Son praises father’s courage in aiding Jews during Holocaust

Hiram Bingham was a man who, according to his son, only rarely swore and never got so much as a speeding ticket.

He was also a diplomat who openly defied a direct order from the secretary of state, issuing countless visas to Jews attempting to escape the Holocaust in Europe.

David Bingham, Hiram’s son, spoke about his father’s moral courage before an audience of about 50 last night as part of the “Visas for Life” lecture series.

“He felt there was a higher law he was following,” David said.

Hiram served as vice consul in charge of visas at the United States embassy in Marseilles, France during the time Adolf Hitler ruled Germany. At that time, Marseilles was “teeming with refugees,” who often lined up around the block outside the embassy hoping to acquire visas, David said.

“It was my father’s job to turn these people away,” since the United States government would not allow the embassy to issue visas, David said.

Hiram was “confronted with a moral dilemma — do you provide papers or do you follow your government?” David said.

Hiram chose to go against the government and provide the papers, working closely with American journalist Varian Frey, a reporter who had come to France with a request from Eleanor Roosevelt to help individuals on Hitler’s “most wanted” list escape.

Many of those on the list took shelter at Hiram’s house in Marseilles before traveling to safety.

“At his table every night were people like [painter] Marc Chagall, Nobel Prize winners in literature, artists, writers, physicists … an unbelievable group of people,” David said.

Hiram did not only help dignitaries, however.

“We have no idea how many he gave out or exactly how many people are there because of this episode,” David said.

The Binghams have directly seen these effects of Hiram’s efforts. Around 15 years ago, David said, his father heard from a woman whose father had been an editor in Paris. Their family had been denied visas until Hiram provided them.

These actions, however, had their costs. According to David, his father’s career “essentially went sideways from then on.”

“We never knew why,” David said. “He was continuing to be shuffled sideways” while other diplomatic officials in his position were moving up the ranks to become ambassadors.

“None of us knew he was providing visas illegally,” David said. It was not until Hiram and his wife, Rose, both died that the Bingham children discovered a box full of mementos and letters that revealed Hiram’s work.

“I think even now he would be sort of embarrassed to have everyone know that he defied the United States government,” David said.

The “Visas for Life” project has been “wonderful,” David said, especially in allowing him to get to know the families of other diplomats.

“As we’ve gotten to know their families — Muslim, Shinto, Catholic — remarkably, it seemed like we were all one family,” he said. “If there’s a way to have people learn courage … if we can help in any way, I think that’s something we can all be very proud of.”

Karen Bohlin, director of the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character, also spoke last night on the “Visas for Life” exhibit and the diplomats featured in it.

“Their stories restore our sense of hope in humanity and its potential for greatness,” she said. “None of these diplomats were scheming to become heroes.”

She praised the “Visas for Life” project for its ability to provide models of moral courage.

“What ‘Visas for Life’ does for us is help enrich the moral imagination of young people,” Bohlin said. “We can honor these diplomats by responding to the call for moral courage in our own lives.”

Sarahgrace Kelly, a School of Education sophomore, said she attended the lecture to get extra credit for her philosophy class, but found it interesting nonetheless.

“I was really interested to hear people’s stories,” she said, “which is something I wasn’t expecting.”