contemporary history US DE 1939 immigration and emigration

Sophie then presented us with a letter Carl Laemmle had writ- ten in English dated September 7th, 1939, in which he encouraged his family with his unbelievable vigor. Laemmle knew how per- sistent and life-loving Laupheim's business owners were. At the same time, he had experienced how they once had to leave their beloved hometown, their souls broken. In this letter, Laemm- le writes that "this is strictly confidential". There is reason to believe that, with his letter, Carl wanted to provide a necessary impulse, wanted to help people help themselves and help acquain- tances escape. Once again, Carl showed his humble character, remaining in the background as he helped.

Autorentext
Udo Bayer (November 23rd, 1943 September 25th, 2015) was born in Hechingen-Hohenzollern, where he attended the local high school. A life-long artist since his childhood, Bayer studied history, political science and German literature in Tübingen, Munich and Berlin. In 1969, he began as a teacher in training at a high school in Laupheim, where he continued to teach until his retirement in 2008, serving as assistant director from 1989 on. He received his PhD in philosophy in 1975 under the supervision of Max Bense and Elisabeth Walther-Bense in Stuttgart, publishing numerous articles on Charles S. Peirce's semiotics. His chief interest lay, until his death in 2015, in the city-history of Laupheim. In particular, it was the native Laupheimer, Carl Laemmle, whose success story and humanitarian engagement captivated Udo Bayer's interest as a historian. Thanks to Bayer's initiative, the local high school had its name changed to Carl-Laemmle High School in 1993, something which proved to be an important step in re-establishing trust in the Laemmle family. In addition, Udo Bayer was a founding father of the Society for History and Commemoration, whose involvement was important for the construction of a museum for Christians and Jews in Laupheim. His personal contact to the descendents of persecuted Jewish refugees made possible numerous publications in memory of the former Jewish community in Laupheim. This part of biography is basis of 25 years of meticulous research on Carl Laemmle, in particular, Bayer's intensive personal exchange with the Laemmle family and their relatives, as well as research in various archives and his contact to historians in Germany, the USA, Israel and Japan.

Inhalt

• Sandy Einstein from CA, USA, tells his story. His father, Hermann, was saved by an affidavit.- . Udo Bayer - CARL LAEMMLE1. Laemmle and Germany2. The American Policy of Immigration3. Laemmle´s correspondence in detail- Acknowledgements