3 April 1924

Die Welt-Post, Thursday, 3 April 1923

Page 2

Norka, 1 January 1924

To Heinrich and Johannes Kaiser in Hastings, Nebraska

My dear brothers and your families: 
     Your letter of 18 November we received on 24 December and agree with its contents wherein you complain that we don't write often enough. We wrote to you on the 24th of June and sent it by insured mail and had been waiting for an answer. 
     Dear brothers, you need not worry, the clothes which you sent us were safely received. They were so tightly packed that we had no doubt that everything was there. 
     We now have to pay a 173 million rubles redemption fee (Welt-Post Ed.: perhaps for postal handling). The 3 poveske came on 22 April, but because we had no money we had to leave them in Beideck until June 5th when we were able to go and get them. Further, you should know I needed glasses. They were sent to me by my brother-in-law and my old friend "Jonathan." Don't forget to write them and tell them that they have done a good deed for me and that the glasses suit me very well. 
     I would send a letter to Oregon myself but to tell the truth I can't. I don't know exactly, but this letter will cost 1 1/2 to 2 billion rubles to send through the mail. That's the reason that we don't write very often. 
     We still have plenty of paper and envelopes: the boys counted the sheets and found that there were 77. With these one could write many letters but with the unaffordably high postage one forgoes writing. 
     Today I cannot be modest when I describe for you how we are dressed. I will not write about the entire family but only about myself alone. I have one shirt and it is very worn and I have absolutely no underwear. You had sent us this black woolen thing from which our mother removed the lining and made me a pair of pants. Compared to a Binschack I am the richer because you perhaps thought of me when you sent the clothing: they fit beautifully. My deepest thanks. 
     I have a fur coat which is still in good condition. How things will be in the future with clothing, I do not know because today no more clothing is being sent from America. 
     People are helping their friends by sending dollars. I wish to tell you my plan and see if you don't agree with it. For a dollar one gets 4 million rubles. Thus one can say: for a dollar one has enough for a shirt. Now if you were to take up a collection from our many friends in America it wouldn't cause financial distress for any of them individually. 
     I have informed you of my plan, now do what you want. 
     Bread we do not have but we are all wonderfully healthy. 
     I greet you with my hand, 
               George Kaiser

The recipient of the above letter writes from Hastings, Nebraska on March 17, as follows: 
     "I subscribed to the Welt Post last fall because you brought us so many reports from the old fatherland. I was reading a good newspaper before I subscribed, it was the sister-paper of the Welt-Post, the Tribune, which I still read because you present something new to me every day. I am sending along a letter from Russia from my brother Georg for you to publish in your newspaper." 
     My greetings to you, 
               Heinrich Kaiser

[Translator's note: There are two words that I was unable to translate: "Poweske" which I assume to be a Russian word probably meaning packages or gifts and "Binschack" which may be German but I cannot deduce its meaning.]