May 3, 1939: The Howards at Cornell

Original Letter from Howard L. Jeske at Cornell College to Charlotte Salmon at AFSC

Transcription:

Dear Miss Salmon:

I have your letter of April 24th addressed to Howard Johnson at Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa. You say that if we can offer room, board, and tuition for a German refugee you can suggest a number of candidates.

Through student subscription the Cornell student body will be able to pay a part of tuition, fees, and room for a qualified person whom you may suggest. The college administration is prepared to make up the remainder of his tuition through a scholarship fund and to provide opportunity for him to work for his board. However to make definite arrangements with the college administration we will need complete credentials regarding such a student.

Will you send me as soon as possible all the papers available on about three young men whom you believe would be interested in this proposition.  These papers should include, as accurately as possible, an estimate of his past scholastic achievements: that is, something approaching a transcript, of his grades in previous schools he has attended. You have sent us a short history of one Thomas Doppner. As one of the three, we would like to have more information concerning him.

Because complete arrangements with the college administration and collection of student subscription must be made within the present month, you will appreciate the urgency with which we must receive this information. I thank you very much for your co-operation and wish to congratulate the Friends Service Committee for the very worth-while work they are doing in this field.

Sincerely,

Howard Jeske

Howard Jeske responds to a letter written to Howard Johnson. Just wanted to clarify- and giggle with you a little bit. “Howard?” “Yes?/Yes?” “Uh, no, Howard J?” “Yes?/Yes?” “Oh...Uh- you there.” 

Ok, I'm moving on. :)

Howard Jeske knows how I feel about being rushed to get the students chosen in time, which makes me happy and a little nervous too. We’re down to the wire- where on earth are Opa’s papers from school? Why weren’t those sent from the beginning? I found my answer using a little logic and some insight from a story in Opa’s autobiography: From Nazi Germany to a Career in Freedom:

Other problems arose at school when the Nazis came to power. As we entered school, there was a teacher at the main gate, and we were required to give the Nazi salute… I couldn’t bring myself to do that, and normally found a way to enter through another door...or go early. One time my head teacher was at the entrance. It was too late to back out, so I just walked in and ignored him. He called me into his office and chewed me out. He said, “Doeppner, I understand your feelings, but I don’t like being ignored. The least you could do is give me an old-fashioned “good Morning” when you come in.” The next day, when I went through the door, I said, “Good morning, Dr. Widder.” He said “Heil Hitler,” and winked at me…. Several years later in Holland, when I tried to obtain a scholarship to an American college, I needed a transcript of my high school grades. I wrote to Dr. Widder, and he sent it to me with a very cordial personal note.

I realized a few things through this story. Just like anything else, especially before the internet, forms and information were requested and provided through personal interaction and the mail service. We have some inclination that the mail service in and out of Germany was a little slow during this time. Also, I remembered another thing: Opa left Germany in a little bit of a hurry. I still don’t know for sure what caused him to leave at the exact moment he did, but we get the impression that there was some urgency to it. When you leave someplace in a hurry, you don’t ask and wait for your transcript to be provided. So it makes sense that Opa didn’t have this information with him when he left, and it makes sense that he may have had to carefully choose who he requested this information from (a trusted teacher who knew him well), and lastly it makes sense that in the age of snail mail transfers and with a backdrop of brewing war- things will take time.

As those papers are making their way to Charlotte at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), she is busy with requests left and right for more information on students. This must have felt like a big chess game- which piece do you move forward so that they all win? This letter from Howard of Cornell College must have been nice for Charlotte- they specifically requested Opa’s information as one of the three candidates they wanted. You see Opa’s name “Doeppner” written in the margin by Charlotte, and underlined. Then you’ve got two other names, one crossed out. Who knows why the other is crossed out, my optimism hopes it is because he had already received an offer elsewhere.

