He found something to laugh about, relatives recall, even in the worst of times. And Sousa Mendes loved his mistress, who was five months pregnant with his 15th child. He loved Portugal, and wrote a book extolling this “land of dreams and poetry.” He loved belting out popular French tunes, especially Rina Ketty’s “J’attendrai,” a tender love song that in the shifting context of war was becoming an anthem for peace. Portugal’s portly consul general in Bordeaux, France, Sousa Mendes lived in a large flat overlooking the Garonne River with his wife and several of their 14 children-all of whom were becoming increasingly concerned.Īn aristocrat and bon vivant, Sousa Mendes deeply loved his family. It was the second week of June 1940, and Aristides de Sousa Mendes would not come out of his room.
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