In August 1944, a transport ship carrying 982 refugees from Europe arrived in New York. Most were Jewish, from 18 countries. They were the only group of refugees the United States took in as guests of the government during the Holocaust. They were escorted from Italy by Ruth Gruber, a 32-year-old journalist and Interior Department official. The refugees were taken to Fort Ontario, an old Army post in Oswego, New York. They lived behind a chain-link fence. Local children passed them candy and comic books through it. Each had signed a promise to return to Europe after the war. In December 1945, President Truman allowed them to stay. Many became American citizens. The most haunting photos ever taken: bit.ly/46yA996