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The Saalfeld family came from Berlin. It is thought that the name derives from the town of the same name in Thuringia. Frank's father, Ulrich, and grandfather were dermatologists. His grandfather was quite eminent in the field. Shortly after Hitler's rise to power Ulrich Saalfeld was offered a job in Tehran to run a faculty of medicine and dermatology and to also take on a post at a 1000 bed hospital. His wife, Margarethe, was not keen on going so she went to London then New York in an attempt to find him similar work for her husband in those cities. However since Ulrich didn't want to have to re-take his examinations he opted to stay put and his wife eventually met him out there. They remained there until the early 1960s when he retired and then moved to London, where their son Frank was living. They converted to the Presbyterian faith- there was a significant presence in Tehran established by Americans. They had their son, Frank, baptised into the faith. Margarethe Saalfeld worked for a short time as a teacher in the American Mission school in Tehran. She was also secretary to the German Cultural Attaché in Tehran. She was responsible for the preparation and organisation of Konrad Adenauer's first visit to Iran under the Shah in the early 1950s
Frank Saalfeld: Family papers
37 folders
Chronological by family member