Frederick III Writes About the End of the War and the End of the German Monarchy

January 22, 1918
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Frederick III, the father.

Let me write a line. I have heard what Bismarck said and I fully agree with him in his predictions as to the ending of the war and while it is not in accord with what would be my desire as a German when on earth, yet it will prove to the great liberator of the Germans as individuals and as a nation. The government of men are intended by the powers that they have in thought the best interests of mankind to be the means by which the greatest good may be bestowed upon the people individually and as a whole, and the government which is founded upon the divine right of any one man or family to rule is not best suited for either the progress of the nation or of the individuals that comprise that nation.

Hence, I say that the ending of the German monarchy and dethronement of the Kaiser and his family and all who make claim any right to govern men will work out for the people of Germany individually and as a nation the great good and justice and freedom to which all the children of God on earth are entitled.

Of course, when I lived on earth, I did not look on these things from the viewpoint that I now see is the only correct one to assume. I was a monarch and believed in the divine obligations of the people to be ruled and, hence, were I on earth now I might believe that the Empire of Germany should be maintained under all circumstances. Now I am a spirit and realize the hollowness and untruth of all such ideas. In sight of God and in the workings of His unchangeable laws, no one man is by birth or nation better and entitled to any greater rights than any other man, and every Emperor and King and nobleman of earth will, when he comes to the spirit life, sooner or later realize this fact and, in the case of some, the conviction will come, as it may be said, with a vengeance.

It will do no good to write of the great misery and distress that now exists in Germany and of how the cruel masters of the people are compelling them to submit to all this misery, for my writing would not lessen this condition one iota. But I will say that the end of all this horrible nightmare is in sight and peace and happiness will come to the people, though in the meantime many of these people will have become spirits and among them will be the Kaiser and many of his advisers and sustainers in his unholy ambitions.

As a human father, it would be distressing for me to write in this (way) because then I would be controlled by my natural affections and solicitation for my children, but having become a spirit with enlarged and more truthful view of the relationship of mortals and of the importance of each individual soul, while I may still maintain the affection for my children yet, I can see and know that the greatest good to the people of Germany will come when the ruler of the Empire shall cease. Suffering and death must follow, but out of them will rise peace and happiness and a deeper feeling of the people in their relationship to God.

I will only say further, that the end is here. Yes, very soon and the great sacrifice of men and peace and things material will cease. I will not write more. Good night, your friend

Frederick, the father of the wounded nation

(Father of William II, the last Kaiser)

Otto Von Bismarck Writes the German People's Faith and Hope in the Emperor Has Become Shaken As to the End of the War

December 27, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Bismarck.

If convenient I should like to write a few lines tonight in reference to the war and the prospects of its ending. I am Bismarck and as I have not written you for some time in reference to the subject, I thought it advisable to write a few words.

As I told you in my last communication, the cause of the ending of the war would not be any decisive battle but the deplorable condition of the people of Germany and of its allied conditions. And what I then said, I repeat with renewed emphasis. For since I wrote, the conditions of these people - in the way of starvation and deprivation of those things that make life worth living - have greatly increased with no prospects of betterment so long as the war continues.

The Emperor and his co-workers have endeavored by every false statement that they could make to convince the people that the war would soon end in victory for the fatherland, and that very soon they would be relieved of the distress and starvation, and that peace and good fortune would soon come to them. And with a remarkable credulity, these people have believed their representatives and have endeavored to endure all these privations and hardships with patience and confidence.

But the time has arrived when this faith and hope have become shaken and, in many instances in many parts of Germany and Austria, the people have come to a realization that this peace and relief from their deplorable condition is no nearer than they were months ago, and that less certainty attends the promises of the rulers and military parties. And as a consequence, dissatisfaction has arisen and the desire to save and make secure the life of the nation has changed into a desire to preserve and save from hunger and destruction the individual workers of that nation.

And this feeling has become so fixed with many of these people, they are commencing to think, and are thinking, that they are being sacrificed in order to forward the plans and ambitions of their rulers and also that they, as individuals, are not objects of consideration in the thoughts and schemes of these rulers.

Starvation is prevalent in the land and despair has taken the place of hope with many of these people; and there is slowly creeping into the minds of many the thought that they must arouse themselves and take the control of affairs into their own hands and to such an extent does this thought possess these people, and among them many people who think for themselves, that you must not be surprised to hear at anytime that the people have revolted and that the power of the inhabitants have been overthrown, repulsion of the movement of Russia, although controlled and guided by men of more intelligence and responsibility.

