14 November 1938, to "Herr Georg" [Georg Kaiser?], in German, explaining that Weill had been out of town due to Knickerbocker Holiday and adding: "Of course, I look forward to your work in the German-American Writers Association with great interest. All organizing on an anti-fascist basis is of decisive importance today."
15 March 1947: ". . . As far as 'Street Scene' is concerned, . . . it is mostly written in lyrics which have to be translated to fit the music. I hear that Benatzky (who translated 'Porgy and Bess') is interested in the job, but if you have any suggestions, please let me know.
"Thanks for sending me the program of Dreigroschenoper in Hamburg. I heard from an American who saw the production and was very impressed. . . ."
6 August 1947: "I am just reading the Upton Sinclair script. Please call me . . . so that I can give you my impression of the play over the telephone."
The German-American Writers Association was an anti-fascist organization founded in 1938 whose prominent members included Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein, and Upton Sinclair. The membership had become increasingly dominated by Russian Communist agents and in 1939, when members learned of the German-Russian nonaggression pact, many members resigned in protest. In 1942, when the Association became the German-American Emergency Conference, Thomas Mann, who had been the Association's honorary president, resigned to join its rival, the German American Congress for Democracy.
With--Two Autograph Letters Signed by Weill's wife, Lotte Lenya, each to Kurt Hellmer, in English. The first requesting to postpone an interview of Kurt due to his attending try-outs of Street Scene in Philadelphia, and the other explaining that Kurt cannot appear on Miss Thorne's radio show as he is in Europe until June. Each 1 page, 4to. Np, 12 December 1946; 14 May 1947.