Scores of people tried to flee to the neutral country of Portugal when Nazi Germany began their takeover of Europe. In an effort to stem the flow of migrants, the Portugese government closed the border between France and Spain. The only way across the border was to have a government issued visa. The consul stationed in Bordeaux, France, Aristides de Souda Mendes, defied the orders of the Portuguese government and issued visas to thousands of fleeing refugees. His final count of issued visas numbered approximately 10,000 Jews (and ~30,000 people total) giving these displaced people the ability to cross the border and escape the spread of Nazism. His actions were the largest rescue of refugees by a single individual during WWII.
