Diskussion:Rudolf Olden

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Sollte das Todesdatum nicht der 17. September 1940 sein. Siehe dazu den unmittelbar zeitgenössischen Nachruf von Robert Neumann auf Rudolf Olden [1940] Typoskript, ÖNB 22.517

The Secretary of the Austrian Group writes: nWe announce the death of our friends and comrades, Rudolf and Ika Olden. Rudolf was the founder and secretary of the German P.E.N. in exile. In Berlin, before the Great Darkness overcame us, he was a political lawyer and the political editor of the "Berliner Tageblatt". He was among the first to be expatriated, and he fled to this country which he, a Liberal of the old school, loved and admired. He wrote his book "Hitler the Pawn", the best Hitler biography. At the first meeting of the London P.E.N. after the out¬break of war he said: "It is a great thing, my British friends, that I, a German writer, should be allowed to sit among you as a free man. It could not have happened in 1914; it could not happen in Germany." He was interned last June. The feeling of humiliation and bitter disappointment, and life in a disused, vermin-infested cotton mill, soon broke his health. In spite of this, in spite of his record known to all, and in spite of unceasing efforts on the part of the London P.E.N. and by his numerous other British friends to convince the authorities of the absurdity of keeping this man interned, he was not released. At last the Americans made him a professor of History at New York University. Now he was sent free - a very ill man - under the condition that he leave this country at once. He did not want to. He wanted to stay, He loved this country still. He had a British-born child. He could still be of some use here, he said: "The Minister of Information had promised in a public speech to take advantage of the anti-Nazi experts [...?] together in the internment camps." The last thing Olden showed his friends was the British Traveling Paper issued to one who had long been deprived of a German passport. The clause pledging the issuing authority to permit the holder's return to Britain was deleted with an abundance of red ink. He showed it again and again. He could not get over that abundance. He sailed on the "City of Benares" on September 12th. A week later came the message that the ship had been sunk. He was too ill to take to the boat. His young, brave, beautiful wife fought those who wanted to save her forcibly; she stayed behind with him. God's mercy be with them. And with those who are responsible.