Howard outlines a pretty clear plan for how the student body will support the refugee students- and it appears that they will do it through their own tuition and fees. This is cool. Think about it, if you were paying full tuition at a college, and someone asked if you would pay even more tuition so someone else could go to school for free, would you do it? It’s the generosity of these students that worked together to give people an opportunity at life. I think for me, the more I gain the perspective of the abundance that I have in life, the more I am willing to let go of what others might consider scarce resources.

I had a pointed perspective shift recently when I was doing research for this blog. I spent an entire day working on my taxes, and as such I was looking over all of our visa and checking account transactions, making sure every last penny of tax deduction was accounted for. I noticed something sort of sobering: we spend a LOT of money on food. It was sort of a wake up call to me in terms of how to trim our budget. The same day, during a break in my tax preparations, I read some articles about the Hongerwinter. This is the winter between 1944-1945 in Holland when citizens were starving to death under Nazi occupation at the end of their finally losing campaign. The images were startling, and the realization struck me: I have a completely ridiculous relationship with food. I have more than enough. Abundance. This changed me. 

I wonder if the students in college at Cornell and across the US had some perspective of their own abundance as they lived in a nation crawling out of the Great Depression. People talk about those who go through times of scarcity as fearing future scarcity. I have seen that and know it to be true. But I wonder if there are also those folks who realized that they can live on much less, and then are more willing to sacrifice for those who are less fortunate. Howard Jeske, at the end of his letter, writes a kind sentence thanking Charlotte and her organization for the good work they have done and continue to do. Howard understands gratitude, possibly as someone who has been on the receiving end of help.

So we continue with the back-and-forth paperwork of scholarship offers, immigration information, and transcript seeking- and we remember that it is all done so that someone has a shot at freedom.

May 3, 1939: Top Eight for Oberlin

 

Original Letter from Helen-Mary Forbush from Oberlin College to Charlotte Salmon at AFSC

Transcription:

Dear Charlotte S. Salmon,

The committees have gone over the material you sent us about Thomas Doeppner and are quite favorably impressed. We have not made any decision yet and probably will not do so for several weeks. We have had many fine applicants and have at present eliminated all but eight of whom only two can receive scholarships. You can see we are going to have some difficulty.

The school records and recommendations of Thomas Doeppner have not yet been received and of course we will have to have them before we can decide further about him. I have enclosed the regular advanced blank and wondered if there is some one in America who could fill this out for him.

We would like to know more about the financial support he would be able to get. The scholarship will be for tuition only, so he would have to pay about $400. or $450. in addition to it. Also I wondered if he could come to Oberlin with a $200. scholarship. It may be possible for us to grant this sum to an applicant who may not qualify as highly as those chosen for the tuition scholarships.

We hope to get this settled as soon as possible, but still have to have an answer from a very promising Hungarian, so it may be several weeks before definite selection is made.

Sincerely yours,

Helen-Mary Forbush

Chairman of Refugee Committee

Oberlin, Ohio 

Things are really picking up now, and it’s a good thing too! If you remember (or are in that time yourself) May is pushing it for making college decisions. Add in a student visa application process- and you’re working down to the wire. I remember hearing back from colleges around this time of year, March and April. I had to make a decision by May to have enough time to get my housing squared away and sign up for orientation and my first semester of classes. Opa isn’t trying to get to orientation (if they even had one), but he certainly wants to be in classes when the fall semester starts!

This letter from Helen-Mary Forbush was written on May 3, just about a week after Charlotte passed on the news to Opa that Oberlin was indeed interested. It looks like they still haven’t received any of Opa’s official school records, which doesn’t surprise me- as it’s only been a week since they asked for them. As time-crunched as I feel just reading this and realizing how close they are getting to the fall semester, Helen-Mary Forbush and the refugee committee didn’t seem to be overly rushed. She mentions that Opa has made it into the top eight candidates, out of which only two may be given scholarships. She says it’ll probably be several weeks before they have a final answer.

