Author Description

The German-born Danish Jew Hugo Rothenberg (1882-1948) had befriended Göring in 1919 in Denmark. Between 1938-41, Rothenberg interceded with Göring on behalf of orderly emigration of the Jews, possibly with some influence. At the same time, he established close contacts with German Jewish and international Jewish leaders whom he kept informed on the plight of German Jews. Until 1943, Rothenberg was an important channel of information and funds (e.g. he distributed funds obtained from the Joint office in Lisbon). As a refugee in Sweden in 1943, he appealed to Thomas von Kantzow, Göring's Swedish stepson, to speak to Göring about the concentration camps. After the war, Rothenberg was charged in Denmark for having been a German spy; although he was later cleared, it left him a broken man. Deals, also, with Danish policy and behavior towards immigrants during the years preceding the war.