David, Charles & Jeanne, 1961-1965

March 24,1962

Dear Davids:

While I do not need tow rite you before you get through my
book, the fact that very few people ever seem to get through with it
seems to indicate that I would have to wait until the end of my days
to hear from you again, and, as due to my schedule these days, I see
very little of any of the junior mambers of the David family and have
not even managed to call Roger Woog after his return, I am completely
out of touch. The last news was that you marched in February.

. Now the next act will be twice voting rather than marching - in contrast]
‘to my lash activity in ve polities - I surmise you will vote, at
least in May, Newspapers have not mentioned any more bombs in
your neighborhood nor in the young man's or the demotselle's lycee.
I, for my part, am preparing a television adress on German affaivs
on which Columbia University was uncautious enough to insist. + trust
it will be the first and last time when such a responsible medium
wtll take me on, I tell them that In-as much a8 German industrialists
find enough reasons why to go to the Letpzig Fair, I cant see why
the existence of the Ulbricht regime cannot be taken as a fact of
life.

As to my chance to ee you ever again ~ if you still should be
so inclined - 1t 18 medium to good. I am still negotiating with the
Uniw raity of Frankfurt and if we arrive at an agreement within the
next four weeks, this would bring me into your geographical neighbor+
hood forthe entire summer, But even if that should fail,’ I might give
a paper soméwhere arouhd the Italian lakes beginning of September.
This tumkdmwkx unsettled state of affairs leads me to ask you a favor:
I cant renew my subscription to Le Monde which runs out April 1
before I know whether I am here or not, but as IT need the paper, could
you be nice enough to send me (ne Air Mail) the copies through April
This will be a distinct contribubion to the Professor's academic

well being. I ; ae

I now wanted to yield the pen to my beloved wife who, however,
Soeerte as the august husband has already used all available energy

at
and time, of the typist, which Just goes to show what miserable
services I am getting out of said typist. Am urgently considering
a split of functions and acquisition of a new typist. Any proposals
+ for a candidate? ‘
Avec les hommages de Monsieur Kivchheimer, I. remain
your obedient servant

December )th 1962,

Dear Kirchheimers ..,all of them ¢

In ag much as I cannot make spokesman a friend who does
not speak, or should I say ‘write’ I sucked on that peacepipe
of yours until I felt sweet and mellow and wishy washy. ~

Alright with me, what's good ehough for the two K$ should be
good enough for me and Just as they do, I'm ready to resume
H tesbs obi the drop of a hat, so take it easy and don't ever
say anything about sending back the {}20 which anyhow do not
belong to you but to my silent friend Peter.

Our children are very pleased with you, Jessica loves her blouse
and it's a pity Otto can't see her wearing it and in general
stick up for her in his for ever understanding patience with
nymphets of her type (although I want to go on recordsthat

she has jong passed the age and looksof the classical Nymphet
even if she ‘seemsto remain in it's mental development or under-
development and feel quite at ease there »... what's good enough
for a wonderful and reputedly intelligent friend of David's
ought to be good enough to go through one's entire life with o«e
See what you've done, Otto and Anne as usual, faithfully helped
you in this attitude even if I can't for the life of me guess
her underground reasonSe ~

But enough of your beautiful young thing. - You'll never know
how happy you made our other martyr child. ~ For weeks before
Christmas he hinted at his crime thaving sort of asked for a
flying model plane in Normandy when you supposedly thiikd degreed
him into confessing a wish .o.+. He was sure you'd forget, "He
has so many important things to think of and to teach and he

is absentminded anyhow (sic) ". Even when the package came,

I softpeddled the problem getting him ready for a disappointments
And when it finally was the real thing ...he screamed and Jumped a:
and sang and cabied on something dreadful.se... This for the
positive part of the present.

