This is a true account of my odyssey between the ages of 6 and 10. Upon our arrival in Havana from France, in October of 1941, my Aunt Lisa and I kept being asked to recount our exciting story and to write it down. The present document is based in part on the notes Lisa and I made upon our arrival in Havana, in part on my own and other people’s recollections, and in part on some documentary records.

What I wrote at first related mainly factual events. In later years, I expanded the story by also including the thoughts and feelings I experienced at the time. As I revisited specific incidents, my recollections became even more detailed and vivid.

Many years later, I came to understand what a profound impact the experiences of those years had on me. Because of the interest in the story that many people expressed, I polished it further and added footnotes and photos, as well as some drawings and paintings I had made in France and others that I made upon my arrival in Havana to illustrate our adventures. I also included a map of France to help the reader trace our journey.

This memoir is intended for the members of my family and some others for whom it may have significance.

— Francis Mechner
New York, December 2016