Cover photo: Otto von Habsburg and András Gervai in the Gólyavár building (1989)
Otto von Habsburg addressed the historical role of the Jews in many of his works. The refugee issue and the Archduke’s supportive role were also bought up in the discussion at the Gólyavár building in March 1989 and in an interview with Otto von Habsburg published in the journal Beszélő in September. The author of the latter article is András Gervai, who was himself a correspondent of Otto von Habsburg and whose letters are kept in the collection of our Foundation.[1]
The subject of saving Jews can also be traced in other Hungarian-language correspondence between 1988 and 2011. After the regime change, János Bátki, among others, took the initiative to have Otto von Habsburg honoured for his lifesaving work. The letter exchange reveals that the supporting documentation has been partially destroyed or is incomplete. Otto von Habsburg did not wish to receive any special recognition for his participation in the rescue operations, as he stated on several occasions: “I never did anything for the acknowledgement of Israel because I simply did what my duty was, and therefore no particular thanks are necessary.[2] I would like the award to be reserved for those whose lives were in real and immediate danger. I was there, but not as directly as those who actually lived under Hitler’s oppression. Besides, I consider the help I had the opportunity to give to my fellow countrymen, on behalf of a man like myself, is quite natural for which no praise is required.”[3] In a letter of April 1991, Otto von Habsburg wrote: ‘in a situation like this, one thinks about the people and not about their passports’. In the same letter to János Bátki, Otto von Habsburg referred to the 1940 rescue as the most outstanding action of all. It is also noteworthy how he writes about his Spanish and Cuban supporters, Franco and Batista.
A more detailed exploration of Otto von Habsburg’s lifesaving activities will require the inclusion of additional sources. The ongoing publication of the correspondence in our Foundation’s collection will provide more and more fragments of information to assist this process.
[1] http://beszelo.c3.hu/cikkek/%E2%80%9E%E2%80%A6mindig-tudtuk-hogy-onok-mikor-kezdtek-tiltakozni%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D [date of download: 26.01.2023] András Gervai’s article published in Élet és Irodalom in 2013 also discusses Otto von Habsburg’s lifesaving activities: https://www.es.hu/cikk/2013-05-24/gervai-andras/az-embermento.html [date of download: 26.01.2023]
[2] HOAL I-2-c-Bátki János 5.
[3] HOAL I-2-c-Bátki János 41.
