March 11, 1928.

My dear Miss Heymann:

The enclosed will explain to you why I have not answered your very friendly letter earlier. It was very pleasant to learn that you have now an easier time and that you made a pleasant journey to Palestine. I feel like an animal in a cage, having no passport with which to go beyond the border of the United States.

My fight for citizenship goes on, but the end is still a long way off. You can imagine how distasteful it is to me to fight myself into citizenship in a country where a Feminist Club in which Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt and other suffrage leaders play a role refused when I lately applied for membership because I thought I should belong to some kind of feminist organization. You will also be interested to know that neither the [Women’s] I.[nternational] L.[eague for Peace and Freedom] American branch, nor any of the Feminist organizations have taken the slightest notice of my refusal of citizenship. One should think that however they dislike me personally the fact that I am refused because I refused to promise to take up arms, would make them take up the issue in some form.

For some one who has so strongly and deeply believed that women will fulfill their psychological duty to the human race, it is terrible to become so disillusioned as I am in consequence of the things I had observed and experienced.

The Hungarian organization which ever since I left Hungary has kept loyal, is a great consolation to me. The more painful it is to know that they are deprived of Vilma’s inspiring leadership; and since Mrs. Szirmay’s only daughter committed suicide, they have a harder time than ever. They report to me and ask for advice, of which I can give them very little. They as lately about the controversy in the I. L., of which I, however, don’t know anything. The Hungarian friends are greatly shocked about the lack of radical pacifism on an organization which was created for uncompromising pacifist work.

Not knowing the addresses of those German friends who were good enough to sign the birthday message to me, I must trouble you with the request kindly to mail the letters. Should you know of anyone else in Germany who signed, I would be much obliged if you would let me know so that I could thank them too. Hoping all goes well with both of you [Heymann and Anita Augspurg], with best regards also from my sister,

Rosika Schwimmer

New York Public Library Manuscripts and Archives Division.Rosika Schwimmer Papers, Box 177.