I know in the movie they’re pretty much a McGuffin, but did such things really exist, and if so, how did they work? In the movie, we’re supposed to believe that, even though he’s the most wanted man in the Reich, Lazlo can breeze across the border by presenting these magical papers. Surely the underground could have forged copies if they worked so well.
As far as I can tell, they never existed in real life.
When I began traveling (80’s) there were still a few countries that required an exit visa. You used to need special permits to visit Darjeeling, for instance.
Letters of transit? I’m not so sure about.
But I’m anxious to learn, now!
Lazlo is wanted by the Reich, but he isn’t in the Reich. He’s in French Morocco. And the letters of transit aren’t German, they’re French–personally signed by General Weygand (a high Vichy official), although when Peter Lorre says it, to my English-speaking ears, it sounds an awful lot like “de Gaulle”.
I have no idea as to the emigration policies of Vichy France, but it’s plausible that they wouldn’t let Laszlo out without an exit visa of some sort. Dictatorships often make it difficult for people to leave. (Berlin had a wall.) It’s not plausible that they would waive their policy because of a magical “letter of transit”; no such thing existed. It’s for dramatic purposes only.
Diplomatic passports would be afforded the least amount of challenge between friendly (non-waring) countries. An ID card bearing the name Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel would have allowed the bearer to cross any border within the Third Reich’s sphere of influence (up until the conspiracy, of course). A King may have issued signet rings, coats of arms, family crest or documents that would be unquestioned within their own countries.
Any forgeries would have had to pretty convincing. The downside of getting caught was a much, much shorter lifetime.
In The Great Escape the more artistic types used home-made ink and forged typewritten ID documents by hand. Of course, the quality of a typewritten document ITGOD (In The Good Old Days) was nowhere near the quality of a laser print.
Presumably you also have the issue that in the middle of WWII, border and airport guards don’t spend their time perusing “wanted” books, there were not faxes arriving every day warning of new criminals in the Vichy domain, and the guards did not watch CNN or “Vichy’s Most Wanted” in their spare time. Consequently anyone arriving with an official exit permit and valid passport should be allowed to proceed, unless they were so notorious that even Sargent Schultz would recognize them. After all, everyone knew Rick was American, why wouldn’t he and his main squeeze be able to get exit permits?
The presumption is that this magical “Transit paper” did not specify the person… leaving us to wonder why the hell any government would issue blank documents when all they needed to do was put “must fill in name in ink before issuing”.
And why would Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) be shocked, SHOCKED that there was gambling going on in the backroom of Rick’s? My impression was that everything and everyone was for sale in Rick’s Casablanca. Bribes were expected. Exit visa could be had but for a price Ugarte, for a price. Your papers could be lost or you could be “unavoidably detained” and miss your plane. And maybe the next several planes? Even diplomats (but not Gestapo commanders like Major Heinrich Strasser) would be expected to “grease the wheels” of their exit.
The only unquestionable transit papers in a land of crooks would be lots of money paid at the highest level.
:rolleyes:
Watch the scene. It’s blatantly obvious what’s going on.
Spoiler for anyone who hasn’t seen the scene:
Major Strasser demands Renault shut down the club. Rick asks why Renault did it, and he gave an answer solely to come up with a reason. Renault was perfectly aware that there was gambling going on (obviously, he got a cut), but he came up with a lame explanation at the spur of the moment.
I’m afraid they’d insist.
I don’t know if we are supposed to think that, since Laszlo did have the letters and was on the plane, but Major Strasser certainly intended to stop the plane anyway, until Rick stopped him. Just another inconsistency. The possessor of the papers cannot be challenged … and yet …
Mrs Piper’s grandparents had something similar to a “letter of transit”. The emigrated from Hungary to Canada in the 1920s, and to do so had to go through Austria to get to Germany. They were given a special transit visa to go through Austria on the train, heavily marked with “Nicht Aufstehen!” (sorry, I’m doing it by memory, so I’ve probably got it spelt wrong), which meant that they could not stay in Austria; the visa was solely to permit transit through Austria.
Not a separate document, though; it was stamped in their Hungarian passports.
Not sure it’s an inconsistency. The letters of transit only work their magic with Vichy officials, and after all a Vichy emigration officer does at some point (unseen) examine the papers and let Victor and Ilsa on the plane.
In the ordinary course of events, that would be the end of it. Major Strasser wouldn’t even find out about it until later. BUT, because of the preceding melodrama, Louis has alerted Strasser and he drives to the airport. When he attempts to stop the plane, he’s acting in a very extralegal manner, bound to provoke a major diplomatic incident. But, he’s desperate and heedless of consequences. And indeed, a moment later he gets shot.
Freddy the pig nailed it. Nothing can not be changed or cancelled- especially by a Dictatorship in time of war.
The idea of an irrevocable letter of transit is ridiculous. As is prancing around Casablanca in a white suit.
Or abandoning Sam in Casablanca, (after all they’ve been through together), without so much as by your leave!
What’s Rick supposed to do? Say “Sam, pack up your piano, I’m going on the run as a wanted man, and you have no choice but to come with me, rather than being an employable musician of some repute during the kind of time when people are desperate for musical distraction. Sure, the piano is going to slow us down as we flee through the desert, but, hey, I owe it to you to bring you with me, right?”
A white suit, nothing. How many bloody outfits and hats did Ilsa have?
Which reminds me: When Laszlo says, “Any violation of neutrality would reflect on Captain Renault,” what exactly does he mean? In what way would it “reflect” on Renault, what would the consequences be, and how does this protect him?
I guess I should mention that is not entirely correct. Vichy France was not a Dictatorship (in name anyway) but I presume that if Germany had wished anything to happen, it would have happened.
And she continued to shop for scarves.
But she really wasn’t interested.