The reality with regard to rescue in Hungary was that the rescue workers in Istanbul, Budapest, and Bratislava remembered that “Baron von Wisliceny,” as Pomeranz insisted upon calling him decades later (a totally baseless use of the title, which gave Wisliceny some kind of higher rank compared to his relatively low rank as SS Captain), was ready to enter into a ransom deal with regard to Slovakia.

Since “Willy,” or the “Shtadlan” (the well-intentioned go-between), as they used to call Wisliceny, had disappeared from sight since August 1943, those trying to rescue the Jews were somewhat relieved when he reappeared shortly after the Germans invaded Hungary in March 1944. According to Brand's own report to Shertok, they did their utmost to reach Wisliceny when he came to Budapest and revived his alleged ransom talks. Willy was equipped with a letter of recommendation from Rabbi Weissmandel in Bratislava. Afterward, his boss, Adolf Eichmann, made an official bid to “exchange a million Jews for ten thousand trucks,” as this “deal” was presented by the Zionist rescue workers in Budapest and by Brand himself to the rescue mission in Istanbul and to the Yishuv's leadership. The Allies eventually called it the “Gestapo Deal.”

Chaim Barlas, Venia Pomeranz, and other rescue workers received Joel Brand, who later said that he expected the supreme Zionist and World Jewish leadership to wait for him in Istanbul. Pomeranz went to Palestine to see Ben-Gurion and others in this regard.