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Bernadotte, Count Folke
Bernadotte, Count Folke (1895–1948),a nephew of King Gustav of Sweden, whose diplomatic skills the Nazis attempted to use to avoid unconditional surrender.
As vice-president of the Swedish Red Cross, Bernadotte twice arranged for the exchange of sick and disabled prisoners-of-war. In February 1945 Himmler, without Hitler's authority, asked Bernadotte to mediate with the western Allies. Bernadotte, a skilful negotiator, agreed, provided Danish and Norwegian political prisoners were released from Sachsenhausen. On 24 April Himmler asked him to negotiate the capitulation of German forces to the western Allies, whose forces were to face the Red Army, but three days later Bernadotte informed him this proposal had been rejected. (On hearing about these negotiations Hitler ordered Himmler's arrest and had his adjutant shot.) Bernadotte became president of the Swedish Red Cross in 1946 and was assassinated by Jewish extremists while acting as a mediator for the United Nations Security Council. See also International Red Cross Committee. |
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I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. " Bernadotte, Count Folke." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. " Bernadotte, Count Folke." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-BernadotteCountFolke.html I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. " Bernadotte, Count Folke." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-BernadotteCountFolke.html |
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Bernadotte, Folke, Count
Bernadotte, Folke, Count (b. 2 Jan. 1895, d. 17 Sept. 1948). Swedish international mediator Born in Stockholm, the nephew of King Gustav V of Sweden, he was involved in work for humanitarian causes for most of his life, particularly on behalf of the Red Cross. During World War II, he managed to establish good contacts with Himmler, thanks to which he was able to save around 30,000 people (among them around 20,000 Scandinavians) from Nazi concentration camps. In return, he was asked by Himmler to arrange peace talks with the Allies in 1945, to Hitler's great irritation. As president of the Swedish Red Cross since 1946, he was asked by Trygve Lie to act as a mediator in Palestine in 1948 for the UN. He was murdered by Israeli terrorists determined to prevent the partition of Palestine.
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Bernadotte, Folke, Count." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Bernadotte, Folke, Count." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-BernadotteFolkeCount.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Bernadotte, Folke, Count." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-BernadotteFolkeCount.html |
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Count Folke Bernadotte
Count Folke Bernadotte , 1895–1948, Swedish internationalist; nephew of King Gustavus V. He was active in the Swedish Red Cross and became its president in 1946. Early in 1945 he arranged the evacuation of Danish and Norwegian prisoners from German concentration camps and conveyed a peace offer from Heinrich Himmler to the British and U.S. authorities. Appointed (1948) United Nations mediator in Palestine, he was assassinated by Jewish extremists; Ralph Bunche succeeded him. Bernadotte wrote several autobiographical books.
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"Count Folke Bernadotte." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Count Folke Bernadotte." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-BernadotCnt.html "Count Folke Bernadotte." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-BernadotCnt.html |
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Bernadotte, Folke, Count
Bernadotte, Folke, Count (1895–1948) Swedish international mediator. The nephew of Gustav V, he entered the Swedish army as a young man. During World War II he worked for the Swedish Red Cross and in 1948 was appointed as UN mediator to supervise the implementation of the partition of PALESTINE and the creation of ISRAEL. He was murdered by Israeli terrorists.
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Cite this article
"Bernadotte, Folke, Count." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Bernadotte, Folke, Count." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-BernadotteFolkeCount.html "Bernadotte, Folke, Count." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-BernadotteFolkeCount.html |
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