English Translation

oh -2- Now I received a letter from Prof. Metz, first sent to Prague, in which he informed me of the letter of the Minister of Reichswissenschaft of October 2nd. It reads: "Against the award of the Eichendorff Prize of 5.ooo RM for the years 194l and 1942 to the folk scholar Profes- sor Dr. Emil Lehmann in Dresden and the folk song researcher and folk song creator Walter Hensel in Teplitz-Schönau I do not have to raise any thoughts. - I cannot agree to the proposed award of the Profes- sor Dr. Gierach in Munich by awarding the Eichendorff-Prize. On behalf of: signed Mentzel". As little as I would like to doubt that there were major concerns which spoke against the vote in the Gierach case, I wonder, in view of the undisputed services of GierACH, whether the reasons are so serious that the Minister of the Reich could not consider the question again and give his approval. None of the people who have been awarded the Eichendorff Prize so far is in line with Prof. Gierach's merits in the popular struggle. What he, as an academic teacher, has done scientifically as a Germanist, is certainly not small, but it is in importance behind what he has done and done in the ethnic struggle. It is just as well known, Mr. Minister of State, that he has worked hard and uncompromisingly at the Prague University, where the Jewish element was still in a strong position at that time, for its German preservation and against its alienation. Even how politically exposed and endangered he was should be mentioned briefly. Gierach's achievement has also been honoured by the awarding of the Ackermann Medal. However, this has also come to an expression in the Festschrift on his 6th birthday, which holds before all the world and for all the future, what Gierah has to mean as a scientific researcher and teacher and especially as a champion of the Sudeten- deutschism in the struggle for popularism. The knowledge of this merit of Gierach was also why all the members of the Kuratorium of the Eichendorff Prize accepted the idea of proposing him for this prize with full conviction of its accuracy. (The board of trustees belong to: from former Dr. G.E. Kolbenheyer (Solrn bei München), Dr. Bruno Brehm (Vienna)