Page 159 - LEIBY

Chapter 20 159

his undercover missions and the predicament he was in, now
that the Soviets had seized power and were thirsty for revenge.

The priest calmed him down.“Don’t worry,Yozek,”he said softly.
“You were a loyal partner in our battle against the Bolsheviks,
and we know how to protect our men…” He lowered his voice
even more. “There’s an organization that I heard about from
one of my contacts in the Vatican,” he whispered. “It’s called
‘Odessa,’ and it was set up to help good faithful Christians
who supported the Nazis and are now being persecuted by the
Soviet invaders. They can help you to get to South America.”

Yozek’s eyes lit up in hope, and the priest continued. “Of course,
clandestineness is paramount for the escape to succeed. Your
journey will begin in the POW camps in Germany, and there
you’ll receive a passport from the Red Cross that will allow
you entry into the Vatican. Father Kronoslav Dargonovitz,
the Croatian ambassador to the Vatican, takes care of issuing
the passports. After several weeks of relaxation in the Vatican
monasteries, you’ll finally leave Europe for South America.
Juan Ferro, the prime minister of Argentina, has already given
tens of thousands of entry permits for our men, and is prepared
to give us as many as we need.”

The priest fell silent. He took a heaping spoonful of meat and
chewed with obvious enjoyment. “The only difficulty that you
may face is getting to Germany,” he said, a thin dribble of gravy
running down his chin. “We can’t help you with that, because
we can’t risk giving the Bolsheviks an opportunity to besmirch
the good name of the Church. However, there is a solution to
that problem too. You’ll have to find a way to join a group of
Jews leaving Poland. Since the pogrom we organized in Kieltze,
they’re leaving in droves. You’ll have to masquerade as a Jew and
go with them. Once you get to Germany, just get away from the
group, and contact the Vatican representative in Berlin. He’ll
put you in touch with Odessa. Does anyone in Berlin know you
at all?”

“They certainly do,” replied Yozek proudly. He showed the