War Refugee Board (WRB)

Henry Morgenthau, Jr.

In early January 1944, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr. presented a report to President Franklin Roosevelt charging the State Department with suppressing information about the Holocaust and using its power to impede the rescue of Jews.

With Congress on the verge of passing the Rescue Resolution recommending action to save the remaining Jews, Roosevelt established the WRB. On paper, the WRB was given impressive powers and was promised the cooperation of other government agencies. In practice, it received inadequate funding and very little sup- port. As a result, the WRB was funded in large part by American Jews.

Led by John Pehle, the WRB focused its rescue efforts primarily on Hungarian Jews. The operation included evacuation from Nazi- occupied areas and identification of safe sites in neutral countries. Some false identity papers were secured with the help of Archbishop Angelo Roncalli, who later became Pope John XXIII.

With the help of The Joint Distribution Committee, the WRB attempted to supply food to prisoners in Nazi camps through the Red Cross and provided funds for Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat credited with saving tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews.

The WRB succeeded in rescuing approximately 200,000 people. Overturning State Department policies, Pehle instructed all U.S. embassies and consulates to take action to pre- vent the deportation of Jews to Nazi extermination camps. His determination and dedication to saving human lives was not recognized until 2006 when he was awarded a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal for his rescue work.