The Foreign Service Journal, September 2019

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2019 47 / Fearing entrapment, as its gallant but weaker forces are being swiftly overwhelmed by the Nazi onslaught, the Polish govern- ment leaves Warsaw on Sept. 5. The Biddles, their Great Dane and several embassy staff, including five women clerks, follow at the Poles’ request. Among those joining the ambassador is Eugenia McQuatters, one of several unsung and often overlooked female secretar- ies and code clerks who constitute an important cadre of State Department staff. To her surprise, Ms. McQuatters finds herself behind the wheel of a station wagon loaded with four female clerks, a Polish male and drums of gasoline, navigating unfamiliar roads in dangerous blackout conditions. A brief stop along the escape route nearly proves fatal as Ger- man bombs hit the center of the market town, striking quite close to the temporary embassy. Fortunately, on Sept. 14, Biddle and his party safely cross into Romania. / With the ambassador’s departure, Consul General John Ker Davis assumes charge. He is a veteran consular officer with 20 years of experience, a China hand and a future president of the American Foreign Service Association. In Warsaw, with no safe escape route available, Davis adopts a shelter-in-place policy. In his after-action report, Davis recalls saying that “any officers who wished to leave were at liberty to do so, but in my opinion their chances of surviving would be greater were they to remain in the chancery.” There are no new departures. Remaining American person- nel move to the embassy, a location deemed more secure. It is a fortunate decision as German shellfire subsequently wrecks the consulate general. At the embassy, efforts are made to improvise a safe shelter with sandbags and extra timber supports to shore up the basement roof. / While bombs fall and artillery shells rain down, 40-year-old Julien Bryan, a fearless American photographer, captures for pos- terity vivid images of Poland’s agony, of the human and material devastation resulting from the brutal Nazi air and ground assault, including clear evidence of the terror attacks on purely civilian targets and the wanton destruction of Warsaw. Among Bryan’s films and photographs are enduring images of the American staff calmly observing an air raid and preparing to ride out the Nazi assault with improvised bunkers, protective sandbags and Ameri- can flags on the roof. Elsewhere, Bryan’s compelling photographs confirm reports sent by Ambassador Biddle and CG Davis regarding “unrestricted German attacks—by bombing and machine-gunning from air- planes.” Blitzkrieg is synonymous with merciless, indiscriminate air attacks against all. / CG Davis organizes the staff to perform a variety of duties from searching for food, performing housekeeping duties, standing watch and attending to the needs of approximately 80 refugees, While neutral in the conflict, the United States refuses to reward aggressors with the imprimatur of international legitimacy. To protect the embassy from German bomb blasts, sandbags cover basement windows. U.S.HOLOCAUSTMEMORIALMUSEUM/JULIENBRYANARCHIVE