On the debipf ledger I should mention, that I have Wo deeply |
cut fingers, that the plane flies beautifully notwithstanding

it's big red bloodstains on both wings (my blood) that Douxie
hides in the bedroom upstairs as soon as he sees it and that

we all nearly froze our asses off watching the darned thing
perform ! Next time you want to spoll my child, come along with
the surprise and make it work for him and I'll not complain
watehing you do it even if the weather is below ZEr0 seo» I'd
even pay for the show § and I hope Peter's gun makes as much
racket in your house and garden as Peter's plane does in ours.~
(He tries the engine, holding the plane) inside the house).

poliggoally as you know the French situation is rapidly
deteridting. De Gaulle's speech was completely pixolated
and we even had an OAS bomb exploding the other night here
in Neauphle, in front of Professor Mandouze's house. It shook
Orn-beS house and we didn't like it one bit. There are lots of
other things we don't like, but I hate to make lists, especially
long listse~ But we personally,in our Little world in Neauphle
(since the bombing this world stops at the property Line ) agp ,
we are happy and filter incoming events and people for misery-
fall out or other catching moods.

You put at the end of your letter, in your own inimitable
handwriting: "& bientOt, quand mémo".... never mind the méme,
we just want to know QUAND ? Alors ?

Love to you all
and to any member of my family
you may see from time to times

March 31,1963

Dear Charles and “eanne:

Got your exhaubtive letter. Am not up to a
literary effort now and only wanted to discuss vacation
plans, We have Impossible summer programa this year,
inoluding Greece and northern Spain. But , if you
should go to the place in the Bretagne we could make
1t possible to squeeze in a week from July 88 or 29
to Sd or 4th of August to join you at your Bretagne place
with our new Volkswagen. The dates are not much movable =~
but even if you get there only August lst we would st111
have three daye together, How do the Davids unia foe] about
it? If you should feel kindly disposed towards such limited
soumon adventure, would you be nice enough to make | the
necessary reservations for us for a week (three persons,
two rooms preferred but not mandatory) at your Breton Langou-
stine heavens
The. other day I had dinner at the Davids who seemed
cheerful in apite of the inadequacy of John's bossa, who, how~
ever does not seem able to bar the road to the Nobel prize for
too long a period, Did not see the Sherwins lately, due to
strictly lowalized childrens medical disturbance, but
will see them soon.
1400 copies of my Idiotic books have been sa@ld in
spite of the English, Raetsels: how many would have been
sold in decent language} the answer will become clearer
when German edition hits the market in Soptember.

Marvelling about Yessica's progresa, sorry to miss her

‘ May 14th 1963

My dear Peter, i

We haven't as many good reasons for answering letters
somewhat late.....no Tennis, no touchtyping (why don't you give us
-a sample of that....)no New York trips. ..... just, Neauphle garden
and house and music and books and a typewriter that takes off when
you even look at it.......still We don't write......there must be some
deep psychological reason for it.....but we don't care, as long as
it stays deep enough and doesn't bother us.”
We were happy that you wrote and we are looking forward, to your
visit.....even if we're a little worried about your saint father's
planning. He‘ crams you so full of culture and makes such extensive
schedules that. If | didn't know his basic unselfishness | might suspect
him of wanting to see all those places and cathedrals and temples
himself. But | know he does if all for you and your mother and only sort
of comes along to open your éyes and souls fo. gone down civilizations.
You see, we old men have different approaches to death. He's heard
about see Naples and die, so he hurries and sees Naples and all other
places he might never see if he doesn't hurry. |. interpret things comple-
tely differently and consider that if | hurry too much and see Naples
I'll die , so | travel much Jess and take it-easy and contemplate life
through my cherry blossoms or'tulips......It kind of keeps Jeanne somewhat
claustrated, but she seems to like that... .so we both listen to the travellers
who rush by our front door......and this time it looks as if your plans
made even the front door an impossibility. So we'll wait for your noble
father's:phone call, stay packed and ready, gastanks filled, road maps
in the glove compartment.....ready to take off to TROYES ata 48
hours' notice. This is fine dnd we appreciate the Professor's willingness
to interrupt his restlessness long enough for a luncheon in Troyes, but we
feel that he cuts our ration of Kirchheimers rather skimpily and still hope
that if his own conscience doesn't do it, you or your sainte femme de mére
might revolt and make him add an hour or two with the Davids.....after
all let's face it boldly and speak’up, because every time for many years:
I have taken your venerable father or let him take me to a.cathedral | have
sensed that thought that it might be the last-time-he-~seesit-look he gives it
as he leaves it and that's how he's looked at Charires for the last 6 times at
least......so why not have the same attitude towards me and say this may be
the last time | see him, ...and after all this thought has better odds than

