My dear Dorothy Detzer:
It would be sad, indeed, if I would not remember you, with whom I spent such a delightful luncheon, and had such nice though hasty talks on W.I.L. and Youth's activities. I was glad, indeed, to learn [through] Miss Balch that you have become the Executive Secretary of our U.S. Branch with Jeannette Rankin as a Field Secretary. And what gives me special pleasure is that you are trying to get into personal touch with our various Branches. For I think that is just what we need and what we unfortunately lack because of the Babel of languages.
Thus, I would feel just happy, if you would tell me that you are fully able to read German. Not because it gives me much trouble to write in English, it is much, much worse for you to read this poor effort of mine and I am sorry for you, but because I would gladly dictate a short report for your special use every now and then in German. My typist does not know any English and it takes too much of my time to write by hand more often than I really must use in order to answer urgent questions from abroad. Thus I am expecting your kind nodding "yes, I [learned] so much German in Vienna that I am perfect in reading, and writing it." But no, do not do that! I prefer to have your letters in English.
Well, after this long introduction I'll give you some details on our activities during the present season, i.e., since October 1st. The overture was our Annual Convention at Hamburg, Sept. 29/30, with three public meetings, one in a suburb, one in the biggest Trades Union Hall, one in a big hall of the University, with foreign speakers, Marcelle Capy, French, English Mrs. Pethick Lawrence, Danish, Swedish and German speakers. I will gladly send you a brief report on the resolutions which were passed, if you are able to read them. Then followed a three weeks' lecturing tour, which brought M. Capy, E. Peth. Lawr. and myself to more than twenty towns. In Saxony alone M. Capy spoke before more than nine thousand people in, I think, three days. The astonishing thing was not the crowding of halls each single night, whether in north, or middle, or south Germany, for there is no more animosity against French people in the broad masses of working people especially, but the attitude of the press; for not only the socialist papers, but also the Democrats and even the clerical papers were loyal, yea, brought verbatim reports of the whole speeches. The main thing is, in my opinion, to follow up the cities where you have been lecturing by sending a person straight on to [organize]. This we did and we were going round the country, forming new groups, reviving old ones, etc.
Then came the December elections and our W.I.L. speakers held meetings in the East (Silesia) the west (Ruhr District) the south (Badan) etc, etc. -- not to speak for one party, we are strictly [nonpartisan], not to speak for certain candidates, but to make our W.I.L. principles known and stand to the questions which we had laid before the candidates (you may receive all the documents you wish to see).
In the meantime we took up the peace work at the Danish-German border, where, as you know, there are still existing all sorts of difficulties. We took it up in close [cooperation] with our Danish coworkers, formed a new group up [there] and are just trying to find some more women in other towns. The first meeting we held in the town of Flensburg (German, but inhabited by a great many Danish speaking people) was attended by eighty to one hundred people, and thirty-five immediately enrolled as W.I.L. members. This work is going to take much time and much patience. [page 2]
We hope to have a Danish-German Summer School at the border up there, in order to help fostering the friendly relations between the two peoples. We are trying hard to do similar work in Upper Silesia. Of course, there is political work going on all the time, (petitions to the Government and the Reichstag concerning Germany's entrance into the League of Nations, which we favor since its existence concerning Free Trade, etc. etc.), there is the work of the different committees (on Education, on Economic questions), there are pamphlets issued and postal cards, (representing some of our ideas) both distributed by the thousands, there is, one of the most essential and urgent needs, the campaign against scientific warfare, etc. etc.
If it is of any interest to you, I will gladly send you the work [calendar] of any of our W.I.L. groups (we are having about sixty in Germany by now) say, [Frankfurt] or Bremen or Hamburg or Breslau, Mein or others. In the first days of March we shall have a Conference with the women deputies of the Reichstag (29) in order to discuss several urgent questions. The same will be done with the women deputies of the different diets.
I was very much interested in the Resolution you enclosed and do know, indeed, about your "hearings," which I think are a great thing. I once published an extraordinarily interesting and well conducted hearing on Disarmament (it was 1921) in several papers. Thus, whenever you have got anything of this kind, especially on political matters, please do send me the reports and documents. I am always grateful and keen to publish as much as I can.
You ask me about the effects of the Dawes Plan. I am asked this question over and over again and I shall try to give you some reliable facts as soon as possible.
Please, take my letters of information in no way and under no circumstances as meant to or fit for being published, neither for your Bulletin nor for any other people or magazine whatever. Whenever you need or want anything of this kind, please, give me word and I shall be glad to be to your disposal, but, please never publish anything without our special consent.
Faithfully and with good wishes yours,
GERTRUD BAER.
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