Yes, this ending of the war is coming and the people will rule, and in doing so will make the best terms of peace with the Allies that can be made. Only a little while longer and you will see the fulfillment of my predictions. No great battle on the western front will be fought as the world now expects, for before that time arises, the German army of the Kaiser will have become the army of the people, and many will abandon the fighting line and return to their homes and devastated farms and houses.

It is all so sad when I think of what Germany will become and what it might have been had not the mad Kaiser and his country of ambitious guards and advisers let their ambition run away with their duty and obligation to the true interests of Germany. As I have said before, the Kaiser will die and his followers will die or be scattered and their names and horrible deeds will become dark memory of things that destroyed the national life and the individual lives of many of the promising men and youth of the fatherland.

If I were the Bismarck of a short time ago, this calamity of my nation would cause me to worry and regret and deplore the day that the mad boy continued to succeed his good father on the throne; but now I view these things in a different light and see that out of all these calamities will arise a happier Germany and people free and not subject to the iron bonds of any one man or family, with rights supposed and proclaimed to be God-given. Yes, Germany will suffer and decline as a world power but in the place of this power and insatiable desire for aggrandizement and aggression will come peace and happiness and a greater spiritual development among the people.

Well, I have written enough and the handwriting is on the wall and its prediction cannot be escaped from. Soon, soon, soon the end will come and with it the salvation of more nations than one.

I am not a prophet, but in the Law of Cause and Effect nations are unthroned as well as individuals, and as I can see the causes that are operating; I can also see the effects that must follow, and the consummation will be that Germany must fall, never to arise again as a great nation that she has been in the past, but a purer, happier and more loving nation than ever before. I will not write more. American lives will not be sacrificed to any great extent, for the great battles of the war have been fought. Good night.

Your friend,
Bismarck

Bismarck Writes His Opinion of the War

May 16, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Bismarck.

Well, I am here and will give you my opinion of the war as best I can. My views are based on the conditions that I am aware of in all the countries engaged in the war.

I understand that you do not want a long message tonight so I will say briefly that the Germans will have to sue for peace and that will happen, I feel certain, before the beginning of August. The condition of the German people is such that they will cease to sustain the Kaiser in the longer prosecution of the war, and the revolutionary party will grow so rapidly that the monarch of Germany will soon cease to exist.

This is the opinion of the one who is responsible for the formation of the Empire.

Bismarck

James A. Garfield Writes on the Current War

February 27, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, James A. Garfield.

I come tonight to say a few words in reference to the present condition of the affairs of our country, as I have been much interested in what has taken place in the past few weeks, and especially in the attitude of the President (Woodrow Wilson) with reference to Germany and its inhuman method of carrying on its system of underwater destruction of merchant ships.

I know that what I say may not amount to anything for several reasons: one is, that no one save yourself and a few of your friends will know what I say, and another, that a live dog is of more importance than a dead lion. But nevertheless, I feel that I should give expression to some of the thoughts that come to me in reference to these vital and critical conditions that now exist.

The President has been very much hampered by his desire to preserve peace, or rather to keep our country out of war, and so strongly has this desire possessed him that other things of greater and more vital importance to the welfare of the country have been ignored and made matters of secondary consideration with him and his advisers.

Peace is very desirable, and human lives are very dear to those who may have to answer the call to possibly sacrifice theirs, yet the honor and preservation of the nation are of much more importance than the former things, for peace is not necessarily a thing that can exist only in the absence of war, for it may exist in reality while war is progressing, to a greater degree than when war is actually in operation. I mean that even now there is very great want of peace in the individual lives of the people, even though the country, as a nation, is not at war.

And the life of the individual is not of so great importance as the life of the nation, for if the nation be destroyed, or subjected to the dominion of another country, the life of the individual may not be worth the living, as in the case of poor Belgium.

But, as I was saying, this desire on the part of the President to preserve peace has caused him to ignore the rights of both the nation and the individual as they have been threatened and injured by the actions of Germany, in its assaults upon the rights of the nation to continue its commercial pursuits and enjoy the freedom of the seas, that have always heretofore been preserved, and to establish which this nation, in days gone by, fought to establish and have recognized.

