[page 1, top left margin:]
Greetings from Father and Mother Greetings to your German friends

Windsheim, December 21 1929

Dear Hans,

Received your letter today. Thanks for the 5 dollars. However, I’m sure you could have used the money yourself. So stop sending money and save it for next year when you come to visit Germany. Unfortunately, I have had nothing but bad luck trying to come up with something for Christmas. So it is that I cannot send you a book as I had intended. I had bought a book for you, but as my misfortune would have it, I left it on the Würzburger train. It is now cheap reading material for somone else. Hopefully, I can make up for it next year. Once you receive this letter, Christmas will already be over, so I can only offer you best wishes for a happy new year and reunion in Germany.

Also, I would like to wish Uncle and Aunt a Happy New Year.

I saw your photo and liked it a lot. I would be interested to know what kind of camera you use, whether you develop the film yourself, and what sort of paper you use. When I take photos, I develop them myself. My outfit is a Voigtländer camera with Ibsor shutter, without the double extension bellows. Unfortunately, it does not have a Zeiss lens. Next year, if finances allow, I would like to build an enlargement apparatus. Maybe I will also be able to get a radio for Father or Mother’s birthday.

Christmas vacation just started. Today is the first day. After vacation, in January, I will have to take my semester exams; then from February 8-10 it’s on to the Engineer examination. Keep your fingers crossed. I’m certainly not going to fail, but I want to improve my gradepoint average from 2.0 to 1.8, and that means a lot of work. My GPA could have been much better had I not gotten so involved with other things. But that is my nature. I am not inclined to be a bookworm who only cares about school. I’m too impulsive for that. During semesters 4 and 5, I was busy as a member of the executive committee of the "deutschen Ring", the all-student organization of our H.T.S.

Additionally, I launched the student committee and that took a lot of time. Despite that, my standing among my peers is quite good, as eighty percent of students always have a 4 on their report cards. I think all will go well. I don’t think I will find the time to write you during the testing period, but I will write afterwords and let you know of my "success".

Once I receive the certification to "practice the Engineering Profession", as good as that sounds, I will look for a position. I just don’t know exactly where just yet. I don’t know about further plans, since I have not yet decided whether to study an additional semester in Munich or even how I could manage that.

On another topic: In Nürnberg I ran into your school mate Heiner Maier. He works at a bank in Nürnberg. Richard Engelhardt is in Gunzenhausen. Ernst is working at Staedtler. Unfortunately, I could not meet up with both Engelhardts since my visits to Schwabach are always short. When I visit Maria, I leave at 11:15 and am back in Nürnberg by 2:00. Recently, I was there on a Sunday but could not meet them then either. I have been asked to pass along best wishes from Heiner Maier. In February I will once again get tuned into the goings on in Schwabach. Patience until then.

Here is a proposal: Familiarize yourself with radio technology, especially with the general principles of shortwave transmitters and receivers. You do not have to learn the theory, but just how to operate transmitters and receivers. Why? Here is the reason: When I have finished with my studies here at H.T.S., I will build a shortwave transmitter/receiver. Several of my fellow students will do the same. In Germany, transmitting is illegal, but few people are transmitting shortwave and if we are smart about it, we won’t get caught. If we can get good reception in Germany, I would like to communicate with you. Transmission is allowed in America. You will just have more interference from others there than we have here. The wavelength is 20 - 100 meters. We will not always be able to use the same wavelength. Here’s the plan: you sit tight while we determine what sort of success we will have with our new radios. If successful, I will send you the construction details. You will able to take a look when you come to visit. Until then, I will send you some photographs. The cost should be 100 - 150 Marks. Naturally, you will want to postpone construction until I give you the go ahead and you have the money. Maybe I can contribute something. Final result: Mother presses a couple of buttons and hears her Hans in America. I will send you books and study materials in the Spring.

Our lecturer has had good reception from India, America, New Guinea. So, it should work for us.

Tomorrow is the referendum. The purpose: to abolish the Young Plan which would enslave Germany for another 60 years to the Allies. Establishment of a world bank to manage and distribute tribute collected from the Germans. If Germany does not stand up to this, Germans living overseas will be required to participate in payment of the tribute. The World Bank has the right to buy up German businesses with money collected from us. These are then tax free; that means millions will be lost from the tax base should Germany pay the tribute. We can undoubtedly pay the 2 1/2 billion per year. Even for 60 years. But then Germany would be finished. Tomorrow, the following political groups will support the referendum to abolish the Young Plan:

The German Nationals (Hugenberg)
The National Socialists (Hitler)
The Tannenbergers (Ludendorff)

All other parties from the Bavarian Peoples Party to the Communists are staying away from the vote.

Today, we in Germany are living in a dilapidated house that will probably soon collapse either to be rebuilt or perish.

Ludendorff and the Tannenbergbund are against Jews, Freemasons, and Jesuits. He calls for independence from the Catholic church in Rome, and a unifying German religion based on the beliefs of our forebears (Edda and Wedda writings). He also rejects the Protestant church as having Freemasons in their midst and being influenced by the Catholic church. He characterizes Jews as parasites and corruptors of the people.

Hitler rejects religious faiths in his movement, and is foremost against Jews and secondarily against Freemasons. His opposition to the Catholic church is very weak.

Hugenberg rejects the struggle against Jews, Freemasons, and Jesuits. He is concerned only with nationalist goals.

Personally, the Ludendorff movement is the most appealing even though the odds are overwhelmingly against it.

Next time I will send you newspapers and writings so you can educate yourself. Do not give these to your German friends.

With affectionate regards, Your brother Philipp

(bottom right corner and side)

Christmas is not a celebration of the church, but rather a pure Germanic celebration which has been transformed by the church. That’s why the Christmas tree is originally only found among Germans. Italians have no Christmas tree.

The Edda contains a Christ story similar to the Bible’s, except that Christ is not a Jew but an Arian (IndoGerman). But the Edda is about 3000 years old.