each day was a dangerous seat-of-your-pants effort to save lives. A great read.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hab das Buch gelesen, nachdem ich die Netflix-Serie "Transatlantik" gesehen hatte.
Fand den Inhalt sehr spannend und auch seine Schreibweise. Denn es war bestimmt nicht einfach, die oft sehr bürokratischen Details, so zu beschreiben, dass die Spannung um die Gefährdung der Beteiligten nicht untergeht und dabei trotzdem die Fakten noch im Blick zu haben.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Accounting of Rescue Activities

I had just finished “The Flight Portfolio”, a historical novel where I learned about Arian Fry’s work in France and wanted to learn more. This book is written by him and tells the same story. I loved reading it from his perspective.

[Aharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Bond, bean counter

[Andrea Samorini]

___________________________________
FROM BOOK: Il pianoforte di Chopin (Paul Kildea)

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish I could give 3.5 stars on here but this was good not great.

[Susan Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Varian Fry's personal memoir of his time spent in Europe rescuing Jews and others in danger from the Nazi regime. This is the story that was made into the Netflix series Transtlantic.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this untold story of WWII and efforts of a U.S. organization who helped many artists , intellectuals, and political refugeees escape Europe.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light and interesting memoir. Maybe a little too light. It was almost like reading someone's LiveJournal. (You know: accounts of ordinary-seeming daily life at the office, with mentions of unusual encounters and unexpectedly interesting things that happened, and things done to blow off steam after work.) But it was worth reading. If you don't know, Varian Fry was sent to France by an organization which formed in America to try to rescue Jewish writers, artists, and intellectuals who were trapped in occupied France. He was later recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for this. (An honor given to non-Jews who helped Jews escape the Holocaust.)

The attitude that it was important to screen the refugees to make sure that they were truly culturally significant made me wince a few times. I realize that that was why Fry was sent, and that saving people, for whatever reason, is respectable and important. And that he and his colleagues did much more than, well, almost anyone else, to save those of political interest to the Nazis. And moreover, that given the resistance and obstacles imposed by various governments, no one could have saved everyone.

Amusing moment: Marc Chagall asking, once he had finally decided to leave France, if there were cows in America. And looking relieved when he was assured that yes, there would be cows to paint.

A notice on the copyright page addressed something I'd wondered about. The publishing industry managed to keep going fairly well despite the war - lots of memoirs about current events from journalists in the US, and memoirs about the Winter War in Finland. (I haven't made a detailed survey so those are my only data points.) This book, however, noticed that this was "a Random House Wartime book" and that "The text is complete and unabridged, but every effort has been made to comply with the government's request to conserve essential materials."

The book was later revised and reissued as Assignment: Rescue. Personally, I would read this edition, if I had to pick one. It has an index; the version of Assignment: Rescue that I looked at did not. Assignment: Rescue does have some factual corrections and reveals a little information that wasn't available or couldn't be revealed for operational reasons at the time of writing and publication. But it seems to have lost much of its immediacy.

[Devra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping account of an American "Scarlet Pimpernel" who rescued political and intellectual refugees out of occupied France during World War II. Varian Fry was merely a journalist sent to France with only a couple thousand dollars and a small list of names. Operating under the guise of a relief committee, he succeeded in helping over thousands of refugees escape through both legal and illegal means. Fry narrates his own story with journalistic precision and often wry humor. It is a fascinating story of an ordinary American who took a stand against tyranny and accomplished extraordinary feats.

[Rick Rapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful story of an American journalist, struggling to get "undesirables" out of Vichy France during the early years of WW II and of our government's shameful inaction and unwillingness to help these refugees. (Clearly, history repeats itself.) Varian Fry and his associates helped over one thousand people escape the Nazis, including such luminaries as Marc Chagall and Max Ernst. It is a tale of courage and determination as well as disillusionment. Fry was the only American who is recognized as having helped escaping Jews. He needs to be known much more globally.

[Christianne Hedtke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an amazing story, hands down, but Varian Fry was an aide worker, not a writer. Keeping that in mind, it's interesting to learn all the ways they got artists and intellectuals out of Vichy France during the Nazi occupation, and all the people who passed through Varian Fry's committee. Interestingly, Fry never mentions the wife he left behind in New York. A Quiet American, the biography of Varian Fry, may shed more light on the bigger picture.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

An American consul guy secretly works to sneak political refugees out of Vichy France. His true story. A tale of professionalism, dedication to mission and duty, and selflessness. It will suck the reader in.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the story of Varian Fry's 13 month effort to save famous artists and writers from the Nazi's. Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, etc. It wasn't the best book I'd ever read but Varian Fry wrote it factually without embellishing the stories. And he wrote it in the 40's so his memories had not faded.

[Michael Selvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent first hand description by a man who administered a group in Marseille to help intellectuals and artists sought by the Nazis to escape from the occupied France. Only American recognized by Yad Vasham.

[Bkamens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting autobiography about one American journalist's efforts to save political and intellectual refugees from Nazi occupied France in 1941.