He will be disappointed in his expectations that some kind Providence will interfere and prevent the overt act that he holds to be necessary for justification on his part to enter into the conflict, as that overt act will not only take place, but has already done so, and the cause that he has been waiting for is now a thing of reality.

It is a great pity that he has delayed all this time, for if he had taken a firm and determined stand some months ago and let Germany know that America would maintain her rights, even by force of arms, if necessary, Germany would not now be the aggressive, belligerent that she is, and many vessels would not have been destroyed and many lives have been saved.

But this wavering policy caused the Germans rulers to believe that he did not desire war, and that he would refrain from entering actually into the war and, consequently, that he would let go by any act on their part that did not purpose to injure the rights of the U.S.; and this feeling on the part of Germany increased until it was led into doing things that it might otherwise not have done and having gotten into its present desperate state, it came to the conclusion that the only thing it could do now was to adopt the plan of blockade that now obtains and destroy everything that interferes with the carrying out that plan, and that the U.S. must submit to its demands or do whatever it might think best to protect its rights hoping, though, that it would avoid war by recognizing the blockade and keeping its vessels out of the zone of the same.

Now the time has arrived when Mr. Wilson can have no possible excuse for remaining neutral, and he will have to do what he should have done a long time ago. I can see that this delay will result in the destruction of many vessels and the sacrifice of many lives, but it is the only thing that can be done to save greater calamity.

So I hope that he will delay no longer, but declare war or call upon Congress to declare war, at once, and thus put the country in a position to effectively preserve and maintain its rights. And I make these predictions, that as soon as this shall be done, the beginning of the end will be established and that before the middle of summer, peace will come and the war will cease, though its effects will appear in more certain horror than they do now and will be felt for many years to come. I hope that he will act now, and if I could induce him to do so, I would without hesitation or doubt of the right of so doing.

I will not write more, so good night.

Your true friend,
Garfield

Bismarck, a Former German Statesman, Writes His Thoughts on the Current World War

February 1, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Bismarck.

Let me say a word, as I have listened to what has just been written, and am interested in the subject matter of that communication, and do not agree with the sentiments or the conclusions of the thoughts there contained. I am not impartial, I confess, but yet I think that I can do justice to both of the contending parties in the war, as I am a spirit and have learned that right is right irrespective of the person or nation that may claim to be in the right in its actions.

I was a German, and a rather important one, as men consider importance in the earth life, and was acknowledged by the world to be something of a statesman. I have kept in constant touch with the thoughts and motives of the leaders of the various nations that are engaged in this great conflict, and know the right and wrong of things to a greater extent, I claim, than does the spirit who has just written you, and submit that my inferences and opinions are as worthy of consideration and acceptance as are his.

In the first place, this was not brought about by the Germans without justification and cause, and for a long time the German rulers delayed and endeavored to postpone and, if possible, avoid the war. But their rights, as a nation, were so seriously preyed upon and not recognized, that the only thing left for them to do was to compel their secret enemies to respect their rights by force of arms, and so you have the real cause of the conflict. The Germans were not desirous or ambitious for conquest or territory or advancement to the detriment of other nations, but only for what they, as a great nation, were entitled to.

And England, in its greed, stood in the way of and prevented these rights from being recognized, and tried every way in her power to prevent the German nation from enjoying these rights, and especially from extending its commerce to countries in which England had established her commerce and trade, almost to the exclusion of every other nation.

The Germans waited in hope that, by diplomatic means, their rights would be established and recognized but such hope was never realized and as a last and only resort, they threw down the gauge of battle, quick and sharp and destructive - with some violation of the rights of a neutral that stood in the way of accomplishing what the German nation considered its decisive blow. But this is history, and it is not necessary that I should add further detail.

And now, as the war has progressed for more than two years, Germany has naturally become depleted of its resources, and especially in those things that are necessary to sustain the physical existence of its people, and all through the action of the Allies in preventing foodstuff and other necessaries being imported from other nations. Its ports have been blockaded for a long time, and it has been unable to obtain supplies that were absolutely necessary to the existence of its people, until famine and want are staring them in the face, and more than that, have actually worked their ruinous effects, and the cry of the people is for sustenance.

Then, such being the fact, what is the duty of the German rulers? Can humanity ask that they shall sit supinely by and see their people starve and their country ruined, because of the conditions that I speak of, brought about by their enemies in preventing intercourse with outside nations?