Several weeks?!?! That’s… let’s see- if we say several is seven weeks- and it is May 3, that means no news until almost the end of June. Is this normal? Is Charlotte at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) breathing into a paper bag, or is this par for the course? (Although I will say, I can’t imagine Charlotte ever losing her cool.) I’m also thinking that the process of applying for the student visa cannot begin until the acceptance and scholarship has been received. Lastly, I can’t help but notice that most of the conversation has rotated around scholarships. I know that the typical German (Jewish) refugee did not have money at their dispense, in fact, they were unable (not allowed) to bring any money outside Germany other than to pay for travel. However, in Opa’s case, when he had a parent outside of Germany who still had an income… could a simple acceptance not do the trick for a student visa? Or was the student visa predicated upon proving that the student not only was able to study in America and return home after- but that they also had the means readily available to do so?? So many questions, I wish I could call or write Charlotte Salmon today and ask her. She’d probably have a pamphlet to answer all my questions.

Either way, Helen-Mary at Oberlin does allude to this financial question that I have. She wonders if my Opa might be able to support himself with the scholarship they offer, or even a lesser scholarship if he didn’t make the top two slots.

I don’t know why this tickled me, but the delay of decision making seems to be solely on the shoulders of a promising Hungarian. I don’t know who this is- but I love that his title is “very promising Hungarian.” Not a bad title. Opa has quite favorably impressed the committee at Oberlin- so let’s see if they get his information in time!

May 1, 1939: Non-Profit Superheroes

Letter from Charlotte at AFSC to Ted at Georgia Tech

Transcription:

Dear Ted:

How nice to hear from you again. I hope you will let me know when you leave Georgia Tech, and also that you'll tell me where you go and what person you leave behind you who will carry on all the things you have been doing.

There are indeed difficulties in getting students out of Germany. I'll enclose a memo on this subject. In addition to the difficulties connected with getting visas, there is also the problem that many colleges want undergraduate students for a liberal arts course, and many of the German students who have written to us for help have been engineering students. Some of these have had fine training, but it would be impossible for them to get visas since they are Jews. I think you won't be able to get any Jewish students out of Germany.

Now and again there are special cases, and one of these is Wolfram Liepe, whose history I enclose. We can get his full academic record when it is necessary. Because his father is not Jewish and his mother only partially Jewish, he would not be compelled to leave Germany, except that he will ever be able to achieve any success in his profession there. So I think that, probably, he could get a student visa. 

I'll also enclose material about Thomas Doppner, another engineering student, who might be able to come to this country, if he had a scholarship. Both of these boys have been highly recommended by representatives of the American Friends Service Committee.

Let me know how your campaign comes along. Good luck.

Sincerely yours,

Charlotte S. Salmon

Placement Worker

Ooh- Charlotte is on a first-name basis with Ted- that’s nice! Ted obviously has been in conversation with Charlotte and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). It seems that now the AFSC has had to repeat their blurb on why it is difficult to get German Jews out of the country so much that they have made it into a memo to attach. This is efficient, and very sad. To me, it signals that they have seen the writing on the wall and recognize that the status of this strict interpretation of the student visa will not be changed in the near future. In fact, Charlotte writes very clearly for the first time that I’ve seen, “I think you won’t be able to get any Jewish students out of Germany.”

Before we move on to the next part- I want to sit with this statement. The impetus for all of the committees, clubs, and organizations that formed to help refugees- was the horror of kristallnacht. This event elicited an emotional and real response from people all over the world. It was a wake-up call. Nazi Germany was not safe, especially for Jews. All the momentum of these clubs and organizations who worked to help refugees was to help the Jews get out. When the US continued to restrict their immigration policy by tightening the loopholes and refusing to make exceptions, the wind begins to leave the sails of these charitable groups. The US consuls started interpreting the student visa as invalid for Jewish immigrants from Germany who would not have a home to return to after they finished school. The legislative bodies of the government turned down bills and requests to increase the immigration quota, even when it was to make room for 10,000 children (which is astonishing to me). The US version of the kindertransport never happened.

