During the winter of 1944, Giorgio Perlasca operated as the Spanish consul-general in Budapest to protect 5,218 individuals from deportation. An Italian businessperson and civil servant, he leveraged his status as a veteran of the Spanish Civil War to secure diplomatic immunity and facilitate the survival of thousands during a period of extreme persecution in Hungary.
Military and Political Background
Born in 1910 in Como, Italy, Perlasca participated in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War and later served in the Spanish Civil War as a member of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie. Following these conflicts, he became disillusioned with fascism, specifically citing Mussolini's alliance with the political regime that had adopted the 1938 Italian racial laws. By the start of World War II, he worked as a procurement officer for the Italian government, tasked with securing supplies in the Balkans and meat in Eastern Europe.
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Following the Italian surrender on 8 September 1943, Perlasca refused to join the Italian Social Republic and remained loyal to the King. After being detained in Hungary, he obtained a medical pass and successfully sought asylum at the Spanish Embassy under the name Jorge. Collaborating with Spanish Chargé d'Affaires Ángel Sanz Briz, he utilized protection cards to house Jews in extraterritorial locations. When Sanz Briz departed in November 1944, Perlasca assumed the role of consul-general, continuing to issue safe conduct passes based on a defunct 1924 Spanish decree while shielding thousands of residents in the capital.
Intervention and Legacy
In December 1944, Perlasca confronted German officers to rescue two boys from a deportation train, an encounter that brought him into proximity with Adolf Eichmann. He also successfully blocked a plan to destroy the Budapest Ghetto by threatening Hungarian officials with economic repercussions against alleged Spanish citizens. Despite his actions, he received little official recognition after returning to Italy in 1945. It was not until 1987, when the group of survivors located him, that his efforts gained widespread public attention, leading to his designation as Righteous Among the Nations in 1988.
Fast facts
- Born: 1910, Como, Italy
- Died: 1992, Padua, Italy
- Role: Spanish consul-general in Hungary, 1944
- Number of lives saved: 5,218
- Military service: Corpo Truppe Volontarie
- Righteous Among the Nations: 1988
- Awards: Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, Gold medal for civil merit
Questions readers ask
How did Perlasca avoid arrest in Hungary?
He utilized a medical pass to travel and claimed asylum at the Spanish Embassy, leveraging his prior status as a veteran of the Spanish Civil War to obtain protection as a neutral Spanish national.
Why was his story unknown for so many years?
Perlasca documented his actions in a 1945 memorandum but kept the information private after receiving no interest from government bodies. His activities only became public in 1987 after survivors located him.
Achievements
- Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
- Righteous Among the Nations — 1988
- Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- Gold medal for civil merit
- Worked as civil servant, philanthropist and economist
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