I know that international law should be respected by nations in war as well as in peace, and that it is for the good of all nations that such laws be held sacred and inviolable, and Germany has tried to observe these laws, even after some of its enemy nations have violated them.

Let me ask here, what difference does the means used in considering the right or wrong of a thing, make when the same result is accomplished? England, by her superior number of war vessels, has succeeded in blockading the ports of Germany and preventing its people from getting the supplies necessary to their sustenance, and at the same time is enjoying the benefits of unrestricted importation of these necessaries, because Germany had not had it in its power to blockade the ports of England and, thus, prevent her from obtaining these supplies. This kind of blockade, the nations claim, international law justifies, no matter what the results may be.

And now, when Germany has found a way to accomplish the same thing, as regards the ports of England and place her and her people in the same condition that the people of Germany have been in for so long a time, and have given notice of its intention to use such means, the nations hold up their hands in horror because such means are not known to international law.

The effect of one blockade is just the same as the effect of another, then why should the means make any difference?

America has not been permitted for a long time to send its products to a German port, and to that extent its, America's have been blockaded, as the last writer says; but this is allowable, because, as they say, the English blockade is in accordance with recognized international law. All which means, that because one nation has the power to do a thing in accordance with international law, another nation has not the same right because the means used are not contemplated by that law.

Well such reasoning is one that if applied to the progress of the world would have kept that progress in a state of stagnation. When international law was formulated, the means and instruments used in this war were never heard of, and they are only the evolution of the war, growing out of the progress of man in the knowledge and necessities of war. Laws are always subject to change and that change need not be by agreement, for sometimes, and it has often happened, necessity has compelled and justified the modification of the law.

It is said that necessity knows no law, and it is a truth, and one that has been recognized and applied by many nations, at many times. In the present circumstances of Germany, this necessity has arisen to such an extent that the very existence of Germany, not only as a nation, but of her people as individuals is involved, and life is at stake, and the only remedy is that the nations who are fighting Germany, be placed in the same position as she is in, and that can be done only by preventing those nations from obtaining those supplies that are necessary to maintain their people, and this can only be accomplished by blockading their ports.

It may be said that the use of the submarine is brutal and inhuman. Well, for the argument admit this to be a fact, yet it is not necessary that any brutality or any murder be actually inflicted, for if the persons interested will heed the warnings and not attempt to run the blockade, there will be no murder or outrage. And why, may I not ask, is it not just as reasonable to demand that the blockade established by the German submarines shall not be attempted to be violated as that the blockade which the English have established shall not be attempted to be violated? In the latter instance, the neutral nations recognize the blockade and do not attempt to have their merchant ships enter the ports that are so blockaded, and why is there any greater injustice done when Germany demands that these neutral vessels shall not enter the ports that she intends to blockade? The only difference is in the means used, and if the neutral nations will observe the obligations that each blockade imposes to the same extent, there will become no necessity for using the means in either.

I do not see why the U.S. should feel that her rights are being violated to any greater or different extent, as a question of right, by the proposed German blockade, than by the blockade that has been created by the English, and for so long a time existed. Of course, the effects of the two blockades upon the business of the U.S. are different in degree, as more business is done and has been done with the Allies, than was done with Germany. But this does not enter into or affect the question of the right or wrong of the matter. Well, I will not write more along this line.

Now as to the results of the war, or rather as to its ending, I cannot prognosticate. Germany is fighting on very unequal terms, and she may be defeated, and I would not be surprised if such was the end of the conflict. But, nevertheless, and even though victory may come to the Allies, I assert as true that the right of the matter is with her, and that the neutral nations are not doing her justice, when they declare that she is the aggressor; and that she is not justified in the course that she is now pursuing. I am told that I have written enough, and so I must stop, but what I have said is the right of the matter. Good night,

Your friend,
Bismarck

James G. Blaine Writes His Thoughts About the World War

February 1, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, James G. Blaine.

I want to write a few lines as I am interested in the affairs of our country, and I see the present critical condition of affairs growing out of the recent declarations of the Germans as to the policy that they intend to pursue regarding the blockading of the ports of the Allies, which means, in substance, that the ports of our country will also be blockaded for if the merchant vessels travelling from the U.S. to the ports of the Allies are not permitted to land at their destinations, there will, of course, be no departures from our ports and the result will be the same as if such ports were actually blockaded.

