“To be in connection with you again makes me feel much more at home here”: Hans (John) Kautsky's First Letter from the United States

Abstract

Hans Kautsky fled Nazi Austria with his parents in August of 1938. After a year-long stay in London, the Kautskys immigrated to the United States in November 1939. The first letter Hans Kautsky sent from the United States to his classmates, who had also fled, provides a window into the correspondence of this small group of young refugees. Moreover, it is typical both in form and content for the exchange. In this nine-page handwritten letter, Hans includes the usual status report, news of financial worries, concerns for the well-being of friends, and measures to ensure the continuation of the correspondence. His comments also point to the vastly different experiences of the youth, who found themselves in France, Palestine, England, Switzerland, and the U.S.