A Lie to Survive
In Nazi-occupied France, a truckload of Jewish prisoners was being transported through the countryside. Among them was Gilles, a young Belgian Jew fluent in both French and German. As German soldiers began executing the passengers one by one, Gilles instinctively cried out, claiming to be Persian. In a moment of desperation, he used a Farsi book he had recently traded for a loaf of bread as proof of his identity.
This quick lie saved his life. The soldiers spared him and transported him to a nearby concentration camp. There, he was introduced to Deputy Commandant Klaus Koch, a cold and ambitious officer with an unusual desire: he wished to learn Persian. Koch dreamed of opening a restaurant in Tehran after the war and needed someone to teach him the language. Gilles, now calling himself Reza, accepted the task despite having no knowledge of Persian.
The Fabrication Begins
Reza began his invented tutoring. Since there were no Persian dictionaries available and he had no knowledge of the language, he devised a system to fabricate vocabulary. Koch set a goal of learning 2,000 words in two years. Every lesson became a performance of survival for Reza, whose life depended on the credibility of the illusion.
Skepticism brewed within the camp. Section Leader Max doubted Reza’s story and urged Koch to investigate. In response, Koch gave Reza a test: translate 40 German words into Persian, with no opportunity to write them down. Reza panicked. As he pondered his impossible task, he slipped away during a kitchen errand and fled into the nearby forest.
There, he encountered a French farmer who, understanding Reza’s predicament, advised him to return. Taking the man’s advice, Reza went back to the camp. Koch, displeased but still reliant on Reza’s “expertise,” resumed the lessons. Reza was soon given access to the prisoner arrival ledger, a task that involved copying names and omitting those of the deceased. He saw an opportunity.
Using the names of the dead as phonetic components, Reza created a unique memory system. Each new word Koch demanded became a constructed sound based on a dead prisoner’s name. This method allowed him to repeat the 40 invented words back to Koch, successfully passing the test.
Cracks in the Lie
One day, Reza mistakenly assigned two different meanings to the same invented word. Furious, Koch beat him and reassigned him to grueling manual labor. Reza collapsed on the job and was taken to the infirmary. While recovering, he observed the rising tensions within the camp. Officers questioned Koch’s erratic behavior, and Elsa, a female guard formerly in charge of bookkeeping, was briefly reinstated.
Koch’s obsession with learning Persian raised concern among his peers. Commandant Beyer began an internal review. Koch, trying to defend himself, accused Elsa of spreading rumors about the commandant’s masculinity. The accusation backfired, and Elsa was transferred to the Russian front.
Reza, meanwhile, attempted acts of kindness. He regularly sneaked food to a deaf Italian prisoner who had been brutally beaten. In gratitude, the man’s brother pledged to protect Reza. This bond would soon become crucial.
Threats and Protection
Max, increasingly suspicious, discovered another prisoner who appeared to recognize Reza and might expose his lie. The Italian brother intervened, killing the man before he could talk. Max, acting quickly, shot and killed the Italian brother.
Despite these challenges, Koch continued his language lessons. But as Allied forces advanced, orders came down to evacuate the camp. Reza was mistakenly placed in a group of prisoners being marched toward a death camp. When Koch discovered this, he left his post and raced to retrieve Reza from the group.
A Final Mercy
Chaos spread through the camp as the Americans drew near. Commandant Beyer issued an order to burn all documents and execute the remaining prisoners. Koch, aware that everything was falling apart, chose to act alone. He led Reza away from the camp, deep into the forest. Then, unexpectedly, he released him.
Koch, still believing in the false Persian lessons, planned to journey to Iran. But upon arriving in Tehran, customs officers failed to understand his so-called Persian, exposing his fabricated knowledge. He was arrested.
Testimony Through Memory
Gilles, now freed and standing before American officers, was asked to provide information about the atrocities he had witnessed. Instead of speaking broadly, he recited the names of 2,840 victims from memory—each one encoded into his survival language, each one a part of the lie that had saved him. This long list, built from an invented tongue, became a final act of truth.
