Protective letter

Protective letter signed by Angelo Rotta. The Papal Nuncio, representing Vatican in Budapest, signed bianco protective letters for forced labor servicemen and for Jews dragged away in death marches, regardless whether they had been baptized or not. Fourteen diplomats, who had been working in Budapest during the Arrow Cross rule received later the Righteous Among the Nations Award. They were envoys of the neutral countries (e.g. Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Vatican) or delegates of international and humanitarian organizations (like the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swedish Red Cross). The diplomats started their rescue activities within the legal framework in the spring of 1944, but used every opportunity to extend the circle of protection as wide as possible.