Sweden’s Neutrality During World War II

During WWII, Sweden maintained an official policy of neutrality. In practice, this meant navigating a complex and often controversial middle ground. Sweden avoided occupation, unlike neighbouring Norway and Denmark, but continued economic relations with Nazi Germany for much of the war.

This included supplying critical materials such as iron ore and allowing limited transit of German troops through Swedish territory, especially in the early war years. At the same time, Sweden gradually shifted its position and, by 1943, began accepting Jewish refugees, particularly from Denmark.

This dual approach, balancing cooperation and resistance, forms the political backdrop of The Swedish Connection.

Gösta Engzell and Diplomatic Rescue Efforts

Gösta Engzell was a Swedish diplomat and head of the legal department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He played a crucial role behind the scenes by shaping Sweden’s legal and diplomatic response to the refugee crisis.

Engzell helped develop strategies that enabled Sweden to intervene on behalf of Jewish individuals, particularly in Norway and, later, Denmark. These efforts often relied on identifying or constructing “Swedish connections” to justify issuing protective documents such as temporary passports.

Bureaucracy as a Tool of Resistance

One of the most striking elements of this story is the use of bureaucracy as a form of resistance. While Nazi Germany relied heavily on documentation, classification, and legal structures to carry out persecution, diplomats like Engzell used those same systems to push back.

By requesting clarifications, exploiting loopholes, and issuing provisional documents, they were able to delay deportations and create opportunities for escape. This approach is sometimes referred to as “paperwork resistance”.

Although these methods did not always succeed, delays could mean the difference between life and death, especially as the war progressed.

The Danish Rescue Operation

A key historical moment reflected in the film is the rescue of Danish Jews in 1943. When Nazi Germany began plans to deport Denmark’s Jewish population, a coordinated effort involving Danish citizens, resistance networks, and Swedish support helped ferry around 7,000 to 8,000 Jews across the Øresund Strait to safety in Sweden.

Approximately 500 Danish Jews were deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, but most survived the war, in part due to sustained diplomatic pressure from Sweden and Denmark, as well as the delivery of aid packages which prevented starvation and malnourishment.

Raoul Wallenberg and the Expansion of These Methods

The work of Gösta Engzell helped lay the groundwork for later diplomatic rescue missions, most notably that of Raoul Wallenberg. In 1944, Wallenberg was sent to Budapest, where he used protective passports, safe houses, and direct intervention to save Hungarian Jews.

His approach was built on the same principles: using bureaucracy, legal ambiguity, and diplomatic authority to disrupt Nazi processes. He was also known to intervene directly and, in doing so, often endangered himself.

Wallenberg was detained by Soviet forces in 1945, thought to be a spy, and was never seen again.

Kurt Gerstein and Early Reports of the Holocaust

Another historical figure referenced in the film is Kurt Gerstein, an SS officer who witnessed mass killings at extermination camps such as Bełżec and Treblinka.

Gerstein attempted to inform diplomats, church officials, and neutral governments about what he had seen. While his reports did reach some audiences, they were often dismissed or not acted upon decisively, largely because the scale and nature of the atrocities were difficult for many to believe at the time.