€hartres because if he may kick bucket, the Cathedral will survive (the K's
and DGees willing) but when it comes to me....1'm just as fragile as he is
and he would look funny the next time or the next sixth time he sees Chartres
while I'm already knawing my tulipbulbs from beneath. ... .so you see,
blackmailing, sentimental blackmailing, the worst sort, does not bother

me in the least.........but if his prussian schedules prevail we'll make do
with the 127 and one half minutes he may allocate to us in TROYES and
Troyes it will be and we'll await the Frankfuit call with baited breath,

Tell him all this or better'still, let him read this letter, after all it's meant
for.all of you, even if we have ‘a weakness for the younger Kirchheimer
generation.......anyhow the above reasoning has a Freudian undertone
when it comes from one's son, so let him figure it out himself.

- Which brings me to Diplomacy and your searching whether | had been trauma
tized about it when | was taught.......1 don't think so, but | have so many
more wicked and amusing ways to dispose of my aggressions that this mental
doublecross gymnastic does not excite mein the least, even if | fully under-
tand why my chil dren and my friends children (not qll of them) seem to
be able to spend long hours.over the game.«....Don't get me wrong, | do
not feel above it atall, | may not even be up to it, | just get no kick out
of it. :

As for Go you say you have learned , the new game of GO......if it's the
game John brought over several years ago, the Japanese game, the Japanese
took from the Chinese several hundred years ago, the game a master chess
player becomes a pretty fair amateur ‘after 5 years of thorough practice......
we'll talk about that for’3 minutes in the time we'll steal from your Pa in
TROYES;....by the way, we might even bring our niece LOIS along to Troyes
if she is-pretty enough, we know she's bright and pleasant, but she must be

an eye full or she won't go. .
‘So please drop us just a short line’ before you phone us and realize that we'll
look: forward to the Kirchheimer pikes making waves in our stinking Carp-life.

Love to you all; ""

N

PS. In order not to waste time, maybe the Professor could
already inform’ re of what he wants for lunch. At the
LE BOURGOGNE (one star) they have a very good pike-souffl ;
or would he prefer |'Entrecdte Bourguignone ?.....anyhow,
the Passicarbone is on us. : :

Jane 5, 19 Oh

Dear A

mand “eters

4% rocket you call

usband and father shot through

Meauphie and out again put not before veld opened 2 bottle

of champarne at midnite on the 31st together, had a f

ay 7 meals

fous and sundry things, seen the

opera Jozzek and warned Tin that his pece of life was dangerous
and that he should stop it. All dn one ear and out the other,
‘le was almost constantly on the go while nere not to mention

that his plane which was due in on the Saturday night got

bonpermental about sore fog and.

e group dow

Bordeaux instead of Orly, That meant coming in by train

xt rorning. tle was exausted, of COURS.

for gale. ‘le proclaimed that

to “urope bub as he pefused to bet

ed bard not to show how dolighted he was

abous Peter end Colurbia put eculdn't resist telling us that

Lower had told nian he would have admitted

if he hadnt been the

exelting plece of news, Petor

our buttons when you told us of ite

Peter hit the spot.

