Berlin, Tuesd. Aug 5.

Now I have travel orders & shall leave to-morrow by plane for Hamburg (via Brit. Airlines). The rail trip would take over 15 hours (on a milit. train!!) & I would have to change at Hannover at 4 in the morning. I may be able to go on to-morrow to Kiel, but probably only on Thursday. I should like to arrive in Copenhagen on Friday evening – who knows how long that will take again. Then I could spend the week-end with the Wessels.

I spent thursday evening with Walter Lichtenstein who works for intelligence & lives in a big House at Wannsee. The max. income here is $ 10000.- but they live as if they had 5-10 times as much. A definite colonial set-up. A package of cigarets brings 100- Mks & a servant does not get more than 200.- a month. Max. rent for a house is $ 150.- He gave me a good view of the overal set up, drove me around, espec. tow. Charlottenburg & the evening was quite profitable. Dinner excellent & the wine also.

I live at the Harnack House as if it were a Kurhotel, only much cheaper. Room $ 2.-; excellent meaels total app. 1.50-2.00. My present neighbor is Walter Gropins; previously for 1 day Mr. Javits. Gropins is a very interesting man. The whole situation is very unrealistic. Also meeting mostly officials is no good. I saw many of them: Jack Bernett, Mr Tennenbaum (his assistant), Col. Wilkinson (Dir. of the Econ. Division, not an economist!!), Don Humphrey, (who is), Miss M. Newcomber, Mendershausen, Paul Hermberg etc. Also Mr. Jackson, young Engl.man of the Cabinet office (who had even read the theory of games & said it was “epoch-making) & to-day Schumacher. Interesting that many would agree with my 1944 views that free trade should be imposed on Germany & that one then would have a simple principle to watch. Humphrey is just back from Italy & is impressed with the dropping of controls there & the great ensuring activity. Now many think that one should have some inflation here too. I am not so much concerned with the immediate policy but rather with the fundamental goals down my main thoughts but they should be elaborated. Perhaps I shall write a memo when I am back in Princeton & either publish it as an article or send it to the State Dpt. From the first point of view (immediate policy) it would be interesting to see the italian scene. I shall have to decide that soon. There are app. 5 weeks left; but I would like some rest, of one continuous week.

Saturday I had dinner with Lichtenstein & Col.P.P. Rodes’ home Enormous! Belongs to the Schichts. 3 lovely young daughters. We 4 had a nice evening. But R. does not know what we should do here; I think he would like us to get out of Germany. Everyone here just hates & detests the Russians, regret the withdrawal from Berlin, Leipzig etc & find them not only robbers, but also contemptuous in their behavior. Russ. soldiers, incidentally, are not allowed outside of barracks. Nobody accepts any invitations, any intercourse etc, exactly as in Vienna. One must not even photograph in the russian sector of B! What a different world here in the US sector & at Angus.

Yesterday evening I attended a meeting at Mr Beckwith’ house (author of a forthcoming book on Socialism, Stanf. UP.) where also Dr Bauer, Mommsen (Ted’s brother) Prof. Hu…. (Historian), Rehfeldt, & Mr. X (US). On education. It was quite interesting. One agreed, more or less, that the chief trouble with G. schools has always been the excessive authority enjoyed by teachers & prof. I stressed the great difference seen, e.g., in Princeton. I know I always hated German schools & their atmosphere. We broke then into a gen. discussion; I asked about the Hitler Putch & other things. Many of those present had known v. Hassel, Schulenburg, Gördeler etc.

Incidentally: Keitel’s villa is around the corner here: a 45 feet deep air raid shelter 5 rooms & bath! Almost as good as Hilter’s shelter in the Reichskanzlei which is now flooded.