My Dear Mrs. Roosevel

I was deeply touched by your kind though in writing me such a charming and sympathetic letter. I do appreciate what you said, and send my heartfelt thanks. Sometimes one's heart seems near breaking under the stress of so much sorrow and anxiety. When we think of my gallant young men being sacrificed to the terrible machine that Germany has created, I think that anger perhaps predominates. But when we think of their valour, their determination & their grave spirit, their pride and joy are uppermost.

We are all prepared to sacrifice everything in the fight to save freedom, and the curious thing is, that already many false values are going, & life is becoming simpler and greater every day. It is encouraging to know that the United States is gradually beginning to realize the terrible menace of the Nazi way of living. We who have lived near it for some years, to some degree understand the danger, but it is all far worse than our simple peace loving people could ever take in, until faced with the awful reality.

I must tell you how moved I have been by the many charming, sympathetic, and understanding letters which I have received from kind people in the United States. Quite poor people have enclosed little sums of money to be used for our wounded, our sailors, or mine sweepers. It really has helped us, to feel such warmth of human kindness & goodness, for we still believe truly that humanity is overall.

Sometimes, during the last terrible months, we have felt rather lonely in our fight against evil things, but I can honestly say that our hearts have been lightened by the knowledge that friends in America understand what we are fighting for.

We look back with such great pleasure to those lovely days we spent with you last June. We often talk of them, and of your & the President's welcome & hospitality. The picnic was great fun, and our children were so thrilled with the descriptions of the Indian singing & marvelous clothes - not to mention the hot dogs!

The most wonderful relays of hospital comforts and clothes have bee n arriving here from the United States - we are so deeply grateful for such invaluable help.

Now that the Germans have started their bombing and destruction here, the clothes will be doubly welcome in the many little homes where all personal belongings are lost - blown sky-high. It is so terrible to think that all the things we have worked for, these last twenty years are being lost or destroyed in the madness of such a cruel war - better housing, education, nursery schools, low cost of living, & many others. But perhaps we have all gone too hard for material benefits, & ignored the spiritual side of life. I do believe that there is a gradual awakening to the needs of the spirit, and that, combined with adversity and sorrow overcome, will lay the seeds of a far better world.

In one of the nice letters I have had recently from America, a lady wrote of the sorrows of "your world." It seems such a curious distinction, her world and our world are apparently different! I did not feel that at all when I was with you all last year.

Please give many kind messages to the President, we do so admire his great work & wise statements, and I hope with all my heart that we may meet again someday.

With all good wishes to you both,

I am,
Yours very sincerely,

Elizabeth R.