Dear Carl,"

April 22, 1939 most of the Americans left San Sebastian on their

; way to freedom. Ten of us were left behind - the 10 last names of the

alphabet. A'tremendous disappointment:

'Up to now, 'we knew negotiations were in progress for exchange.

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Now, the war was over and the exchange had been completed. What

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would happen to us?

On returning to San Pedro, Bob Steck said that we should be

prepared for a long siege and should think about winterizing our quarters.

Thereupon, I made a bet with Bob :hat we would be out of San Pedro by August '15.

I explained that people were working hara for our release and

tha t the return of o~r fell().,_"(,!"p.ri.~~eps ":~~<l&---8:t~~Fa.te--;th:e--pruc-e-ss. r , am not 'ce~ta'in 'It was' that optimistic.' I made thiS" bet - as" the others - because I felt it helped morale.

'However, I had been amazingly accurate in my predictions. I

would pick a month, in ,which a par-t Lcuf.ar- nationality would leave San Padr-o to be repatr~ated and would bet a dinner and 'show. I won all bets

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and this'included the previous departure of the Americans from San Pedro.

But tfiis 'time it was closel. On August 14th, there was no indication whatsoever and Bob. was gleefully"explaining that the next day, I would be pushing a coin with m_Y. nose across that filthy floor as I was losing .the bet·~

But. the "next day, our names were ,called and we were on our way

to San Sebastian for 10 days of quarantine and on August 2.5th. we crossed thEt 'border:

As for our stay in San Pedro, nothing much Happened.

We were all'received warmly by those left in San Pedro and, somehow, they had learned that we were returning for th~y expected us. ,

Radevoy Nicolich - the Yugoslav who later became a general in

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Tito's Partisans - had prepared a place for me at his side.

Yes, I played a lot of chess - especially with Nicolich - but,

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believe me, I did not have a ball:

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The food was just as bad, the place was just as filthy but

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conditions had improved. We were no longer beaten. Moremail was received. I receivesl 2 fine letters from you which were very informative - although, of necessity,. in some Aesopian language.

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There were no longer any classes nor other activities that we were engaged in prior to our departure for San Sebastian. We missed all of you and San Pedro was now a lonely, dreary place. The additional four months we spent as prisoners of Franco was, perhaps. the hardest time.

On our second trip to San Sebastian. we were taken to Ondaretta, ,the prison that Joe Young described ao well.

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We were visited by the Third Secretary of the Embassy and by Robert

Murphy - a career diplomat who became quite prominent and was later an adviser to Eisenhower. These gentlemen - especially Murphy -worked very hard for our release. Of course. it was the work and pressure of our friends in the first place that brought about the decision Qf our. Jlo-v,e..,-r-nm-ent to intercede. But once that decision was made, these men followed through diligently. We were also visited by a very handsome young man who brought us cigarettes as a' gift from the wife "of the Ambassador.

This young man - the Secretary of the Ambassador's wife - looked upon

us with awe and seemed to regard us as storybook heroes.

On. th~ evening before we were to go to Irun and cross the bridge into France, we were visited by the Third Secretary and by Mr. Murphy. They told us that it was the eve of World War II and that was why it was essential to get us but of there. It might soon be impossible. They also told us that they understood that we have pent-up feelings and would like to express them. But they counseled us not to demonstrate but to walk quietly across the bridge. For the situation is very tense in the world today and France is not the, same as it was when we cros~ed that country

on our way to Spain. But they reassured us that everyth~ng wou~-d be alright.We.--w$!le-···-h~~~< t(f',w§'lk:acr~5s the bridge' by ourselves -but they would follow in· a car !'ight behind us.

We walked across the International Bridge without incident and we were in Hendaye. the town from which I left for Spain via the Pyrenees.

The Secretary said goodbye and wished us .luck while Mr. Murphy remained with us.

The two Frenchmen who crossed with us were manacled and ostensibly were being held to see if they had evaded their military service. Actually, they were threatened, insulted and harassed until they were located by French anti-fascists - the Committee to aid Republican Spain - and rescued.

