Charles (Carl) Lutz (1895-1975) was the Swiss vice-consul in Budapest between 1942 and 1945. Born in Walzenhausen, Switzerland, Lutz moved to the United States in 1913 at the age of 18. While studying at the George Washington University, he joined the Swiss diplomatic service and became chancellor at the Swiss legation in Washington, D.C. In 1935, Lutz was sent to Palestine, where he was appointed vice-consul at the Swiss consulate in Jaffa. On January 2, 1942, Lutz was reassigned to the Swiss consulate in Budapest, where he was appointed Chief of the Department of Foreign Interests of the Swiss legation.There he represented the interests of the U.S., Great Britain and twelve other countries that had severed formal relations with Hungary because of its alliance with Nazi Germany. In his capacity as neutral Swiss representative of British interests in Hungary, Lutz organized the issuing of Palestine certificates (endorsed by the British authorities), to Jews seeking to escape from Hungary. Lutz also pioneered the use of the Schutzbrief, an official letter issued by the legation to protect the young emigrants from being drafted into the Hungarian labor service and later from deportation while they awaited passage to Palestine. Soon after the German takeover of Hungary in March 1944, Lutz placed the staff of the Jewish Council for Palestine in Budapest under his diplomatic protection and renamed it the Department of Emigration of the Swiss Legation. This department was soon moved to the Glass House on Vadasz Street and ultimately became a refuge for more than 4,000 Budapest Jews. At this time Lutz also began to issue new Schutzbriefe (eventually numbering more than 50,000) to Jews waiting to leave for Palestine. When Hungarian and German authorities initiated the ghettoization of Budapest Jewry, Lutz established 76 safe houses in the Saint Stephen ghetto and put them under his diplomatic protection. In addition to being repeatedly compelled to rush out to stop Arrow Cross bands from raiding the safe houses, Lutz was called upon on several occasions to drive to the Obuda brickyards concentration camp to rescue Jews who were about to be deported. In November 1944 he was responsible for liberating an entire column of 1,000 Jews who had been dispatched on a death march from Budapest to the Austrian border. After the war Lutz received a letter of reprimand from authorities in Switzerland for overstepping his authority in helping the Jews of Budapest. Lutz divorced his first wife, Gertrud in the late 1940s, and in 1949 married Maria Magdalena Grausz (Magda), one of the Hungarian Jewish women he protected during the war. He also adopted her daughter, Agnes. Lutz retired from the diplomatic service in 1961. Lutz was recognized by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations in 1965.
The Carl Lutz films are available online at the Archiv für Zeitgeschichte catalog: https://www.archives-quickaccess.ch/search/35.
Three short/complied films collected or made by Carl Lutz: Nr. 334 Kurzfilme zu Palästina und der Schweiz [1935 to1956] (01:06:11) Nr. 335 St. Moritz (Wintersport) [ca. 1928] (00:15:06) [videotape only; this film wasn't shot by Carl Lutz] Nr. 336 USA (Washington DC, New York) [1930s] (00:13:38) [videotape made around 1990 - the film version is now missing at source archive] Detailed description of Film Nr. 336: Women sit in reclining chairs on the deck of the Conte di Savoia. A group, mostly children, poses by the ship’s railing and waves. Title card reads: “Wir passieren die Azoreninseln, wenig bevolkert, bekannt als Zwischenlandungsplatz fur Postflieger der südlichen Atlantik Route.” (Trans. “We pass through the Azores islands, sparsely populated, known as a layover place for mail pilots of the southern Atlantic route.”) Shots of the Azores islands from the ship. Title card reads: “Wir nahern uns Gibraltar, der grössten englischen Seefestung, Berührungspunkt Europas und Afrikas. Sudfruchtehandler bieten den Fahrgästen an langen Seilen Früchtekörbchen zum