Dear Miss Addams,
I am here doing organizing work with our Dutch Section for The Hague Conference December 7th-9th. It is with greatest regret that I hear that you hesitate to come to Europe for this purpose. Though I fully realize how it may be for you to get away from Hull House in this time of the year I dare to ask you as cordially as I can to come over in order to preside the Conference. I do not know whether American papers are reporting, how very crucial the European situation is in this moment. Conditions are so rapidly [page 2] growing worse and worse that people are facing the most horrid economic and political difficulties. This Conference may become a “Lichtblick” if we can give it the weight of your name and influence, dear Miss Addams. You presided our first Hague Congress where our ideals were started, the time has now come to put them into practice. You ought to preside again. This Conference, which is going to deal with these burning questions of [today], is in a way far more important than our Congresses which follow much more the line of propaganda. Please, do consider this question again from this point of view!
Our International Summer-School [page 3] at Lauenstein was a great success. People loved the old castle, the lovely situation and the whole atmosphere was as friendly as it could be. German & [Czechs] made great friends for instance, we had mostly young people, very young people, and the older ones were wonderfully young with them! A short time later we had the [Freiberg] meeting of the International Board on which you will have had full reports already. Then I came here directly and hope to be able to help our friends with the preparations, which seem to be going on very promptly. I hope that [page 4] we shall welcome here many of our American friends. The rehabilitation of Europe is not only a European question and people are constantly asking "Who is going to come from America?"
Please, pardon me for having urged you in this somewhat [impolite] way. But the news of your not being able to come was such a deep disappointment for me. It is with the greatest pleasure that my thoughts are wandering about in Hull House seeing you & all good friends there. My very best wishes to Dr. Hamilton, Miss Smith & Mrs. [Kohn].
Hoping to see you here in good health I am yours very gratefully -- Gertrud Baer.
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