April 19 — Woman With A Message

Here is the text of the telegram in a more comprehensible format:

Received at 28 Geary Street San Francisco CAL 1946 April 19 10:29pm Standard Time
To Harry Lowell 3494 21st St, San Francisco
Arrange meeting me New York Vulcania April 29th
Happy to see you
All liberty sweet
Enjoyed Egypt, Naples
Love
Helen

Below is a copy of Helene’s travel document, including stamps from Egypt. Since she was stateless, this affidavit was issued so that she could make the trip to the U.S. After that, it was meaningless.

Note the stamp that says the affidavit is good for a single journey within 2 months of issue.

AFFIDAVIT IN LIEU OF PASSPORT.
City of Istanbul
Consulate General of the
United States of America
Before me, Charles P. McVicker, Jr., Vice Consul of the United States of America at Istanbul, Turkey, duly commissioned and qualified, personally appeared this 28th day of November A.D., 1945, Mrs. HELENE COHEN, affiant herein, who after being duly sworn, deposes and says:
That her full name is Helene Cohen and that her present address is c/o Gislaved Ltd. S., Asirefendi Cad., Bencibara H. 4/8, Istanbul, Turkey;
That she was born at Bilin, Czechoslovakia, on November 20, 1886;
That she departed from Bilin, Czechoslovakia, in December, 1902 for Vienna, Austria, where she lived until October, 1943, at which time she was deported to a concentration camp in Ravensbruck, Germany, by the Gestapo; in March, 1945, she was released by means of an exchange of Turkish and German nationals and sent to Istanbul, Turkey, where she was interned together with other refugees;
That she was formerly of Turkish nationality but is unable to obtain a regular passport because her husband and herself were expatriated as they had not been in Turkey since 1927 and are no longer recognized as Turkish citizens;
That she executed this affidavit in order to have a travel document upon which to proceed to the United States where she intends to reside permanently.
And further deponent saith not.

If I were not writing a blog based on the date, I might end the story here as Helene boards the ship to the U.S. It’s wonderful to think about the happiness and relief Helene and her children have about her safety and their imminent reunion.