Kaufe an.” (Trans. “We approach Gibraltar, the largest English naval fortress, the point of contact of Europe and Africa. Fruit traders offer the passengers fruit baskets on long ropes to buy.”) Shots of Gibraltar from the ship. Small rowboats next to the ship. View of sailors on rope pulleys cleaning the ship’s smokestacks. A sign reads “Riservato al comando.” A lifebuoy reads “Rex Genova.” View of waves in the ship’s wake from the side railing. A group of sailors in dark uniforms onboard. More shots of the sailors. Carl Lutz and his wife look out over the ship’s railing. Title card reads: “Neapel. Wir fahren bis in die Stadt hinein. Vesuv.” (Trans. “Naples. We drive into the city. Vesuvius.”) View of the crowded ship deck as it approaches the harbor. A figure waves frantically. A crowd gathers on the dock of the harbor. People disembark the ship, carrying luggage. View of the ship from the dock. Little boy rides a cart pulled by a donkey on the street in Naples. Italian generals walk down the street. Title card reads: “Wir fahren weiter nach Genua. Einfahrt in den Hafen. Die Schiffe variieren zwischen 20,000 bis 35,000 Tonnen. Dazwischen Kriegsschiffe.” (Trans. “We continue to Genoa. Entrance to the port. The ships vary between 20,000 and 35,000 tons. In between warships.”) View of the Genoese coastline from the ship. Title card reads: “Genua. Zwischen den grossen Dampfern einige Kriegsschiffe. Die Klange der Schiffsmusik begleiten uns.” (Trans. “Genoa. Between the big steamships some warships. The sound of the ship’s music accompanies us.”) The harbor in Genoa. Carl stands at the railing of the ship. Views of enormous ships docked in the Genoese harbor. People wait at the railing of the harbor. A band onboard plays. People wave and wave handkerchiefs. Luggage is lowered down to the dock from the ship. Back onboard, a view of the swimming pool on the ship’s deck. Carl walks up the staircase to the railing, waves, and walks towards the camera. A restaurant on the ship’s deck. People sunbathe on the deck. View upwards at the mast. Hazy New York skyline as the ship begins to approach the harbor. Carl and his wife stand at the railing in front of the New York skyline. They pose for the camera. Carl in front of the skyline alone. His wife in front of the skyline alone. The Statue of Liberty. View of the ocean. The side of the ship. Mount Vernon. Carl and his wife walk into frame in front of the house. Title card reads: “Die amerikanische Fahne ist bei solchen Anlassen allgegenwartig. Der amerikanische Arbeiter ist in seiner uberwiegenden Mehrheit national gesinnt.” (Trans. “The American flag is ubiquitous at such places. The overwhelming majority of the American workers are nationally-minded.”) Shots of the parade in Washington, DC from Film Nr. 297. Different school groups and bands march. Title card reads: “Bern, die Bundeshauptstadt.” (Trans. “Bern, the federal capital.”) Scenes and buildings from Bern. Lots of pedestrians and bicycles. People stand in a square looking up at the Zytglogge, a clocktower. Shot of a rock formation amongst the trees. The Bern train station with a train passing through. Title card reads: “Wir fahren weiter nach dem Tessin und passieren die Boromaischen Inseln mit Isola Bella.” (Trans. “We continue to Ticino and pass the Borromean Islands with Isola Bella.”) Shot of small rowboats on the water. Shot of buildings getting smaller as the ship gets further away. Shot of a balcony with water and mountains beyond it. Shot of an ornate garden just on the water. More garden shots. Shot of a village harbor getting smaller. More shots from the parade in Washington, DC. Title card reads: “Der Washington Obelisk wird renoviert. Das Gerust ist nahezu 200 m hoch.” (Trans. “The Washington Monument is being renovated. The framework is nearly 200 meters high.”) View of the streets of Washington D.C. with the Capitol Building in the distance. Closer shot of the Capitol Building. More shots of the parade in Washington, DC.
Compiled short films by Carl Lutz