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Herman F. Reissig memorandum

Document | Digitized | Accession Number: 1997.A.0050

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Overview

Description: The Herman F. Reissig memorandum, dated May 15, 1941, describes the SS Alsina’s departure from Marseille in January 1941 carrying more than 500 refugees en route to the United States and Latin America, its detention in Dakar by the Vichy government, Reissig’s unsuccessful efforts to work with the Vichy, British, and American governments to find a solution for the refugees, and cables received from refugees aboard the Alsina describing their confusion and anxiety.
Date: 1941
Collection Creator: Herman F. Reissig
Biography: Herman F. Reissig (1899-1985) was a pastor in the United Church of Christ. During the Spanish Civil War, he was affiliated with the North American Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy, which in 1939 joined forces with the American Medical Bureau to Save Spanish Democracy to form the Spanish Refugee Relief Campaign (SRRC). The SSRC dedicated itself to the rehabilitation and resettlement of Spanish refugees, and Reissig served as its executive secretary. The committee later allied itself with Varian Fry’s Emergency Rescue Committee.

Physical Details

Language: English
Extent: 1 folder
System of Arrangement: The Herman F. Reissig memorandum is arranged as a single series: I. Herman F. Reissig memorandum, 1941

Rights & Restrictions

Conditions on Access: There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
Conditions on Use: Material(s) in this collection may be protected by copyright and/or related rights. You do not require further permission from the Museum to use this material. The user is solely responsible for making a determination as to if and how the material may be used.

Keywords & Subjects

Topical Term: World War, 1939-1945--Refugees. World War, 1939-1945--Civilian relief. Jewish refugees--Europe. Refugees--Services for--New York (State)
Geographic Name: Spain--History--Civil War, 1936-1939--Refugees.

Administrative Notes

Holder of Originals: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: The Herman F. Reissig memorandum was donated anonymously to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1997.
Funding Note: The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Record last modified:: 2023-02-24 13:54:40
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn501613

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