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who were to be sent home from England. We had
at our disposal a number of ships, both English and
German, and at this point, I gained some insight into
the enormous difficulties connected with the operation
of transports between belligerent countries. I do not
know how many times my assistants and I drafted
detailed plans for a transport and exchange program
— plans that could not be carried out the following
day for various reasons. It happened, for example,
that a few of the assigned ships were at the last
minute torpedoed or bombed. So we had to start all
over again. We did this with enthusiasm. For my
own part, I can say that until then, I had never had
a mission Which interested me more. The
consciousness of being a cog in a machine which would enable
thousands of soldiers of various nationalities to be
sent back to their homeland after many years of
imprisonment filled us with real happiness, and
encouraged us to do our utmost to make everything
run smoothly.
It was a marvelous experience to take part in this
exchange, and in similar ones Which took place about
a year later, also via Gothenburg. Episodes occurred
which reminded one that beneath the hatred wrought
by war there is deep within us a core of humanity.
In the bottom of our hearts we all feel a spirit of
comradeship. We who had the privilege of being
present in Gothenburg at the two exchanges
experienced days which I, for my part, shall never forget.
The war came very close to us then. And yet, things
happened which made the thunder of cannons, the
chattering of machine guns and the roar of bombers
suddenly appear to us as something unreal and very
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