It was not the France of the Popular Front. There seemed to be a

semi-fascist regime. When war was declared, Germans were immediately interned as enemy aliens I .Anti-fasci~t German refugees from Hi t.ler and including Germans who fought against'fascism in the International Brigades.

We were ~reated, quite differently. We were taken to a Restaurant where a lavish meal was set before us. We,were then given some money and Mr. Murphy told us to meet him 6 P.M. at the Railroad Station.

We bought aome postcards and Bome French pastry but we sent most of the money to our comrades in San -Pedro. Mr. Murphy not only agreed

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t'O. ge:t '~ITlii'lri-oney<to-: th8(Plj'isoners 'but 'added to the BUm by matching the

amount we' gave him. - .'--

We left Hendaye that evening for Paris. ~e had breakfast in Paris with Mr. Murphy who then left us. Robert Murphy remark~d that we would all be right back as war Was about to break out. However, he said," would probably all be generals.

,fo "Do you think they'd trust us?" was the question one of us asked.

"It would be foolish not to utilize your experienc.- was Murphy's rejoinder.

We went on to Le Havre to await shipment back to the States. But that was not so easy. There were thousands of vacationers in France "ho wanted to get out. The ship-owners took advantage of the situation by charging First Class fare for Third Class accomodations. Those holding tickets

" for Third Class passa.ge had to wa1 t - and it cQuld.;·J)It,:"a ,J.,\Ong,. ene ,

Our passage had been paid by the Friends' Of the LincQln Brigad'e and the Consul in Le Havre had been instructed to get us on the first available ship. But the Consul cooperated fully with the ship-owners.

About a day or two after our arrival at Le Havre, we were toldthat there were four places available on a ship returning to the United States and O''1'oole, Stone, Tenner and Ziegler left. But that was all.

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We attempted to pressure the Consul, pointing out that most or the people returning had been away for months but that we had been away for years and should get some priority.

The Consul - a Mr. Biddle - took no pains to conceal his hostility

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toward us'but said that he would dO the best he can.

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On September 1st, as we sat down to dinner, Joe Young and Bob Steck were not there. We were not too concerned about that. Stevenson had just come from the movies and he told us that he had just seen us in a newsreel crossing the International Bridge. After dinner. we went to the theatre. Sure enough, a Paramount News-Reel showed us crossing ·into France with the explanation - in French - that we were Americans who

had been imprisoned by Franco •

When we returned to the hotel, Joe Young and Bob Steck were still missing. Now we were worried. Moish Tobman and 1 scoured the town, especially the waterfront where there were many night clubs. Although there was an effective Blackout in Le Havre, behind the .lights things were going strong. But we could ,find no trace of Young or Steck.

The next morning, at breakfast. the Consul paid us a visit and informed us that Bob and Joe had sailed yesterday on the lIe de France.

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On September 1st, the war was on. Germany had invaded Poland.

Passengers on the lIe de France panicked and left the ship just as she was about to sail. Joe and Bob had come into the office of the Consul at that time and were told that they could go but that they had to leave immediately and would have no time to go back to the Hotel.

About a week later, we were told that the four of us who were left - Steinberg, Stevenson, Tobman and myself.- could leave if we were willing to work in exchange for our passage •

1 said that this was against the rules of the National Maritime Union. We would be glad to work if we would be signed on as seamen and get paid.

~r,,_ ··Bj;d~He"· .WEfI.J·"vlfry;· a:ngry~.

"Don't speak Q,f unions to me:" he burst out.

I told him 1 was ,sorry he felt that way but that we are working people and respected trade unions.

About the middle of September, Mr. Biddle told us that freighters were being turned into emergency passenger ships and the four of us could be part of a crew on a freighter. Before I could say anything, the Consul turned to me and saidl

"YOU'll be paid."

And so we signed on.

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I understand that we were on the last boat out of Le Havre. They closed the port and Bordeaux became the only port in France.

In that situation. we were never sure that we wouid ever arrive.

But we made it.

On September 30 - two weeks after We set sail - we·arrived in

New York. Of course, our fare was refunded to the Friends. We got our Se~-men' s, paper-s a_nd we-r,e paid ~

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Hy Wallach - November 16, 1979 255 Eastern Parkway

Brooklyn, N.Y. 11238