Jan. 26th, 1916.
My dear Miss Addams:
I cannot tell you how my heart sank when I read your cablegram here in Stockholm telling me that you have to go to California for two months. As I proceeded from country to country, people everywhere were asking whether you were not to come soon. Your coming and that of Mr. Bryan is to my mind absolutely essential to the success of this movement. Is there no possibility of your going to the South-east, for instance, than to the extreme West? I hear that if you go so far away as California it may be a most trying thing for you to travel to New York and from there to sail for Europe. And I also wish so very much that you might come directly to Stockholm instead of first going to The Hague. The difficulties of travel in Europe are now almost insurmountable, and while, after a good deal of wire-pulling we got our whole delegation through Germany in a sealed train back to Scandinavia, yet there may be considerable difficulty attaching to one person going alone by that route, and if you got a boat from Holland to Copenhagen or [page 2] to Sweden it would be extremely trying.
There is another objection to your going to Holland, about which I am considerably concerned. From what I have seen of Dr. Jacobs recently, I fear that she is not in complete possession of her faculties. Her attitude toward us has been most peculiar. After Mr. Ford broke down in health, and left with us enough money only to carry on the expenses of the Expedition, but said nothing <further> about the $200,000. gift to the women's work, you can see that Madame Schwimmer was put in an embarrassing position. She feels sure that once Mr. Ford has recovered and she can take the matter up with him, that he will certainly make good on his promise. But Dr. Jacobs and her friends, instead of seeing this point, have gone so far as to try to blackmail Madame Schwimmer for failure to deliver the money.
Now I am not so devoted to one person as to want to defend that person at any and all costs, and I admit that technical mistakes have been made, but I certainly know that in this matter Madame Schwimmer is entirely innocent.
It was naturally a tremendous blow to us that Mr. Ford [page 3] left, and the fact that we have been able to <go> through with the Expedition despite that blow, shows how strong the idea itself is.
With that same spirit I once more appeal to you to come to us just as quickly as you can. Do not let misleading newspaper stories deceive you. Mr. Kliefoth will bring you a true picture of what has transpired here. I also know that your coming <will> give the prestige to the Conference almost as nothing else could do.
I feel awfully homesick at times for my Chicago friends and of course at all times for my family. I felt especially homesick for you when I was in Holland and had the privilege of speaking from the same rostrum as that from which you spoke, and sat in the same hall in which you so marvelously conducted the movements of the Women's Body. I would give anything to know you to be well now and to know that you are on the way to Stockholm.
With kindest regards,
Most cordially yours,
Louis P. Lochner [signed]
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