If you’ve read any of my past posts on the immigration policy, you know how I feel about this. Logically, I understand the argument that a country slowly recovering from an extreme economic crisis was suspicious and wary of any extra mouths to feed and bodies to employ. But this is not a good enough excuse for the underlying prejudice and fear that kept the government from doing the right thing. I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but when you see the scores of organizations cooperating to help refugees, raising funds and volunteering their homes to provide a safe haven for these folks... I get the sense that the government and US Consuls were stopping their ears to this and listening only to the voices of fear, conspiracy, and scarcity. This makes me angry. And sad. What lives could we have saved? What gifts could these immigrants and children have brought to the US?

The rest of the letter is Charlotte’s sort of promoting the good fit that many of the students from Germany would actually have in an engineering school like Georgia Tech.  She notes their premier education and training, and I can tell that she is kind of excited to finally focus not just on getting the student out of danger (which I think was always her first focus), but also finding them a good match with a school.

Charlotte seems to sell Wolfram Liepe more in this letter than Opa. I’m not sure why, maybe because Opa had some movement with other schools? That would have been so challenging - how do you pick which student to mention when I’m sure there were plenty to choose from? Also I noticed something is missing- any mention of the Albert Einstein letter of recommendation for Opa. I’m pretty sure she has it by now. It makes me think she is clearly trying to give Wolfram a fighting chance (and he is actually still in Germany with vague Jewish blood). Also, this might be a nod to her perception of Opa’s search- perhaps she feels pretty confident that he has a better chance of emigration.

I am amazed at the work of the AFSC. A friend of mine the other day was talking about a moment of hope in an otherwise very challenging non-profit job. It made me think of Charlotte. I wonder if she got discouraged. I wonder if she saw her desk and the mountains of correspondence and thought to herself “all I’m doing is pushing paper.” But then I’m sure she had those moments of light when a student received a life-saving visa. When a refugee found freedom and a new home. So to all of you out there who push papers for a good cause- keep it up- you have no idea what small thing you do might change someone’s life, and the generations after them. Hang in there.

April 28, 1939: No Sleepover for Opa

Original Letter from Opa (Tom) to Gisela

Translation by Salome  

Amstelveen, April 28th, 1939

Dear Gis,
 

Thank you very much for the letter and postcard. It astonished me very much that you are not allowed to live here. I am truly sad that I don't get much trust. I have seen the Lieftincks already a few times, they are lovely people. The woman is a native German I believe, as far as I know the husband speaks German as well. At Valeriusplein (the other versions would have surely arrived as well), they own a hostel for young people, mostly for students from Holland which they call Quakerhostel. Herbert has lived there with them as well in the beginning and he felt very well there.
 

How does Anni get into such a crazy thing? Has she been suffering with it before? Is she still in the hospital, or is she at home already? Hopefully it isn't anything permanent, and she doesn't have to deal with it for an eternity. Give her my greetings, and with all my heart I wish her a good recovery.
 

I thank you for the postage stamps, but I can't use them here, German stamps do not apply here. I am sending them back to you, so they won't be lost. I can pick you up from the station most definitely.
 

See you soon,       
Tom

Hahahahahahaha. I shouldn’t laugh- but Opa’s response to Gisela’s parents’ refusing to give permission for her to stay with Opa while she travels through to England is really funny to me. The translation says “live” but I think in context, it would be better understood as “stay” - as Gisela wasn’t planning to stay permanently in Amsterdam. She was on her way to Great Britain for a time, her parents sent her away for her safety and for her to work. In the last letter from Opa to Gisela, he mentioned that she would be welcome to stay with his family. Apparently, the Halle’s aren’t OK with that. Opa writes “I am truly sad that I don’t get much trust.”

