Podcasts · Spionpodden

Ep81. Shadows of Raoul Wallenberg – Part 3/ The Silence Around Wallenberg – with Susanne Berger

4 Jan 2026 · 1 h 12 min · S7 E81

Raoul Wallenberg disappeared in January 1945. What followed raises questions Sweden has never fully answered.

Why did Swedish officials repeatedly ask the Soviet Union to declare him dead? Why did diplomatic pressure ease — even when new information emerged? Was this hesitation accidental… or strategic?

What is missing from the archives — and why? Why do intelligence records thin out or vanish after the 1950s? And how should we understand internal remarks suggesting the case could no longer be pursued?

One question still cuts through the silence:

Was Raoul Wallenberg’s mother, Maj von Dardel, correct in her intuition?

This episode examines silence as method. Not conclusions — but omissions. Not proof — but patterns.

Because when a case fades, it is worth asking: who wanted it that way?

And what does that tell us about how a state protects itself — when truth becomes inconvenient?

Guest: Susanne Berger — historian and researcher of postwar diplomacy, intelligence history, and the Raoul Wallenberg case.

En podd av: Mikael Hylin

Musik: Anton Fossum-Hylin

Omslagsfotot: Fotograf: Raoul Wallenberg Academy - Kolorerat porträtt av Raoul Wallenberg

Friskrivningsklausul:

De berättelser, fakta, åsikter och synpunkter som presenteras i denna podcast är uteslutande de som tillhör presentatören eller intervjuobjektet och speglar inte nödvändigtvis Spionpoddens officiella hållning. Spionpodden är en oberoende, ideell podcast utan kopplingar till politiska, religiösa, ekonomiska, offentliga eller privata särintressen. Den är varken kontrollerad eller ägd av någon tredje part.

Spionpodden har inte tagit emot någon extern finansiering, utöver 100 % anonyma, privata och helt frivilliga donationer. Innehållet produceras fritt och självständigt, utan påverkan från utomstående aktörer. Ansvarig utgivare är Mikael Hylin.

Disclaimer:

The stories, facts, views, and opinions presented in this podcast are solely those of the presenter or interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Spionpodden. Spionpodden is an independent, non-profit podcast with no affiliations to political, religious, economic, public, or private special interests. It is neither controlled nor owned by any third party.

Spionpodden has not received any external funding, other than 100% anonymous, private, and entirely voluntary donations. The content is produced freely and independently, without influence from any outside parties. The responsible publisher is Mikael Hylin.

The episode on the publisher’s site ↗ (opens in a new tab)