March 22, 1941 – Warsaw, Jewish Ghetto
The tables were set out early in the morning, almost before the break of dawn. Still the Judenrat already had to deploy more police to keep the long lines orderly. The tables remained empty past 8, then 9 and finally at 10 Italians strolled onto the plaza. There were only a dozen or so in uniform but almost twice as many wore obviously expensive suits in the cold morning air. Gradually the Italians settled down drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes, but still not motioning to Jewish guards to open up the tables. Finally at almost 11 the Italians motioned to the policeman to let the crowd come forward.
At the first table a Italian captain looked up at the first in line. “Ah our first customer. “ he began “Let be clear and not to waste time you understand that transport has to be paid for and we have a preference for skilled labor or….” With a soft cough the Jew interrupted the officer. In near flawless Italian he said, “I am a doctor, Captain and I have retained sufficient funds to provide transport for myself and my family.” He held out six stamped documents. The Captain smiled, when he noticed a small sheaf of bills tucked under the papers.
March 24, 1941 – Vatican City, Rome
Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli, more correctly known as the Bishop of Rome, Pope Pius XII sat easily across the desk from his two aids. The Younger, Giovanni Montini, passed a dense folder over to the Pope. Pius studied the information carefully, then quietly removed his thick glasses. He didn’t address Montini, but rather his senior in the office of Secretary of State. “So Pacelli it looks as if there will be another leader of Italy quiet soon. Will that disrupt these transfers?”
Montini, paused only briefly. “Of course I cannot speak for Cardinal Maglione, but all our information seems to show that the Duce will not live out the spring. However he has long lost control of the control of both the party and the state. The new government created this policy, they will continue it. In fact this government has been quite good. Many of our own priests and brothers in Christ have been enrolled in the transfers. But enough remain to shepherd the Church in this crisis. The time tables in the folder are quite ambitious but we believe they will be kept.”
The Pope stood and fingered the large cross he wore on his neck. “It seems cruel to uproot people and move them such a distance.” Montini offered a comment, “The Germans can be a cruel people.” The Pope stopped and stared at Montini, who offered an apology, “I meant of course the Nazis.” The Pope waved his hand in dismissal, “I know cruelty father, I also know beauty and grace. Germany holds a special place in my heart.” He paused “To see them reduced to this.” He took a deep breath, “I shall make a special appeal to our Church both here and abroad. We will provide what support we can for all the displaced.” He stared at Pacelli “I do mean everyone. See to it that Maglione does not adjust the level.”
April 12, 1941 – Asmara, Eretria – Italian East Africa
Governor Frusci ran a hand through his rapidly thinning hair. He looked down at the latest figures. More than a thousand Poles had arrived today. Most were supposed to have been Jews, but he was sure that like the first train there would be a good number of ‘mixed race’ immigrants. He laughed, in some mysterious way a good number of Polish farmers had made it onto the ships. He could imagine the bribes being paid to get out of the General Government and didn’t resent those who took this route. Still it was his responsibility. He looked over his welcoming speech, the original draft in Italian, not the Polish and Yiddish translations attached. He searched down for the critical paragraph, ah there it was
….the Italian setters here can well use your strong backs and stout hearts in turning this colony into a proper outpost of civilization. In the coming days you will all be assigned to a colonist to assist him in making this land flower. Four of your families will work with one settler. In time no doubt we will grant….here he scratched out the phrase ‘in good time shall earn your own freehold’. He smiled that was better. They had to understand that while they started out as serfs the future held a promise for them all.
April 22, 1941 – Athens, Office of the Prime Minster
Koryzis neatly placed the letter down in front of him and then stood up to pace. The Italian offer was interesting. He sighed wondering what Metaxas would have done. Immediately he thought of the King. His majesty was known to favor the English, but he also was a revanchist, the recovery of Rhodes and the rest of the Islands would temp him. Perhaps and open alliance with the Italians would not be so bad. It would protect Greece from the disaster that engulfed Yugoslavia. But Koryzis was sure that the Italians would want more than just a few bases on the mainland. Already the Croats were finding it difficult to say no to the Italians. Still better the Italians than the Germans.
