Communicated by the 
Foreign Ministry Spokesman 
 Jerusalem, 6 July 2000

The Fate of Raoul Wallenberg Mission of Yohanan Bein to Moscow 

The fate of Raoul Wallenberg, a Righteous Gentile and an honorary citizen of Israel, has been shrouded in mystery since January 1945, when he was last seen for certain, escorted by Red Army forces.  

Several days ago, the Foreign Ministry sent former Ambassador Yohanan Bein on a special mission to Moscow. The purpose of the mission was to discover what progress has been made in the investigation into the disappearance of the Swedish diplomat, who was sent to Hungary in July 1944, at the height of the Holocaust and the Second World War. Wallenberg's outstanding efforts, resourcefulness and courage, in the face of great personal risk, succeeded in saving tens of thousands of Jews in Budapest from the Nazi extermination machine.  

During his visit in Moscow, Bein met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Avdeyev, with the Russian head of the joint Swedish-Russian committee investigating Wallenberg's fate, Mr. Vyachislav Tuchinin, and with the Swedish ambassador in Moscow, Mr. Sven Hirdman.  

Bein's reception in Moscow was open and friendly. In the course of his various meetings, he was updated on the work of the joint Russian-Swedish committee. The conclusion of his Russian counterparts was that the relevant documents were destroyed by the secret service of the former Soviet Union.  

The Deputy Foreign Minister and other participants in the dialogue repeatedly emphasized their sincere intention to arrive at the truth of this tragic episode, and that their efforts in this matter reflect their desire to demonstrate the change in the policy and foreign relations of the new Russia.