Harnack, Mildred Fish Papers
Title: Harnack, Mildred Fish Papers
Reference Code: Mss-0496
Inclusive Dates: 1942 – 2015
Quantity: 000.03 cu. ft.
Location: Sm Mss
Abstract: Mildred Fish was born in Milwaukee on September 16, 1902. She attended the Milwaukee State Normal School and graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she met Arvid Harnack, a German student in the U.S. on a Rockefeller Fellowship. Mildred followed Arvid back to Germany. She worked as a translator of literature, while Arvid was employed as a government economist. During the 1930s, Mildred and Arvid criticized the Nazi’s rise to power. Their opposition escalated into outright resistance. They spread anti-Nazi news, funneled military intelligence to the U.S. and Soviet Union, and helped Jews flee Germany. Both were eventually caught by the Gestapo. Arvid was executed in 1942, and Mildred was beheaded in February 1943, the only American woman executed by the Nazis.
Scope and Content: The collection includes magazine articles, newspaper clippings and photocopies of letters describing the Harnack’s activities, imprisonment and deaths.
Access and Use: No restrictions
Language: English, German
