Ian Ballon

This is Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara and his wife Yukiko. They spent 18-20 hours a day writing and signing transit visas by hand in Lithuania for thousands of Jews for 29 days from July 31 to August 28, 1940. Yukiko described their last days in Lithuania: "He was so exhausted, like a sick person. Even though he was ordered to go to Berlin, he said he couldn't make it to Berlin and suggested we go to a hotel and rest before leaving. When we got to the hotel, the Jewish people came looking for us there. So he wrote some more visas in the hotel. The next day when we got to the train station, they were there too. So he wrote more visas on the platform until the train left. Once we were on board, they were hanging on the windows, and he wrote some more. When the train started moving, he couldn't write anymore. Everyone was waving their hands. One of them called out, 'Thank you Mr. Sugihara, we will come to see you again,' and he came running after the train. I couldn't stop crying. When I think about it, even now, I can't help crying." As the train left the station, Sugihara said, "Please forgive me. I cannot write anymore. I wish you the best." It is estimated that the actions undertaken by him and his wife are responsible for the present lives of around 100,000 people. After the war, Sugihara was forced to resign and work menial jobs (selling light bulbs door to door). He languished in relative obscurity until 1968 when an Israeli diplomat managed to find him and finally got him the recognition that he deserved. Sugihara never told anyone what he had done during the war. Even his closest friends had no idea. "I may have disobeyed my government, but if I didn't, I would be disobeying God. In life, do what's right because it's right, and leave it alone."