Me rocords yeu sent to de

ful toos

Jessica to poctry tm inglish and so beaut

should he

a concours this ior

ey

ave chosen but the Sonate Pathetique of Beethovens So he

an even keener intorest. Now comes

listens to your gift w

© it or had

our record, It 1s wonderful, “lave you listened

? Vetve Jistened tt: it don't Imow

you just heard

how many and we leugh and love it each time, vighty

ts all but la piece de resistance is my

elegant presex

tuna fish? I shall be grateful to you with each mouthful.

a nico Littlo stock now in the cave and IT intend

it ALL rorself,

“y better half wants to say h to you so T shall

be of f to warket and leave tne "a and

gave re 1 @, ribbon

i
&'

r with one finger
\ Neen

Let me just add a few words to my palefacetypewife...we loved your records and enjoyed
your lord and master as much as his restlessness let us. It was fun, but somehow I'm worried
about his cramming of things intoevery second of his long days and getting little else but
tiredness and nervewreck out of if.......still you know that even better than | do, only

it hits when one sees him so rarely. Anyhow we had lots of wonderful moments together,
spoke of you and the !nood was very good all the time. He will tell you all about the crazy
Davids, so I'm not going to write about us. Peter we love your letters and wish you could
come and have fun with us.....still, you will some day. In the meantime enjoy yourself
and learn a lot at that good campus you made, even if it is in a disreputable neighbourhood....
And when you have ladies around, keep away from that TV set, Jeanne might jump out

of it on some late show and spoil everything just when things were going right.

Lots of love

\

°

March 22 nd 1965

Dear Kirchheimers,

You did not have to thank me for the very belated despatch
of Otto's print. ....we should have thanked you for the New Yorkeiand
writing letters becomes more and more difficult, so we do appreciate it
very much when we get mail, even if with every letter we receive we
are reminded of all the things we didn't do or write.

So I'll not hide behind grippes, elections, heating trouble,

or many other everyday nuisances. .....you have an equal amount and $
we can't impress you every year with a juicy accident and our miraculous woz

“4
escape.

We are going to Hamburg towards the 8th or 9th of next month. n~

If by any chance we can do anything for you, Otto, or see anybody you
would like us to see, don't hesitate. We'll do if. | always wanted to take
Jeanne to Hamburg so we'll all 4 of us spend a week there and motor back

via Sonntheim.

Deine Politik und Verfassung habe ich erhalten, aber bisher habe
nur die Einleitung und "Politische Justiz" gelesen. | enjoyed it much better
than your English book... .bUt there is still too little sex in it for my present
state of mind.

Report about us ? We are fine now. Jessica is approaching the
Bac and if she makes it, Jeanne will never let anybody even breathe about
the superiority or difficulty of the French schoolsystem over the American.
She takes it as easy as ever and I'll be speechless if she makes it.....and
that is rare. = Peter must be underpriviledged mentally...... he works very
hard and hasn't half the time to play and spare of his bacheliére sis.....

I know, Otto, ....." sie hat ihre eigene Wertordnung, aus der thre Handlung
erwichst, dem von ihren Eltern anerkannten System entgegen".....and she

is pretty...... sbut I'd like to see what you would do if she were in your

x
2
>
Ks

j
7
j

=>

Studentgroup....... Anyhow, comes July, she will jet over to Los Angeles
and spend three months in the UESSA to "polish" up her English and in general
make herself familiar with her fatherland. She'll plane back in September
via New York and maybe you can catch a glimpse of her at the Davids or

ond more complicated meeting point selected by you.

By the way.....-please don't get any complexes about our
not writing or making cracks about "la Réunion d'Orly".....we were never
disgusted with Otto's whirlwindpassage, just a little worried at his Unruhe
and what it implies and also regretted to have been cheated of his so rare
but pleasant company.....+ especially when it is less hectic and contains
a few hours of peaceful chats.

As for your son.......+whatever our grievances, (and we swear
that deep down we huve none ) against the Professor......his son rates
very high on our list. He wrote us a. long letter and a real one not just
a thank you letter......and we only hope that someday soon he will show
up our way, even if he does beat Jeanne on the Ping Pong table. ...we like
the guy and feel that he would enjoy a while with us and our rythm of
living.......snot to mention the wonderful fights we could get into.

Enough, | hope I've made it clear that there is absolutely

nothing wrong between the K's and the Neauphle D's.....there never
could be......- ..so , "greetings" as you say and a few of our French hugs for
all of you.