It is a serious condition for Mr. Wilson (President Woodrow Wilson) to deal with and he must act quickly and firmly, and not in any particular recognize the right of the Germans to carry out their policy, or to permit, so far as possible, the cessation of the travel of ships from our ports to those of the Allies. Temporizing will not do, and he must at the very start let the Germans know that America will not submit to the dictation, and that, if necessary, the America nation will not only sever diplomatic relations with Germany and her Allies, but will become active participants in the war, which humanity and the welfare of the majority of the nations of the earth demand shall be recognized and enforced.

He, the President, may in his dream of peace, which he has recently given expression to, and which is wholly impracticable at this time, attempt to conciliate the Germans, and by further reasoning show them that they are wrong and violators of all recognized laws of nations, and this hope to avoid war; or the involving of America in this conflict. But to do so, will constitute a great mistake, for his protestations will fall on deaf ears and create in the German mind the impression that his great desire for peace will restrain him from asserting to the extent of force, the power of the U.S. to prevent the Germans from carrying out their policy of murder and destruction.

I write this, not because I am in any way antagonistic to the German people, or have any special predilection for the allies, but because I see the right of the matter, and that which is necessary to the salvation of not only the larger part of the nations of the earth, but also to preserve the rights and dignity and substantial welfare of the U.S. This action of the German nation must not for a moment be tolerated, and the sooner the President strikes the better it will be for all concerned. Of course, with the Germans it is a matter of life and death, but even so it is not right that the other nations of the earth should suffer ruin or destruction in order that the German nation should continue to exist and be enabled to carry out its policy of domination, which is really the foundation of the existence of the present war.

While I am a spirit and supposed to be interested only in spiritual things, yet my thoughts and interests are with my people and, incidentally, with all the nations and peoples of the earth, and these nations and peoples must be preserved and not be permitted to be ruined by any other nation, and especially so in the present war for which no justification exists, for the course that the Entente have pursued in attempting to carry out its unholy desires for destruction and aggrandizement.

I know what the rulers of the various nations contemplate and what their policies are in the prosecution of this war, for I visit the councils of each of them and learn the thoughts of the leaders, and the objects of their efforts and desires. On both sides there is much that deserves condemnation and entails suffering, but in weighing the wrongs perpetrated by these various nations, I realize that the Germans are guilty of the greater wrongs, and if God should interfere as the Kaiser and the rulers of some of the other nations believe He will, the German nation would have visited upon them the just indignation and punishment of that God. But He will not interfere, and men will be left to themselves to settle this war, and they alone; but here I may say that as right and justice are more powerful in the long run than wrong and injustice, the nations that have the most of right on their side will come out victors. And according to my understanding of the things and motives and ambitions that have entered into and caused this war, the allies must become the victors.

Of course, I cannot tell when this war will end, but considering the conditions that exist and the causes that are now operating, I believe that the end is in sight and that very soon the Germans and their allies will have to sue for peace and the end will soon follow.

I would like to write more tonight, but your wife advises me that I have written enough, and so I will close. So good night,

Your very dear friend,
James G. Blaine

Otto Von Bismarck Writes About the War's Outcome and Disagrees with Lafayette's Position

August 1, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Bismarck.

Let me say a word. I saw what Lafayette wrote and I don't agree with him on either proposition.

The German Emperor did not bring on this war as the Frenchman said, but it was forced on him. He saw that not only France but England was trying to destroy the great mercantile business which Germany had built up, and that unless he took some means to forestall the efforts of these nations, Germany would lose its commercial prestige and have to submit to the dictates of these rivals; and as a wise Emperor and statesman, he struck the first blow - sharp and quick - and had it not been for the Belgians, he would have reached Paris and accomplished his object.

But that little nation of lacemakers, as we called them, showed that when home was invaded they could fight, and fight they did; and notwithstanding the fact that I am a German, whose sympathies and desires are all with the Germans, yet, I admired the way in which these Belgians fought. Had France such fighters, the Germans would have been out of that country along time ago, and the German territory would now be invaded. But this is past and Germany is still in France and will stay there, notwithstanding the efforts that France and England may make to oust them.

