Per Anger
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210267990
2008-05-05T06:39:43Z
Amire80
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[[Category:Swedish Righteous Among the Nations]]
'''Per Johan Valentin Anger''' ([[December 7]], [[1913]] - [[August 26]], [[2002]]) was a [[Sweden|Swedish]] diplomat who participated in efforts to rescue [[Hungary|Hungarian]] [[Jews]] from arrest and deportation by the [[Nazis]] during [[World War II]].
==Early career==
Born in [[Göteborg]], Anger studied law at the [[University of Stockholm]] and later at the [[University of Uppsala]]. After graduating in November [[1939]], he was drafted into the army. Soon afterwards, the Swedish foreign ministry offered him a trainee position at the Swedish [[legation]] in [[Berlin]], which he began in January [[1940]]. Anger was assigned to the trade department, but after the legation received information about an impending Nazi attack on [[Norway]] and [[Denmark]], he became involved in relaying intelligence to Stockholm. In June 1941 he returned to Stockholm, where he worked on trade relations between Sweden and [[Hungary]]. In November [[1942]] he was sent to Budapest as second secretary at the Swedish legation.
After Germany invaded Hungary on [[March 19]], [[1944]], Anger became involved in efforts to aid Hungarian Jews. Anger originated the idea of issuing Swedish provisional passports and special certificates to protect Jews from internment and deportation. Seven hundred of these documents were issued initially. Although the legality of the documents was doubtful, the Hungarian government agreed to recognize their bearers as Swedish citizens. On [[July 9]], [[Raoul Wallenberg]] arrived in Budapest. He immediately extended Anger's initiative, introducing colorful protective passes (Schutzpasse) and creating "safe houses" throughout the city. Anger and Wallenberg worked together, often literally snatching people from transports and death marches. After the Soviets invaded in January [[1945]], both Anger and Wallenberg were taken into custody. Anger was released three months later, but Wallenberg never emerged again, becoming one of the 20th Century's most famous missing persons.
==Later career==
After the war, Anger served in numerous diplomatic posts in [[Egypt]], [[Ethiopia]], [[France]], [[Austria]] and the [[United States]]. He later became head of Sweden's international aid program and served as [[ambassador]] to [[Australia]], [[Canada]] and the [[Bahamas]]. Throughout his post-war career, Anger led efforts to learn what happened to Wallenberg, even meeting personally with Soviet president [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] in the 1980s. In [[2000]], the Russian government finally acknowledged that Wallenberg and his driver died in Soviet custody in [[1947]], although the exact circumstances of their deaths remain unclear.
==Honors==
In [[1982]] Anger was recognized by [[Yad Vashem]] as one of the [[Righteous Among the Nations]], and in [[1995]] he was honored with the Hungarian Republic's Order of Merit.
In [[2000]] he was awarded honorary [[Israel]]i citizenship. In [[2001]], the American Swedish Historical Museum presented him the "Spirit of Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award," and in April 2002 Swedish Prime Minister [[Göran Persson]] awarded Anger the "Illis Quorum Meruere Labores" for his actions during and after the war.
Anger died in Stockholm after suffering a stroke.
==References==
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[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:Swedish Righteous Among the Nations]]
[[Category:Swedish diplomats]]
[[Category:Swedish people of World War II]]
[[Category:Raoul Wallenberg]]
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