Winston S. Churchill (1874–1965)
Typed letter signed to Hubertus zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg.
Chartwell, Westerham, Kent: 16 June 1937.
Churchill replies to a prominent German anti-Nazi exile seeking support for an opposition newspaper.
A revealing letter from Churchill’s “Wilderness Years,” showing him in correspondence with one of the most prominent German opponents of Nazism.
Writing from Chartwell to Prince Hubertus of Löwenstein, Churchill responds to a request for assistance in supporting a German dissident newspaper intended to coordinate opposition to the Nazi regime. Churchill declines involvement, explaining that his commitments prevent him from assisting:
“I do not see how I can assist you in the object you have in view, as my time and influence at the present are fully engaged.”
In a brief handwritten continuation, Churchill adds a courteous personal note:
“But I thank you for laying the matter before me in so courteous a form.”
Prince Hubertus of Löwenstein (1906–1984), a German aristocrat and outspoken critic of Nazism, fled Germany in 1933 following Hitler’s rise to power. In exile, he travelled widely across Europe and the United States seeking to organize German opposition groups abroad. Writing to Churchill on 11 June 1937, Löwenstein warned that National Socialism would lead to “an international catastrophe” and proposed establishing a centre of opposition outside Germany.
At the time, the German émigré newspaper Pariser Tageszeitung in Paris was on the verge of collapse. Löwenstein hoped to assume control of the publication and asked Churchill to help assemble “a group of Englishmen” to serve as trustees and raise funds for the paper. Though sympathetic to anti-Nazi efforts, Churchill declined to participate.
The correspondence reflects Churchill’s growing contacts with German opponents of Hitler during the late 1930s, when—still out of office—he was among the most prominent British voices warning of the dangers of Nazi expansion.
Löwenstein ultimately did not take control of the newspaper. After the Second World War, he returned to Germany in 1946 and later served as a member of the Bundestag.
Description:
Single sheet (254 × 202 mm), on printed Chartwell letterhead, typed on one side and signed “Winston S. Churchill,” with autograph continuation. Two filing holes to the inner margin; folds from handling, light toning, and scattered spotting. In good condition.
Archive:
Löwenstein’s letter to Churchill of 11 June 1937 is preserved in the Churchill Archives Centre (CHAR 2/296A–B).
Winston S. Churchill (1874–1965)
Typed letter signed to Hubertus zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg.
Chartwell, Westerham, Kent: 16 June 1937.
Churchill replies to a prominent German anti-Nazi exile seeking support for an opposition newspaper.
A revealing letter from Churchill’s “Wilderness Years,” showing him in correspondence with one of the most prominent German opponents of Nazism.
Writing from Chartwell to Prince Hubertus of Löwenstein, Churchill responds to a request for assistance in supporting a German dissident newspaper intended to coordinate opposition to the Nazi regime. Churchill declines involvement, explaining that his commitments prevent him from assisting:
“I do not see how I can assist you in the object you have in view, as my time and influence at the present are fully engaged.”
In a brief handwritten continuation, Churchill adds a courteous personal note:
“But I thank you for laying the matter before me in so courteous a form.”
Prince Hubertus of Löwenstein (1906–1984), a German aristocrat and outspoken critic of Nazism, fled Germany in 1933 following Hitler’s rise to power. In exile, he travelled widely across Europe and the United States seeking to organize German opposition groups abroad. Writing to Churchill on 11 June 1937, Löwenstein warned that National Socialism would lead to “an international catastrophe” and proposed establishing a centre of opposition outside Germany.
At the time, the German émigré newspaper Pariser Tageszeitung in Paris was on the verge of collapse. Löwenstein hoped to assume control of the publication and asked Churchill to help assemble “a group of Englishmen” to serve as trustees and raise funds for the paper. Though sympathetic to anti-Nazi efforts, Churchill declined to participate.
The correspondence reflects Churchill’s growing contacts with German opponents of Hitler during the late 1930s, when—still out of office—he was among the most prominent British voices warning of the dangers of Nazi expansion.
Löwenstein ultimately did not take control of the newspaper. After the Second World War, he returned to Germany in 1946 and later served as a member of the Bundestag.
Description:
Single sheet (254 × 202 mm), on printed Chartwell letterhead, typed on one side and signed “Winston S. Churchill,” with autograph continuation. Two filing holes to the inner margin; folds from handling, light toning, and scattered spotting. In good condition.
Archive:
Löwenstein’s letter to Churchill of 11 June 1937 is preserved in the Churchill Archives Centre (CHAR 2/296A–B).
Image 1 of 1