Last Days of John Rabe
On January 5th, 1950, John Rabe passed away in West Berlin, aged 68.
Where to obtain fuel, food and job? We suffer from starvation. I am interrogated by policemen every day. These were extracts from the diary of Rabe in the years of 1945 and 1946.
He once was a legend in Nanjing but struggled to live back in Germany. Why could he be treated like that? What was his destiny?
Revelation of Japanese Atrocity
In February, 1938, Rabe packed the copy of video by John Magee about Japanese atrocity and then left Nanjing. On April 15th, 1938, Rabe and his wife returned to Germany and he was recognized for his outstanding achievements for many times.
Rabe once promised to Chinese that he would make the atrocity of Japanese invaders public. After returning to Germany, he kept his promise and reported to Germany authority on atrocity of Japanese invaders in Nanjing.
In May, 1938, Rabe gave speeches around Berlin and projected the video by John Magee, revealing Nanjing Massacre by Japanese invaders to Germans.
On June 8th, 1938, Rabe wrote a letter to Hitler together with a copy of Nanjing Massacre video and report, looking forward to get Hitler’s reply and support.
Several days later, however, Rabe was arrested by two Gestapos at home. He was released only after his employer provided guarantee for him and promised that he would never discuss about Japan in public.
The Gestapo warned Rabe not to give speeches, discuss or write about Nanjing Massacre before confiscating the copy of Magee’s video.
Last Leg of Life
Rabe wrote in his diary that “In Nanjing, I’m a living Buddha to tens of thousands of Chinese people, but now in Germany, I become an untouchable and abandoned by the society”.
The following years were a nightmare to Rabe and his family. During the World War II, his apartment was bombarded. After the war, Rabe’s family fell into poverty and he worked for Siemens now and then in translating correspondences into English. However, such meagre income could not make ends meet.
What made Rabe suffer more was a series of accusations. There was a tip-off of him once being a member of the Nazis and that dragged him into a prolonged lawsuit of denazification which consumed all his money and energy.
All his family were crowded in a small room, suffering from hunger and cold. Malnutrition caused skin disease and both mental and physical torture almost ruined Rabe’s health.
Following paragraphs are extracts from Rabe’s diary, telling his mentality in 1945 and 1946.
﹣ Siemens did not have vacancy for me. I lost my job……
﹣ Last Sunday, Dora (note: Rabe’s wife) and I went to Santona avenue (note: Rabe’s apartment was located on this avenue). Somebody cracked open the basement door and stole my typewriter, my radio and many other stuffing!
﹣ Dora is only 44 kilos and we are already very weak now. When summer comes to an end, what will winter bring us? Where can we obtain fuel, food and job? I’m now translating What Does War Mean? by Timperley (note: a book about Nanjing Massacre). But now I could not get the money yet. Maybe I could get a better food ration card.
﹣ We suffer from starvation. I have nothing to tell and thus I won’t write anything. Beside such miserably little food, what we have is only acorn flour porridge. Dora has collected some acorns furtively. Now, we don’t have any rationed food and we only eat nettles with horns on every day.
﹣ Yesterday, my application of denazification was rejected. As the chairman of International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone, I have saved the life of 250,000 Chinese. The reason of such rejection is that I served as head of the Nazis in Nanjing just for a while. I, with my intellect, should not have joined the Nazis. I plan to appeal……If they don’t give me the opportunity of working for Siemens, I don’t know how to make a living. Therefore, I have to keep fighting. But I’m too tired. And I am interrogated by policemen every day.
﹣ If I had ever heard of any atrocity by the Nazis in China, I would not join the Nazis. Being a German, if my claim is different from that of those British, Americans and Danes in Nanjing, they would not elect me to be the chairman of International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone! In Nanjing, I’m a living Buddha to tens of thousands of Chinese people, but now in Germany, I become an untouchable and abandoned by the society. Ah, how I wish to cure my nostalgia.
﹣ On June 3rd, Denazification Committee of British occupied area in Charlottenburg cleared my name from the Nazis. This verdict brought an end to the spiritual torture. Many friends and leaders from Siemens congratulated me. Siemens granted me a vacation so that I could recover from the previous pressure.
Gratitude from Nanjing
In 1948, news about Rabe’s predicament spread to China. It stroke a cord when Nanjing National Government conveyed the message of Rabe’s need of help to the citizens. Within few days, people raised RMB 100 million, equivalent to US$ 2,000.
In March, 1948, major of Nanjing arrived in Switzerland where he bought milk powder, sausages, tea, coffee, beef, butter and jam before mailing them to Rabe. After that, citizens in Nanjing mailed a pack of food to Rabe each month to express their gratitude to him for saving the life of people in Nanjing.
Before receiving these packages, Rabe’s family counted on boiling wild weeds to feed their kids while adults sustained on dry bread. What a relief to Rabe and his family upon receiving the packages!
In June, 1948, citizens in Nanjing received several letters of appreciation from Rabe who wrote that it gave him faith to rebuild life.
Rabe’s Diary Stuns the World
Before his death, Rabe left written heritage of his working experiences in China which was a 2,000 pages’ archive about Nanjing Massacre. Rabe printed, sorted out and stapled those papers some of which were with photos and other illustrations.
The archive contains witnesses’ report from foreigners, newspaper articles, broadcast coverages, telegraphs and photos revealing various atrocities. Mrs. Reinhardt, Rabe’s granddaughter, inherited these documents.
With joint efforts, Rabe’s diary was finally made public. On December 12th, 1996, Mrs. Reinhardt, aged 65, released Rabe’s diary in the U.S. to journalists from around the globe, stunning the world instantly.
Nanjing Never Forgets You
After his death in January, 1950, Rabe’s family buried him in Kaiser Wilhelm Ged？chtniskirche cemetery in west Berlin. Since there was limitation of graveyard usage in Germany, Rabe’s was overdue in 1985.
In January,1997, Mrs. Reinhardt asked her son to bring Rabe’s tombstone back to her garage. Later on, Thomas Rabe, Rabe’s grandson, expressed to Chinese embassy in Germany his wish of renewing and renovating Rabe’s graveyard. Upon hearing the news, Nanjing municipality paid high attention to it and decided to offer support when necessary.
In October, 2013, Rabe’s memorial cemetery was accomplished. On December 11th, a commemorative ceremony was held in the cemetery. Nowadays, the graveyard is surrounded by bamboos, plum blossoms and chrysanthemums from Nanjing while riverstones are laid on the top of tombstone.
In 1997, Mrs. Reinhardt donated Rabe’s tombstone to the Memorial which is now exhibited in the section of Humanitarian Relief during Nanjing Massacre in the Memorial. The tombstone does not only engrave the humanitarian spirit of Mr. Rabe but also the appreciation to Mr. Rabe from Chinese people.
In recent years, Rabe’s story hits the screen and stage. Opera John Rabe has been performed in three cities in two European countries, enabling more people to learn about stories of international friends including Rabe in helping sufferers in Nanjing.
In the afternoon on July 4th, 2017, cultural delegation from Jiangsu Province and representatives from John Rabe opera crew paid a visit to the graveyard. Ling Xi, deputy curator of the Memorial, laid flower tributes to Mr. Rabe.
“I have to see these atrocities with my eyes
So that I could narrate them as a witness
Facing the brutal enormity
We shall not be silent anymore.”
--- John Rabe