A Master Plan for Rescue: A Novel by Janis Cooke Newman

Author:Janis Cooke Newman [Newman, Janis Cooke]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-07-13T23:00:00+00:00

The Cuban government has ordered us to leave the harbor.

We shall depart at 10 am Friday morning.

Captain Schroeder ordered the full Suicide Patrol on watch for the entire night.

• • •

By the time Friday, June 2, dawned, bright and hot, the whole world knew our story. Knew how Captain Schroeder sailed the St. Louis three miles out from Havana Harbor, and then for two days sailed us in circles while a Jewish humanitarian organization in New York negotiated with the Cuban government—a government that was now demanding a sum of five hundred dollars for each of us.

Once it became clear that raising such a sum for Jews nobody wanted was not possible, the negotiators turned their hopes toward America.

Captain Schroeder turned the St. Louis toward America as well, sailing us on Sunday near enough to the Florida coastline, we could see the hotels lining the beaches of Miami. American fishing boats carrying news photographers skidded across the waves to shoot pictures of us. I stood at the railings, trying not to look like a miserable, wandering Jew as the photographers shouted at me in a language I didn’t understand. Their clicking cameras were Speed Graphics, which reminded me of Pietr, and made me wonder what kind of truth I represented.

But Jews, it turned out, were not very much more popular in America than they were in Nazi Germany, and Franklin Roosevelt did not wish to have nine hundred of them spilling onto the beach in Florida.

On Monday, we got word that Governor Brú had again changed his mind. He would grant us permission to land in Cuba if we remained on the Isle of Pines. Captain Schroeder turned the St. Louis back toward Havana.

But on Tuesday, after reading the morning newspapers, which revealed Cuban sentiment to be against this plan, Governor Brú had yet another change of heart. Captain Schroeder informed the Hapag Cruise Lines of Governor Brú’s decision. The cruise line sent the captain a three-word message.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.