Baron William T. Frary von Blomberg

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Baron William Theobald Frary von Blomberg (* 1904 in Lynn, Massachusetts , † 1983 ) was an American advisor on international relations for governments in exile who was adopted into the German noble family von Blomberg . He dedicated his life to public relations, the protection of ethnic minorities , Christian ecumenism and the dialogue between religions . He was also an ambassador for the Order of St. John .

Life

Early years

William Theobald Frary was born in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1904, the son of an Irish foreman at a shoe factory. He attended Boston University , worked as a press agent for a while, and eventually opened a public relations bureau. Politically, William T. Frary was on the side of the Republican Party . He was the founder and president of the Massachusetts Young People's Republican Club in Essex, Massachusetts.

In addition to working for the " League of Neighbors " from Boston , he promoted an exhibition of African American artists.

adoption

At such an art exhibition in 1929 he met the German baroness Adelheid Maria von Blomberg (* 1863, † 1949), who had settled in the city in 1883. In a first conversation it became clear that both were members of the interreligious “ World Fellowship of Faiths ” and had many common interests. The baroness found William such a fondness that she adopted him in November 1933. From then on, William T. Frary, who was just 26 years old, was allowed to call himself Baron William T. Frary von Blomberg. In the summer of 1934 the young baron sailed to Europe and visited his new relatives in Germany. The baroness was the cousin of Werner Eduard Fritz von Blomberg , the German Reichswehr Minister , which is why William was personally introduced to the German Chancellor Adolf Hitler . Despite his second residence in Germany, William continued to live in the United States.

Career start

Due to his nobility, Baron William T. Frary von Blomberg moved in the circles of international diplomacy and soon learned to use his position within the public. As international secretary of the " World Fellowship of Faiths " for North and South America, Blomberg spoke out in 1940 against the anti-Jewish policy of the German Reich . At the same time, he demanded that the US should stay out of an overseas war and not participate in it in any way.

After the Second World War , Baron William T. Frary von Blomberg turned to Pentecostalism in 1948 and supported the " International Council for Christian Leadership " (ICCL) founded in 1947 , of which he became its international director.

Diplomatic service

When communism was perceived as a new threat to the free world after the defeat of Nazi Germany , Baron William T. Frary von Blomberg campaigned for a common spiritual bulwark of Protestants , Catholics and Jews against communism in order to prevent communist infiltration of countries prevent. So he sometimes supported Christian evangelists who were active behind the Iron Curtain .

He showed not only a strong commitment to exiled heads of state - such as the Albanian King Ahmet Zogu - but also to displaced persons and minorities. Through his mediation, he persuaded US President Harry S. Truman to accept over a million Polish refugees. His commitment to the Armenian people earned him the friendship of the Armenian-American businessman Demos Shakarian , who founded the " Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International " (FGBMFI) in 1951 . For example, Blomberg was elected international vice-president of the American Caribbean Missons on the committee of the Christian Businessmen's Fellowship in Jamaica . He has appeared as a guest speaker at various Pentecostal events and has held the office of International Director of the World Congress of Faiths . Baron William T. Frary von Blomberg toured Europe, the Near and Middle East, Africa and Asia. On his trip to India in 1954, he was accompanied by healing evangelists William Branham and Ern Baxter , whom he had met through the FGBMFI. On the route he met with the exiled Egyptian King Faruq in Rome and with the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in Bonn . In West Germany, Blomberg campaigned for German refugees from the Eastern Bloc countries and campaigned for the interests of the displaced. His worldwide commitment brought him into contact with many leading figures, including Pope Pius XII. , the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco , the British Prime Minister Clement Attlee , Prince Umberto of Italy , King Paul I of Greece , the Duke of Windsor , King Abdallah ibn Husain I of Transjordan , Queen Friederike of Greece , King Gustav VI. of Sweden , King Carol II of Romania , Prince Teymuraz Bagration of Georgia († 1992), President Vincent Auriol of France , Federal Chancellor Leopold Figl of Austria , Federal Chancellor Ludwig Erhard , the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India , the Albanian pretender to the throne Leka Zogu , the Arab Prince Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz , Patriarch Athinagoras of Constantinople († 1972), Patriarch Benedictus of Jerusalem († 1980) and the Mormon President Ezra Taft Benson .

In New Delhi , Baron Blomberg was elected Vice-President of the " World Fellowship of Religions " founded by Kirpal Singh in 1957 . An office that he held until his death. More than a decade later, the Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi appointed him vice-chairman for the preparations for the 2500 anniversary of Persia in 1971 .

death

Baron William T. Frary von Blomberg died in 1983. To this day, there is not a single publication about his eventful life.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Washington CH Herald , Washington Court House, Ohio, September 30, 1933
  2. ↑ The Orlando Sentinel , Orlando, Florida, March 20, 1953
  3. ^ The Morning News , Wilmington, Delaware, June 10, 1966
  4. ^ The Waco News-Tribune , Waco, Texas, October 13, 1933
  5. ↑ Star Tribune , Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 5, 1935
  6. ^ The New York Times , New York, July 24, 1934
  7. ^ The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle , Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 21, 1934
  8. ^ The Morning News , Wilmington, Delaware, February 22, 1940
  9. ^ The Courier News , Nov. 7, 1940
  10. ^ The Los Angeles Times , Los Angeles, California, April 1, 1949
  11. ^ Oakland Tribune , Oakland, California, March 18, 1949
  12. ^ The Portsmouth Herald , Portsmouth, New Hampshire, May 12, 1953
  13. ↑ Albert Lulushi, Operation Valuable Fiend: The CIA's First Paramilitary Strike Against the Iron Curtain , Arcade Publishing, New York, New York 2014
  14. ^ The Sun , San Bernardino County, California, December 13, 1978
  15. ^ Oakland Tribune , Oakland, California, March 18, 1949
  16. ↑ Roy Weremchuk, THUS Saith the Lord? , Deutscher Wissenschafts-Verlag, Baden-Baden 2019, p. 207
  17. ^ The Portsmouth Herald , Portsmouth, New Hampshire, June 7, 1951
  18. ^ Press & Sun Bulletin, Binghamton, New York, April 23, 1955
  19. ↑ Roy Weremchuk 2019, p. 219 ff.
  20. ^ The Sun , San Bernardino County, California, July 22, 1955
  21. ^ The Portsmouth Herald , Portsmouth, New Hampshire, February 8, 1961
  22. ^ Der Spiegel , Hamburg, December 29, 1969
  23. ↑ PR PILGRIMS. In: Der Spiegel . No. 53 , 1969, p. 14 ( online - December 29, 1969 ).
  24. ^ The Decatur Daily Review , Decatur, Illinois, September 8, 1955
  25. ^ The Greenville News , Greenville, South Carolina, Nov. 5, 1978
  26. ^ The Palm Beach Post , Palm Beach County, California, April 1, 1972
personal data
SURNAME Blomberg, Baron William T. Frary of
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blomberg, Baron William Theobald Frary von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American diplomat
DATE OF BIRTH 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH Lynn , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH 1983