The History of North America podcast is a sweeping historical saga of the United States,

Canada, and Mexico from their deep origins to our present epoch.

Join me, Mark Vinet, on this exciting, fascinating epic journey through time, focusing on the compelling,

wonderful, and tragic stories of North America's inhabitants, heroes, villains, leaders,

environment, and geography.

I invite you to come along for the ride.

History isn't just a bunch of names and dates and facts.

It's the collection of all the stories throughout human history that explain how and why we got here.

Welcome to the History and Plug podcast, where we look at the forgotten, neglected, strange,

and even counterfactual stories that made our world what it is.

I'm your host, Scott Rank.

September 2, 2020 is the 75th anniversary of VJ Day, the official ending of World War II,

but there's one story that's only recently been uncovered.

And I'm speaking today with Ferris Castle, who's the author of the new book, The Unanswered Letter,

One Holocaust Family's Desperate Plea for Help.

In 1939, as the Nazis were closing in, Alfred Berger mailed a desperate letter

to an American stranger who happened to share his last name.

He tried every method possible to leave Germany, but nothing worked.

And there are many connections and emotional energy were nearly exhausted.

Alfred beg the American recipient of the letter.

You are surely informed about the situation of all Jews in Central Europe.

By pure chance, I got your address.

...