In the Halle’s defense, they likely had not met or at least were not familiar at all with August, Opa’s father. They probably had never seen Emma, his step-mom. And they were probably aware of the awkward situation that was August’s remarriage to Ella’s first cousin. So, as much as they may have liked Opa, they didn’t know August or Emma, and they also understand the dynamics of boys and girls. Ha.

So Opa gives some information on other places that Gisela may be permitted to stay, and moves on. Anni is sick again, and the last time we saw this I had wondered if this was code for something else. Now I’m not sure. He is still weirdly vague about her “illness” and uses strange words to describe her dealing with it “how does Anni get into such a crazy thing? ..Hopefully it isn’t anything permanent, and she doesn’t have to deal with it for an eternity.” Either way, Anni seems to have recurring bouts with whatever this particular illness is. I have just written Anni a letter. If I get a response, maybe I’ll ask her what this illness was- if she even remembers it (it may be so insignificant).

The personal letters sent back and forth refer to including stamps- I wonder if that was a courtesy thing or if stamps were hard to come by? It seems that German stamps don’t work in Amstelveen- so Opa sends them back. I wonder if this is just the norm or if it is a new development as the tensions towards a coming war rises.

A quick note that I want to add- I have been using Amsterdam and Amstelveen as sort of interchangeable throughout this time. I suppose I should correct myself or clarify- Amstelveen is a suburb of Amsterdam. So, I have just assumed that folks in Amstelveen say they are “from Amsterdam” just like folks in Decatur say they are “from Atlanta” or folks in Arlington say they are “from DC.” It simplifies things a bit to mention a more easily recognizable location.  If anyone who is from that area of Amsterdam/Amstelveen knows differently- I’d love to know! This is how Americans often talk about suburbs- we sort of identify it with the larger city.

So we’re getting closer to Gisela’s visit to Amsterdam, and unfortunately, Opa does not get to play host. But don't worry, there's still a story to be told soon!

April 27, 1939: Ted Thornton at Georgia Tech

Letter from Ted Thornton at Georgia Tech to Charlotte at AFSC

Transcription:

 

Dear Miss Salmon,

The International Relations Club and the YMCA cabinet have formed a committee for the purpose of raising money for two scholarships for refugee students here at Tech. We have succeeded in getting promises for some cash and the local fraternities are willing to board them by taking one of them for a month.

The greatest difficulties we have run into yet is that no one has anyone definitely in mind for the scholarships and some people are dubious as to the kind of students we can get. I am sure you can locate some very good students for us and wish you would send us some information as to the possibilities. I can't promise that we will be able to follow up your suggestions as some others on the committee have other contacts that they will be making. However, I will do all I can.

It has been decided to take one Jewish student and one other. They will be able to get most any kind of engineering here and should have a wonderful opportunity.

Sincerely,

Ted Thornton

Georgia Tech! Another school joins the list of those willing to help refugee students. Jason and I met in seminary in Atlanta, Georgia, where we saw the Georgia Tech school and the Atlanta skyline often. So there’s some warm familiarity when I see the Georgia Tech name and address.

In the letter, Ted tells Charlotte that the “International Relations Club and the YMCA cabinet have formed a committee for the purpose of raising money for two scholarships for refugee students here at Tech.”  He tells her the length of his plan, which is actually pretty well thought out, down to the fraternities playing host to the students.

This is probably the first engineering school to have contacted the American Friends Services Committee (AFSC) which is clearly why Charlotte thought to put this letter into the file for my Opa. Opa was a perfect candidate for Georgia Tech.

Ted seemed to be concerned about whether or not there would be students qualified for the rigor of a Georgia Tech education. I doubt he knew about the rigor of German education, but I am sure some of his worries are legitimate. How does someone travel from a foreign country and language, having experienced who knows what trauma, and begin a challenging academic year and succeed? It was a valid question.

I look forward to seeing Charlotte’s response!

