Paying the Price
“Aristides de Sousa Mendes 1950,” Wikimedia Commons, 1950
On April 3, 1954, Sousa Mendes died from a stroke at age 69, “where he was born [in Portugal] – except that he was born in a palace and died destitute.” (Fernanda Dias de Jesus de Silva, servant for the Sousa Mendes’)
“Telegram from Aristides asking for a hearing in the MNE, after returning to Portugal,” Aristides de Sousa Mendes: Un Justo Contra a Corrente, Miriam Assor, Guerra e Paz, 2009
After his trial and sentencing, Sousa Mendes was forced to live in poverty and obscurity in Lisbon with his wife. He was helped only by a local Jewish soup kitchen funded by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society also helped three of his sons to move to America.
“Mausoléu de Sousa Mendes,” WW2 Gravestone, 2012
Header image: “Refugees housed in Aristides de Sousa’s house, in Cabanas de Virato, August 1940,” Aristides de Sousa Mendes: Un Justo Contra a Corrente, Miriam Assor, Guerra e Paz, 2009
Henri Zvi Deustch, 22 Dec. 1995, USC Shoah
Foundation Visual History Archive
A website by Nico Allen
Created for the 2023 Lowell Milken Center for
Unsung Heroes Discovery Award Competition
When he returned to Portugal, Sousa Mendes requested an audience with Salazar to explain his actions. This further infuriated Salazar, who instead filed a legal case against Sousa Mendes, citing his many infractions during the past year.
As a result, Sousa Mendes was heavily punished. In addition to being stripped of diplomatic rank, he was permanently banned from acquiring a job again in Portugal. His children were also banned from attending college or entering a high-paying profession.
While some of his family appreciated and admired the sacrifices Sousa Mendes made, others did not understand. During the three-day mass visa issuing period, his daughter Isabel had begged, “You must stop, Father! Stop taking so many risks! You ought to think of your future and ours!” (Isabel Maria de Sousa Mendes) However, Sousa Mendes followed his conscience despite the great personal cost.
