MS St. Louis in Havana Harbor, Cuba

Front: Black and white photograph of a large ship surrounded by smaller boats in water. To the left of it is a harbor where people stand and look at the large boat. Back: Large stamp with an eagle. Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: The St. Louis ( The Voyage of the Damned ) had anchored 12 miles out, and now is escorted by Cuban government boats toward the open sea. Her captain, Gustav Schroeder, is concerned about mass suicides from the beleaguered passengers. Cuba, having initially refused to allow the refugees to debark, ultimately consents to allow only passengers to enter with valid Cuban visas. Only 22 passengers are able to meet this standard; moreover, efforts of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his cabinet, and the pleas of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (the Joint ), are not successful in persuading Cuba to accept the refugees. Captain Schroeder, a non-Jewish German, tries desperately to find safe haven for the remaining passengers. The U.K., Belgium, France, and the Netherlands each agree to take some of the passengers; however, when the Nazis overrun Europe the following year, all Jews are placed at risk, including the passengers of the St. Louis. Approximately 254 passengers of the MS St. Louis will ultimately perish in the Holocaust.https://digital.kenyon.edu/bulmash/1181/thumbnail.jp