LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
A VOICE FROM GERMANY
Sm,—Since my return from Germany I have received from one of the Germans I met there the following letter, for which I hope that you will find space. The letter speaks for itself.
" DEAR Loan BEvEaiDGE,—According to the plan which you gave me, I expect you to be home in England by now. I should like to thank you. once more, also on behalf of my students, that you did come and for the way in which you spoke to us here in Kid. You will, I am sure, have had many official honours and received many thanks, but I think you will not for that fail to appreciate the cordial and warm response which you have obviously had from the young generation in Kid. I flatter myself to have contributed to it to a certain extent, for, when I beard about your coming, I took my economist students together and arranged a special lecture and gave them an introduction into your yvorks and your public activities, so that they were well prepared. -
" I shall now write you one other thing which I did not tell you while you were here: I lost my family, my beloved wife and my three dear little children by British bombs in Dresden. I do not even know how they have died, if they are burned or buried. They were for the last time seen at the Central Station in Dresden during the great air-raid on Dresden and then simply disappeared in the chaos ; nobody knows anything about thein. I was with the army. And still: I cannot and I will not hate. There has been enough hatred in this world. My life being destroyed, if it shall have any meaning to live on, it is to help that such an immense human mistake as was this war will not happen for a third time. I shall bring up my students to this with all the energy that is left. Tell that over there in England, and if they like, give my address to those who have had a similar experience over there and have not yet found their way back from hatred and bitterness.
" I know England well. I have been a student of London and Cambridge, have done research work on the British Commonwealth and paid frequent visits to London, Oxford and Cambridge privately as well as with the International Students' Service. I was anglophile to the bone—until this happened and shook me thoroughly. I could not get over the fact that there was no intelligible military necessity for the attack on Dresden and that it was nearly exclusively women and children who were killed there ; many, many thousands. But I think I have to get over it: my BlEirt ved dead would net expect hatred and revenge and bitterness from me, but only love and work for a better world. How meaningless their sacrifice, would be if it would not have this effect and bear fruit. - " Up to this moment I have not yet tried to re-establish contacts with anyone over there, not even my old friends. I have been waiting for a voice of personal warmth and human understanding, and in the bottom of my heart I was convinced it would soon be heard- old ' anglophile' I am—and told my students so. Now your visit has brought back to me the atmosphere of my happy London and Cambridge years. These days I shall try to resume my contacts, write to G. and others. " I did feel I should write this to you, to show you what effect your visit has had in the purely personal field. If you need anyone on this side to co-operate towards the great goals which I know to be yours, too, of peace -and better understanding between our two people, mainly among the University generation, I am always at your disposal. Perhaps for my knowledge of England and the bitter experience of my life I am particularly apt for such work." As I have not had time to communicate with him, I do not print my
Correspondent's name and address, but I shall be happy to give it to anyone who would like to get into touch with him, with a view to building, out of the sorrows and mutual destruction of the past, the basis of mutual understanding and peace for the future.—Yours faithfully, BEVERIDGE.
Tuggal Hall, Chathill, Northumberland.
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