When I got home that day I read it all through & found that it would be impossible to eliminate the bits that you & the Leader objected to. As you know our finances are such that I really couldn’t afford to scrap the book then. I did however hold it up for about a month (thus missing the Spring list) in order to take out everything which directly related to Captain Jack, amounting to nearly 3 chapters & a lot of paragraphs. There are now, I think, about 4 references to him & he never appears in the book as a character at all.
Diana and Jessica in 1935, two years before politics separated them for ever.
In spite of this I am very much worried at the idea of publishing a book which you may object to. It completely blights all the pleasure which one ordinarily feels in a forthcoming book.
And yet, consider. A book of this kind can’t do your movement any harm. Honestly, if I thought it could set the Leader back by so much as half an hour I would have scrapped it, or indeed never written it in the first place.
The 2 or 3 thousand people who read my books, are, to begin with, just the kind of people the Leader admittedly doesn’t want in his movement. Furthermore it would be absurd to suppose that anyone who was intellectually or emotionally convinced of the truths of Fascism could be influenced against the movement by such a book.
I still maintain that it is far more in favour of Fascism than otherwise. Far the nicest character in the book is a Fascist, the others all become much nicer as soon as they have joined up.
But I also know your point of view, that Fascism is something too serious to be dealt with in a funny book at all. Surely that is a little unreasonable? Fascism is now such a notable feature of modern life all over the world that it must be possible to consider it in any context, when attempting to give a picture of life as it is lived today.
Personally I believe that when you have read the book, if you do, you will find that all objections to it except perhaps the last (that my particular style is an unsuitable medium) will have disappeared.
On darling I do hope so!
Always much love from NR
Darling Stony-heart
We were all very interested to see that you were the Queen of the May this year at Hesselberg.1
Call me early, Goering dear.
For I’m to be Queen of the May.2
Good gracious, that interview you sent us, fantasia fantasia. 5 July. I have been too busy in the giddy social whirl to finish this but will do so now – or never.
We are off to Amsterdam tomorrow so shall be nearer to you in body if not in spirit. By the way aren’t you going abroad, to England, quite soon. Well then I shan’t bother to send this to the nasty land of blood baths & that will save me 1d.
We were asked to stay with somebody called Himmler or something, tickets & everything paid for, but we can’t go as we are going to Venice & the Adriatic for our hols. I suppose he read my book & longed for a good giggle with the witty authoress. Actually he wanted to show us over a concentration camp,3 now why? So that I could write a funny book about them.
We went to Lord Beaverbrook’s4 party last night, it was lovely & I told him about how Goering called you early & he roared.
I must say you are a wonderful noble girl, & everyone who has read my book longs to meet you.
Well, I hope to see you when we get back from Amsterdam.
Love from your favourite sister, NR
Darling Cord
I was sad to hear about your accident,1 you can’t think how sorry we all were. I do hope you’re better now & not in too much agony, it sounded too frightful, poor Cord, having stitches in while you were still conscious (at least that’s what Farve said, I hope it wasn’t true).
All the Farrers wrote & sent you their love & sympathy.
Have you had any results from the chain letter yet, I’ve had about 3/–I think which, after all, although it isn’t exactly £312 isn’t too bad for 6d is it.
Much love from Decca
Darling Forge
This is to wish you many happy returns of your 21 birthday. I hope you will have a lot of lovely presents, & enclose a miserable cheque to buy yourself some pretty little Nazi emblem with.
Well much love from NR
Darling Boud
I’ve saved up £4 towards the Tour,2 it’s in the bank, I expect to add another £6 at the end of the month. When shall we go? About the beginning of October do you think? Also are we definitely going?
This is the new Honnish poem (to be pronounced in true Honnish)3
For into bed she sped
And in her bed she read And while she read A lump of lead Fell on her head in bed.
Well Boud, write soon to your old Boud who loves her Boud in zbeed udj al4 and it’s in zbeed of a good deal.
P.S. I went to see poor Cord after her operation, she looked terribly ill. I kept nearly having to leave the room because she and Muv would keep talking about an awful thing called the after-birth.5
Darling Nard
I’m afraid you must have had an awful journey. Even I, travelling only as far as here, was frozen when I arrived; and when I woke up yesterday morning and heard the wind whistling I thought of your poor crossing.
Well now I have a lot to tell you. Yesterday about 12, on my way to the hairdresser, I was walking up the Ludwigstrasse & just going to cross one of the side streets & there was a large Merc in it waiting to be able to cross the Ludwigstrasse & to my astonishment in front sat the Führer. I stood for about ½ a minute saluting about 5 feet from him, but he didn’t see me. When I got to the hairdresser I felt quite faint & my knees were giving, you know how one does when one sees him unexpectedly. But I was so pleased, because it was the first time I had seen him like that, quite by chance, in the street. Hardly any of the other people recognised him.
I went to the Osteria, & found Erich1