Lieber Herr Professor (Details anzeigen)^c,

ich komme hier mit einer Bitte zu Ihnen, die sie möglicherweise garnicht erfüllen können. Ich will Sie aber doch wenigstens fragen, da es sich um einen sehr lieben und wertvollen Menschen handelt.

Die äusseren Umstände erfahren Sie aus dem beiliegenden „statement“.

Ich füge hinzu, dass {oberer} Walter Dickhaut (Details anzeigen)^d mir und meiner Schwester Anna (Details anzeigen)^e wie ein Sohn geworden ist. Meine Schwester hat ihr Äusserstes getan, ihn zu retten (er war schon in den Händen der Gestapo) und ihn wenigstens nach Cuba (Details anzeigen)^f zu bringen.

Da sitzt er nun. Der letzte Dollar ist ausgegeben. Wovon soll er leben?

So habe ich mich gestern an das American Committee for Christian Refugees gewandt und Mrs. Attkinson (Details anzeigen)^g den Fall vorgetragen.|

Ich hoffe, dass man Walter (Details anzeigen)^h eine geringe Unterstützung gewähren würde, wie der {Joint} sie den jüdischen refugees gewährt, die in Cuba (Details anzeigen)ⁱ sind. Walter (Details anzeigen)^j ist leider kein Jude.

Aber Mrs. Attkinson (Details anzeigen)^k war recht zugeknöpft.

Nun weiss ich, dass Sie in irgend einer Form dem Vorstand dieses Committees angehören. Und deshalb frage ich Sie, ob Sie vielleicht „ein gutes Wort“ für Walter (Details anzeigen)^l (oder richtiger für mich) einlegen können?

Wenn das möglich ist, so tun Sie ein gutes Werk an einem ganz ungewöhnlich lieben und wertvollen jungen Menschen.

Ich bitte um einen herzlichen Gruss an Ihre Frau (Details anzeigen)^m und {Sie}

Morgen, Mittwoch Abend , werde ich Sie sehen und hören. Aber ob wir uns sprechen können, das weiss ich nicht. Es werden wohl viele Menschen da sein.

Wenn Sie mir aber das beiliegende Statement zurückgeben können, wäre ich Ihnen dankbar.

Walter Dickhaut (Details anzeigen)^o, born on October 24th, 1913, in Frankfurt (Main) (Details anzeigen)^p
1920-23 Public School
1923-32 High School (Oberrealschule)
High School Graduate: February 1932
1932-34 he studied Philology at the Frankfurt University.

Since 1924 he had been in the „buendische Jugend“ (Nerother Bund, a youth league without political program, but with a pacifistic-democratic attitude). In 1935 this league was dissolved and, under compulsion, taken over by the Hitler Youth. Since he kept on sticking to the romantic ideals of the youth league, he developed an oppositional attitude towards the Nazi regime and tried to propagate his opinions within the Hitler Youth. In March 30, 1935, he was imprisoned under charge of having violated the paragraph 2 of the „Verordnung zum Schutze von Staat und Volk“, and kept in prison, in Frankfurt (Details anzeigen)^q, until May 4th, 1935. Then he was transferred to the concentration camp Columbiahaus in Berlin (Details anzeigen)^r. On August 27th, 1935, he was liberated; but this liberation was only a provisionary one, the charge being maintained. He fled to France (Details anzeigen)^s, without authorization.

From 1935 to 1938, he studied „French Civilization“ at the Paris „Sorbonne“, and he worked as a secretary with the writer Hans Siemsen (Details anzeigen)^t.

In 1936, he broke up his relation with his family, refusing to return to Germany (Details anzeigen)^u. Since this time, he has never been in any connection whatsoever with his family.

In France (Details anzeigen)^v, he was recognized as a „réfugié politique provenant d'Allemagne“ and got a French passport as a „bénéficiaire du droit d'asyle“. In 1937 and 1938, he worked as a secretary with the BUND NEUES DEUTSCHLAND (an inter-party league fighting for a new, democratic Germany).

When the war broke out, he was interned at Villemalard (Details anzeigen)^w, whence he was liberated in 1940 after an inquiry of the Paris Commision Interministérielle. He had volunteered for the French Army before the war broke out. He was mobilized on May 24, 1940, and sent to the Dépot d'Artillerie No. 4 as an alien „Prestataire“. On July 27, 1940, he was demobilized at Castres. (Details anzeigen)^x

He left France (Details anzeigen)^y, on November7, 1941, as an „Apatride“ with French Sauf-Conduit No. 35, issued in October 10, 1941, by the Draguignan (Var) Préfecture.

Since November 26, 1941, he is living at Cap de Villa, 161, Havana (Details anzeigen)^z, Cuba (Details anzeigen)^aa.

I, Hans Siemsen (Details anzeigen)^ab, born on March 27th, 1891, in Mark (Westfalen) (Details anzeigen)^ac, am a writer. I had to leave Germany (Details anzeigen)^ad in 1933, when Hitler (Details anzeigen)^ae seized the power, and lived in France (Details anzeigen)^af until March, 1941, I was granted an emergency visa for the United States of America (Details anzeigen)^ag and I have been living in this country since June, 1941.

I wrote many articles and two books against Hitler (Details anzeigen)^ah and National Socialism, and I lost my citizenship in June, 1937.

This can be confirmed by the German writers Thomas Mann (Details anzeigen)^ai and Emil Ludwig (Details anzeigen)^aj, and by the Emergency Rescue Committee and the American Friends of German Freedom, and the American Committee for Christian Refugees.

I confirm that the indications made above about Walter Dickhaut (Details anzeigen)^ak's life are exact.

Walter Dickhaut (Details anzeigen)^al was my secretary from 1935 to 1938 and, under my direction, secretary of the „BUND NEUES DEUTSCHLAND“, in 1937 and 1938.

I wrote the anti-Hitler book „Hitler Youth“ in close collaboration with him. This book was published by Lindsay Drummond (Details anzeigen)^am (London (Details anzeigen)^an) in 1940 and demonstrates the criminal nature of the Nazi youth organizations.

I have personally seen the documents proving Dickhaut (Details anzeigen)^ao's persecution by the Gestapo and his discharge papers from the concentration camp Columbiahaus, Berlin (Details anzeigen)^ap. I know that in June 1941 his Paris domicile was confiscated and sealed by the Gestapo and that, would he return to Germany (Details anzeigen)^aq, he would be condemned to death.