Kandersteg, Sat. Aug. 23, 1947.

The bitter-sweet little love affair of Copenhagen has come to an end: I called up Inga this morning. Her sister answered & said she had left yesterday for her honeymoon. She probably still received the letter I wrote from Basel & I am glad I said a few nice things to her there. She probably could not back out any more. She was very, very sweet & I shall remember her with pleasure & gratefully. She called me up once more Monday night & we spoke for half an hour: How she wanted to come to Paris to me; that she was already in nightgown & would love to be with me then. She had begun to speak to her father & would again talk to her mother. That she could not imagine she would be happy, that she would lie if she should have to say “yes” to the question in Church – yet here it is. – Would I really be glad if she came? That she was much in love with me & desired me greatly. – Such is life and such are women. I would like to see her again [Rain]. Now, sitting on the terrace of the Hotel Regina-Waldrand, slight rain falling, but much light, I feel my loneliness more than ever. I had a glimpse again of another life. I think I shall crave company of a lovely woman more than ever. Only, in the background looms the work & its routine with the absorption it always produces. But this time I do not want to succumb to it again. Now I shall look. And I shall free myself of various other imagined things, espc. of Mimi. I cannot give her any more as much of me & my time as I have done.

I left Copenh. Tuesday 19. Th; the plane returned after a few min., only one engine working! The weather was fine & we saw all of C. & over to Sweden etc. In Frankfurt a short stop, at 3h in Zürich, then to Basel (Hotel Euler). There was mail, but nothing exiting. Nothing from Vienna (!), Mimi, Johnny, Gödel.

Wedn. 20 th: saw van Zeeland & the dan. Director….. & had lunch with him & wife & son (21), just from US. Very good & interesting. The BIS is naturally very jealous of the French & the new bank. When I showed my sceptic attitude towards the latter they were pleased, but that is unimportant. Then I bought for 100 frs worth of medicine for Muttel. At 6 I had dinner with Furlan. We sat first at the Casino & then at the Walliser Weinstube. He had send me his book but I never got it. He is a fine man, fine scholar (even if his Harmonigesetz should be nothing as Weyl thinks), is against the propaganda-economists Röpke – Hayek etc. It is interesting how reputations look to various people! The average is rather consistent. Salin came later. An unpleasant type. He & F. don’t get along. S. told that Lutz has been in B. & should have been back the 15th to fetch Vera. He will have to leave soon by boat. S. wanted my paper on demand for Kyklos, but I have not heard from the Quarterly! I wonder what Furlans book is about.

Thursday I left for Bern, got my Engl. Visa & had Lunch at the Amonns; very nice again. They had been in South. Tyrol & told a lot. He will ship the medicine in 2 parcels; a very friendly man. We discussed Austria & Germany much. He agrees widely with my ideas & my observations are very similar to those of Bode who had been there the preceding day. We 2 had Tea & then I left for Kandersteg. The weather deteriorated. The Hotel is fair, but in nice setting. (sfrs 15.- + 15% + coffee +…); food good. Yesterday rain & sun, today less rain. I am reading (after having finished a poor detective story): Jaspers Schuldfrage; & Pechel: Deutscher Widerstand – The best yet. It really gives an idea & I would like to see it translated. The terror must have been terrible & the difficulties were enormous. Still I think it should have been possible to kill Hitler, & sooner. The generals appear – again! – as the worst lot (excepting Beck etc). (Mackenroth defended them vigorously!). The revolt was too much concerned with ideas, programs etc, too little with force. Also technically primitive. Why rely again on an engl. time fuse in the Zeughaus,?! When it could probably have been done electrically; or again when the Tornister was shown & it exploded later!!

People here mostly British & Belgian. The latter talk arrogantly of “les sales Américains”, not knowing about me. The others are profoundly upset because of the British crisis which creeps along. Now the £-$ conversion has been stopped & travel allowances are cut. It will have a deep influence on the world. The price rise in US may be halted & many prices may go down, because of the psychol. situation.

Places like these are very conducive to thought. But time is short. I have reflected about my paper for Chicago (very difficult!), about demand, my book & the maxims. I do not see why I should not be able to finish my book by next summer. 2-3 chapters & general revision. I hope Marcus will be useful. Katherine Bell wrote & is back at work.

My health is very good. I was a little nervous, not knowing about Inga. – Tomorrow to Interlaken & Luzern. There I should see Herzfeld. On Wedn. morning in Paris & on to London – with mixed feelings. I would now like to get home & have 1 week at least in P. before the Univ. opens. So I still have to go to Washington to the Int. Statist. Congress.

I think I should write that paper on German industrial level etc. The best would be to publish it in the N.Y. Times. –