April 26, 1939: Oberlin is Interested

Letter from Charlotte Salmon at AFSC to Helen-Mary Forbush at Oberlin College

 Letter from Charlotte Salmon at AFSC to Tom (Opa)

Things are starting to pick up- and what’s funny is that the Einstein letter hasn’t even gotten out there yet.  On April 25, Charlotte writes to Opa that Oberlin College is asking for his information. She asks him to send it directly to Helen-Mary Forbush at Oberlin College and also a copy to her. When I first read this, I thought he already sent this information, but it looks like he is still waiting on getting his records from Germany. Once again, time is of the essence and mail in and out of Germany seems to be delayed.

If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time Opa has been contacted since his original correspondence with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). He must have wondered if anything was happening at all on his behalf. Of course, they had no new information other than that they were working on his case. Now there is information and Opa must have felt a wave of hope. Even Charlotte lets the rare hint of promised hope slip through: “although we have not yet been successful in getting a scholarship I am still hopeful.”

Meanwhile, the following day (I’m assuming the day that Einstein’s letter arrived), Charlotte sends a letter with Opa’s information and follow up to Helen-Mary Forbush at Oberlin. She also encloses the letter of recommendation from Professor A. Einstein. I love how that is the last thing she mentions. “Oh by the way…” She emphasizes that Einstein wrote the letter on his own initiative, which I think is smart. She’s making the point that Einstein was not writing letters for random people on the request of the AFSC. His genuine connection to Opa’s family (even though it wasn’t deeply personal) gives the letter a little more authenticity.

So Oberlin was interested in Opa even before the Einstein letter. Now it’s a matter of Opa getting his information to the right people. And will Oberlin be impressed by Opa’s friend in high-places?

April 24, 1939: Howard Johnson of Cornell College

Letter from Charlotte Salmon of American Friends Service Committee 

to Howard Johnson of Cornell College

I get the impression that Charlotte either knows Howard or that Howard is on more familiar terms with the folks at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). This has no base in fact- just a hunch of mine based on what seems to me a more relaxed letter from Charlotte Salmon.

Cornell has now joined the list of colleges we’ve encountered, just in Opa’s case file alone, that have expressed a wish to help German refugees. Mr. Johnson has had some previous conversation with a Mr. Cary about the Scattergood project (read a little more about the history of this place here if you would like). Ms. Salmon’s next step is to introduce Cornell to the adventure of helping a refugee student study in America.

Once again Charlotte mentions the challenge of placing students in the appropriate schools that will fit for both the student and the school. She writes about the difference in the system of education for Europeans (Germans specifically) and for Americans. Essentially, the students who are looking to enter into their first year of school in America probably already have started specialized training and education. I imagine that someone who has specialized in Engineering would find the first year of core classes in a liberal arts college to be a challenge, and perhaps a step back. At the same time, the students needed time to catch up on English proficiency and adjusting to a completely new life. As Charlotte said, “these students have gone through trying years lately.” Helene (Patti’s daughter- my Opa’s niece) gave me some insight about the school system in Germany. She wrote to me: 

I've always been told that the Arbitur (like the French license) was the equivalent of the two years of a demanding American university -- still unspecialized, but much more sophisticated than what is taught in US high schools. I think graduating age was more like 18+ than 17+. I know that American universities used to give 2 years' college credit for it.

Not every student in Germany finished with the Arbitur (see this post when Opa consoles Gisela of her guilt for not finishing), but those who did were very well qualified to study in America, perhaps overly so.

My Opa was one of the students Charlotte suggested to Cornell. We’ve seen Opa’s name suggested many times, and so far the only school to request further information is Oberlin. It is now April of 1939, Opa has been in Holland since November 1938. He is hoping to attend school in America in the fall of 1939. There are a lot of things that need to happen between April and September for that to work! That’s only 5 months away! (And if you ever saw the movie “Father of the Bride”- you understand when I say “5 months not much!”)