DLA016-0009  Translation

Vienna

26. Aug. [possibly 1925, see fn 1]

Dear Friend,

our last letters crossed each other. I sincerely hope that in the meantime your son Johnny is fully recovered from his illness.^[1] You wrote of spending this summer in Surrey and I hope you are all by now happily united there. I spent the last two summer months nearly entirely in Vienna apart from a few days on the Semmering.^[2] I have been working all this time on a very important project for the League of Nations in Geneva. I am proposing the creation of a Commission for Education within the League. My proposal was submitted to the International Congress of Associations for the Völkerbund in Warsaw by Dr. Dumba, our Ambassador,^[3] and the Congress accepted it. The Austrian government will support my proposal at the League of Nations in Geneva and will commend its acceptance. I am sending a copy of my demand to Professor Gilbert Murray in Oxford whose word has important influence in Geneva.^[4] I have been corresponding with him about it already and he is showing interest in it. But it would mean a lot to me if the current Foreign Minister Chamberlain^[5] would take an interest and therefore I am asking you to let him have a copy of my proposal as quickly as possible and to recommend me and my cause to him.

[The following sentence across the bottom of page one]: I am sending you two copies in a separate envelope. Officially my motion is being supported by the English embassy.

If you would care to read my exposé even fleetingly

[Page 2]

you will soon begin to grasp the great importance of this undertaking. It goes without saying that France and other nations are also being encouraged to take an interest. The excellent French translation of my project was done by Monsieur Vasenhove, Director de l’Agence Havas for central Europe. The French Ambassador here is recommending the enterprise most warmly to the government in Paris. I have no doubt that England in particular has good reason to agree with all my propositions. Just in case, I will also write a few lines to Colonial Minister Stennett Amery^[6] who I used to know in younger years. I imagine that it will be Count Mensdorff^[7] who will be called upon to support the motion in Geneva. As father of five sons it will be particularly in your interest to welcome my plan as it addresses the causes of war.

I am sorry that I was not informed in time that your son Henry^[8] had been in Basel. I would have liked very much to introduce him to a dear old friend of mine, a professor of National Economics at the university there, Stefan Bauer, whose address is Leimenstrasse 58.^[9] If Henry should still be there please would he give Prof. Bauer my regards. He will meet an intelligent and witty man. I would like to know Henry’s address in Switzerland just in case because it is not unlikely that I will have to go to Geneva myself if it proves necessary to advance my project by my personal presence there. If that were the case I would ask you for an introduction to Austin [sic] Chamberlain.

I hope Mrs. Laszlo is well and that her Benjamin for whom she had cared so successfully in Brighton will give her joy for years to come. I remain with heartfelt greetings to your entire household and requesting that you will write to me when you and Mrs. Laszlo plan to go steaming off to America, in old friendship

Your devoted

S. Münz

Editorial Note:

Sigmund Münz (1859-1934), Austrian journalist and writer; for biographical notes see [6377].

AG (summary)

03/2009

&

LV (translation)

10/04/2021