The end of the war is not yet and before that end comes, Paris will fall and the terms of peace will be dictated by the victorious Germans; and France will lose some territory, and England will pay an indemnity and make such concessions to Germany that her commerce will be established and grow to such an extent that she will be second to none as a commercial nation.

Germany will not cease to be an empire - a stronger and greater one than ever. William will not live long after the war ends, but one of his sons will occupy the throne and his family will reign for years. It will not become a republic, although I know the socialists will make a great effort to bring that about; but they will fail.

So I tell you that the French spirit is mistaken and he will find out his mistake before a great many months have gone by. I don't know what causes he imagines he sees, but if he would see the true causes he would draw different conclusions as I do.

I am Bismarck and I am with the German Army trying to show its generals the way to accomplish their objects. I must not write more. I live in the Second Sphere and am trying to find happiness, but this war interferes with my happiness and my progress.

Well, I saw you writing, and I saw Washington and Lafayette engaged in writing and I stopped to listen and became interested in both the writing and the subject matter, and when Lafayette wrote as he did, I determined to give my views and, hence, I wrote.

You must excuse my intrusion, but I thought it just to express what I think about the war. I will not take up more of your time. So with my kind regards, I am

Your friend,
Bismarck

Lafayette Writes About His Impression of the On-Going European War

August 1, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Lafayette.

I am the Frenchman who was a lover of liberty and a soldier of both your country and mine, and who was an aide to your great general and father of his country - I mean Washington. I came because I want to tell you that in the great war that is now going on I am interested and want to express my opinion as to its causes and its ending.

France was not desirous of this war and had made no preparations to struggle against the Germans and had no idea that the Germans would so soon seek to overrun her territory; as Germany professed the greatest friendship for her; but as you know, the German Emperor, without warning and without excuse hurled his legions into poor Belgium in his endeavor to reach the French capital and possess it before the French nation could make any effective resistance. The Kaiser was anxious to acquire more territory belonging to France for purposes of colonization and thought that the task would be an easy one.

He had no conception that he would have any difficulty in passing through Belgium, neither did he contemplate that England and Russia would join with France in opposing his onslaught. In fact, he thought that he would so quickly succeed in capturing Paris and obtaining what he desired that these other nations would not have time to take any part in the conflict.

But as you know, little Belgium checked his advance and held him at bay until England was enabled to take such action as embarrassed him to such an extent that he has never yet succeeded in gaining the object of his desires, and let me say, he never will. I will not further review this phase of the matter. In the end Germany will be defeated and her Kaiser will be killed and his family disappear from the face of the earth as a ruling family. Germany will become in a few years after the war a republic, but its territory will be much reduced.

Before the war ends, the allies will invade Germany, and Berlin will become invested by them and they will dictate their own terms of capitalism, and these terms will be such that Germany as a great nation will cease to exist and will take her place among the republics of the earth as a secondary state and devote herself to the industries which her natural resources and the capacity of her people will entitle her to. She will never become a great maritime nation but will be content to exist as a manufacturing and agricultural country. Her people will migrate in large numbers and become swallowed up in the other nations of the world, especially in the South American countries. France will again thrive and so will her allies, and little Belgium will be taken care of and become an important manufacturing country with a people much improved in their intellectual acquirements.

I say all this, not because I am a Frenchman, but because I can see that these results must flow from causes, which now exist and which will continue to exist until the results that I speak of come about. But the sad thing is that before these results come many a human will become a spirit and many a happy family will be broken up and poverty and distress cause much suffering. But such is war and such a war never was.

So my friend, I thought that I would write to you tonight and express my views. I will not take up more of your time. I live in the Sixth Sphere and have a home of much beauty and many friends in whom I find much happiness and entertainment.

I sometime see him (Washington) but not so often as formerly. He is living in a sphere higher than where I live and I don't often see him. Our attractions have not continued as you might suppose, and where this attraction does not exist, spirits do not often come in contact with one another.

I never thought of that view of the matter, and the next time I meet him I will make the inquiry. I know that he is a more beautiful spirit than I am and more beautiful than when he lived close to me in a lower sphere. I have never thought to ask the reason for his improvement but will do so as you suggest.

I sometimes see Napoleon and talk with him and more often since this war began. He is interested as I am but he does not seem to think that it will last very long, as he sees a reason why the allies will soon overrun the German empire and bring the war to a close.

I cannot write more.

Your friend,
Lafayette