Fascinating ALS in purple pencil in German, signed “Wilhelm R,” five pages on three sheets, 8.25 x 10, May 10, 1927. Wilhelm refers his confidant to a letter by Gottlieb von Jagow, formerly Minister of Foreign Affairs (translated): "I include a letter from Jagow, which you will kindly study and then discuss in detail and confidence with Nowack…Jagow's basic idea is absolutely correct. It is shameful that the war guilt lie has come to stay in Germany and that the people have become used to it! In August 1924, the government vowed to reject this lie and to take a stand against the Powers and the Treaty of Versailles regarding Article 231. This has not happened because to do so would be to expose the revolution as a crime and to topple the government. The Americans and French, even the Italians and some Englishmen are very active critics of the war guilt lie, only we do nothing. The moment is certainly expedient…If I am to lead a public campaign against the war guilt lie—I have been leading a private one for eight years—the enemy peoples and their governments will collapse under the indictment, while the so-called neutral world will heartily, even gratefully agree with me…
The ensuing campaign, under my leadership, will follow these lines: 1) Wegerer, Caro, Jagow etc. join forces in the name of all societies that concern themselves with the war guilt lie and will publish an open letter to the government (president), demanding them to immediately make good their promise to formally reject Germany's war guilt and the lie concerning it. Should the government refuse or evade this demand, 2) an official appeal will be made to me in the name of the people, which will ask me to help them vanquish the lie and the pressure of Versailles, as their own leaders refuse to do so. 3) This is the moment for me to react with the prepared material, which must be so unimpeachable, massive and conclusive that the world, as far as possible, is convinced of the justification of my cause, the Germans' cause, and the Entente is exposed and forced to annul Versailles…The German people and all of Europe must be saved from the stigma of Versailles by the scorned hermit and exile of Doorn! Thus, the path for return is cleared automatically. 4) Therefore, a) preparation of evidence for exposing and debunking the guilt lie through Jagow, colleagues, historians and lawyers etc. on the basis of post-1918 publications. b) Large-scale propaganda at home and abroad for kick-off (Niemann, Nowack books). c) Initiation of the campaign. d) Appeal to me. e) The felling of Versailles and demolition of the republic. f) Implementation of the 14 points." Staining and rusty paperclip marks to upper left corner of all pages (affecting none of the writing), otherwise fine condition. Accompanied by a German publication.
Nearly a decade after his forced abdication, the exiled German Emperor had not lost one ounce of his ambition to regain power and restore the monarchy. This exceptional letter to the former Kaiser’s property manager, Bruno Nitz, holds detailed plans for his triumphant return, hinging on the widespread resentment of the Treaty of Versailles’s War Guilt clause. From its inception, Clause 231, which placed full blame for starting World War I on Germany, was a source of intense controversy; viewed by Germans of all political shades as an insult to the nation’s honor, many Allied nations—America included—also felt that it was an unnecessarily vengeful, rather than reconciliatory, addition. Most historians view it as a strong contributing factor in pushing the country towards fascism, helping Nazi party build solidarity under an ‘us against them’ mentality. From his country house in Doorn, in the Netherlands, Wilhelm’s plan is get all involved nations to demand that their governments’ officially reject the clause; when they refuse to do so (which they inevitably will), the people will then appeal to Wilhelm to take control, “as their own leaders refuse to do so.”
“This is the moment for me to react,” he writes, plotting out the next steps, in which he will be meticulously prepared, compelling, and powerful. Ending with “the felling of Versailles and demolition of the republic” and “implementation of the 14 points” (Woodrow Wilson’s original proposal for the peace treaty, focusing on free trade, open agreements, democracy and self-determination, with no attribution of blame and no call for reparations), it appears a masterful plan. Unfortunately, as the Nazis rose to power under a very different set of principles from his own, Wilhelm would find no place in the new German world; he would remain in Doorn for the rest of his life. An intensely passionate letter, this piece captures the undying ambition of the former Emperor, with a remarkably insightful view into post-World War I Germany and the years leading up to Hitler’s reign. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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