Not on the Mayflower: Dietrich W. Botstiber's Journey from Anschluss Vienna to Philadelphia, 1938

Abstract

Abstract This selection from Dietrich W. Botstiber's memoir chronicles his final months working as an engineer in Vienna and his journey to the United States in 1938, after Germany annexed Austria. It comes from chapters 17–20 of his memoir, Not on the Mayflower (2007). Botstiber had already been preparing to emigrate to the United States since as early as 1931 to further his engineering career, facilitating his exit in 1938. In the passage below, Botstiber observes the growing presence of Nazis in Vienna in the spring before his departure. He explains the extensive network of American and British officials and personal contacts he called upon to help him emigrate and his travels across Europe and the Atlantic. Botstiber lived the rest of his life in Philadelphia, working in several industries before launching the Technical Development Company. He began the foundation that bears his name in 1995 and passed away in 2002.