Letter from Oskar Kokoschka to J.P. Hodin

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[Translation/transcription]

Dear Hodinus,

You must read 'Democracy Today and Tomorrow' by Edward Beneš in the Right Book Club, 1940 (113 Charing Cross Rd, W.C.2), p. 197:

'How is it possible that in this age of enlightment there are governments in Europe which openly and cynically proclaim the domination of brute force, which refuse to accept the humanitarian and Christian conception of life, which destroy every idea of international morality and honesty, and which respect no given word, no pledge, no agreement, and no treaty?'

The programme of the provisional government, signed by the six states at Košice, contains a paragraph according to which the prosecution and punishment of political criminals may not be conducted on racist principles, 1942.

'I know that these are not the principles of the whole German nation. The German nation itself is subjugated. For seventeen years democratic Germany and Czechoslovakia collaborated with each other with each other in peace. It is the present German régime and the dictatoriships in Europe that create this situation of utter confusion and disruption, hatred and violence, war and revolution. Take what they have done to the Jews. Take what they have done to their political opponents. Take what they do [sic] are doing to-day to all their neighbours. All this must be considered as the complete disruption of modern human civilisation, of every human moral and legal conception to which humanity has come through thousands of years of its evolution. That is war and revolution.'

To this is opposed the summary in the famous state decrees on the transfer of Germans, Hungarians, traitors and collaborators.

Is a person German because he was first taught in German, or is it in his blood? To which soil naturally also belongs. In the basic law of the state of Czechoslovakia the first article implies that all citizens are equal before the law, even if the first language they heard at home was Latin or German or Yiddish.

Has the constitution of Czechoslovakia effectively been toppled by some legal resolution of the lawfully constituted national government? When did this happen? And if it did not, is the expulsion of the German-Hungarian citizens of Czechoslovakia from their ancestral soil not a clear coup d'etat? But Dr Beneš nevertheless closes his overview as follows (p. 202):

'One must have also a right conception of democracy as theory and one must have the courage to put these theories into practice rightly, justly, and courageously. Otherwise all these great words about democracy are but vain words, words, nothing but words intended to cover the most vulgar, egoistic interests of ruling classes, parties, and individuals.' (Underlined words emphasised by the author.)

So what?

So far I have received no news from Czechoslovakia of the emergence of any resistance movement against this new linguistic variant of the race myth (nor have I heard of such resistance being suppressed, as under Hitler's Reich). Is this a sign that the concentration camps are to be perpetuated in the name of Nazi doctrine now that the fight 'for the liberation of the peoples overrun by Fascists' has ended in victory? I assume that Dr Fierlinger is being handsomely rewarded for sparing the life of one noble Aryan - which is to say one noble Czech (renowned German) - whom he can easily do away with at some point in the future?

My dear Hodinus, I think all this talk of democracy is superstition. There's only nationalism, which is the same as fascism. And that song ends with an atom bomb, however one spins it and drags it on into world war three. When asked about the best possible constitution, old Solon replied: 'This one, which does the smallest injustice to even the lowliest member of society.'

We have come royally off the rails in our Darwinian struggle for the mathematical happiness of the greatest number. Hail the white man-ape! Salut! Nazdar! Živio!

I'm sorry we shall miss you! We're going to Ullapool where I shall try to do some drawing to turn my thoughts in the right direction. Flowers, crickets, grass, children, girls and sheep. Assuming it all survives the atom bomb.

My self-portrait was photographed by A. Carlebach.

The White House, Randolph Crescent, W.C. Telephone: Cum. 3231.

Congratulations on your Munch. I'm looking forward to it.

All the very best to you both.

Yours,

OK

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