Henry K. Silberman - Getting to the United States

Getting to the United States

Dad's Memoirs (English Version):

Thus, weeks passed monotonously. We tried to amuse ourselves playing paper and pencil games such as Naval Battle or dominoes with out crude cutouts. Visits to the American Consulate were high points, especially since the consul had the kindness to schedule appointments for my friend Alice Joseph at the same time and usually made us wait an hour or so before he would see us. on the way back to jail my plainclothesman let me stop at a coffeehouse where I could sample delicious pastries. [1] On a couple of occasion my escort even offered me the opportunity to visit a cathouse - but I thanked him for, his cooperation and turned the offer down. Eventually our immigration visas arrived, and with the help of the above mentioned family arrangements were made to book passage on the Italian steamer "Roma" in the beginning of May. [2] Police escorted me to the harbor and delivered me to the embarkation authorities. I decorated myself with my old Italian student insignia - and for the first time in three months I was a free man. I finally met the Oppenheimers who actually had the Chutzpah to take me off the ship in order to give me a brief conducted tour of Lisbon and a very good bon voyage meal. Of course Alice boarded the same ship. The other companions left a couple of weeks later. [3] But this was the last crossing for an Italian steamer, because Italy entered the war[4] and the war took a more decisive turn while we were en route. Germany overran the Netherlands and Belgium and invaded France[5]. By the time I arrived in New York [May 16] the Europe I had known had ceased to exist.

Request to Visit U.S. Consulate (from the Prison Dossier)

Lisbon, 16 April 1940

To His Excellency
The Director General of the International Police
Lisbon

Your Excellency,

The Consul of the United States of America has invited me to present myself at the Consulate on Thursday, 18 April, at two o'clock sharp, in order to obtain my immigration visa definitively.

I respectfully request that Your Excellency arrange for me to be escorted to the Consulate and to provide the official responsible for my passport. As this visit is of the utmost importance, I venture to ask Your Excellency not to allow it to be delayed under any circumstances.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurance of my highest consideration.

Respectfully,

Heinz Silbermann

Visa

Dad's visa was issued on April 18, 1940 (see images below). As noted on Roma manifest, Alice's visa was the preceding number, so getting in to the consulate together helped.

Dad's Memoirs (additional from German version):

... and some port wine.... My companion never took anything, even though I offered it to him. The cops were never the same. Incidentally, no one was surprised at the company. It seemed to me that a lot of people were walking around with police escorts. After my conversations with the Lord of Coimbra, I got the impression that since the abolition of the monarchy the political situation in Portugal has changed constantly and that half of the population has either been in government or in prison.
Then we had to wait for a neutral ship my parents managed to get us through an organization in England - I don't remember who came to help. ... shipped book for May 7, 1940.
The day before my departure, Mr Fonseca had me come around once to evict me from Portugal. I tried to make it clear to him that I had never entered Portugal before - so I could hardly be thrown in. He didn't understand that - people like that have no sense of humor. Unfortunately, I must have lost the document - in any case, I can no longer find it.
But then there was no longer any great sailing -- they had to be content with the small Greek or Portuguese boats. Our crossing went smoothly. The ship was almost empty.
Italy actually didn't declare war on England and France until June 10.
The German invasion of those countries began on May 10.

Order to Release (from Prison Dossier)

OPINION

It is my opinion that the defendants should be officially notified to leave the country, by order of the Minister, and that they be prohibited from re-entering Portugal for an indefinite period.

Lisbon, 5 May 1940

The Deputy (Assistant Official)

Handwritten instruction:

Let them be notified.

8 May 1940

Expulsion Order from Portugal (from the Prison Dossier)

Google Translate of expulsion notice:

NOTICE OF ORDER

On the seventh day of May, nineteen hundred and forty, in this city of Lisbon and at the Investigation Section of the Police for the Surveillance and Defense of the State, acting under the orders of the Honorable Deputy Porfírio Hipólito Azevedo da Fonseca, I personally served notice upon the German national HEINZ SILBERMANN—a defendant in criminal case file number 194/40, opened by this Police force—that, pursuant to a decree by His Excellency the Minister, he is expelled from the territory of the Portuguese Republic and is banned from entering the country for an indefinite period. The person notified declared that he fully understood this Notice of Order, of which he retains a copy, and pledged on his honor to observe and respect it in its entirety. To attest to this, the present Notice of Order was drawn up and signed by Investigator José Maria Brancuinho, by the person notified, by witnesses Cipriano Viegas da Silva and Alfredo da Fonseca Santos (both agents of this Police force), and by me, Luiz Filipe de Sá, the clerk who typed it.

Eviction and Delivery to Ship (from the Prison Dossier)

Handwritten. ChatGPT translation of transcription:

First page:

The expulsion order having been carried out, in accordance with the attached report, prepared by the agent who delivered the passport and the prisoner's record, with which the same proceeded to America.

Lisbon, 8 May 1940

[Signature]

Second page:

I inform Your Excellency that, having been ordered by Chief José Maria Branquinho to escort the German national Heinz Silbermann from Caxias Prison to the steamship Roma, as he had been expelled by this Police, I there delivered the said German national to the emigration officer on duty aboard the said vessel.

Lisbon, 8 May 1940.

The Agent,

Belmiro Fernando Ferreira Miranda

Expulsion Confirmation (from the Prison Dossier)

INFORMATION

The order appearing on page 39 has been carried out, as is confirmed by Service Orders Nos. 130/40, 141/40, and 25/41.

Lisbon, 25 January 1941

The Investigator

J. Branquinho

Administrative notes

Archive the file.
25 January 1941.

Later notation (1953):

Cancel the entry-ban orders.

By order of the Director.

16 February 1953.

Revocation of Expulsion (from the Prison Dossier)

Note that this didn't happen until 3.5 years after the order noted above.

ENTRY BANS:

That the orders banning the entry into the country of German nationals HEINZ SILBERMANN, WALTER GOTTLIEB, and HERMANN ISRAEL FURNBERO—referenced, respectively, in Official Communications Nos. 130/40, 141/40, and 25/41—be annulled.

(Case File No. 194/40).

Lisbon, October 30, 1956.

THE DEPUTY INSPECTOR

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