English Translation

In March and April 1939, Eugen Czernin and Jaromir Czernine were contacted by a Hildegard Gussenbauer, who, according to the letterhead, worked with an art council member for residential culture, who offered 1 million for the present painting RM and was obviously also in contact with Karl Haberstock. Eugen Czernin considered this offer to be indisputable, but Jaromir Czernine replied that he would not be averse to a divestment and that, "or the amount [...] is very reasonable, I was offered far more from abroad from a private point of view." He also pointed out that before a sale "some legal formalities had to be regulated" that would not encounter any difficulties in acquiring "for a personality of the empire." He told his Leitmeritzer (Litoměřice) lawyer Fritz Lerche that it was "the acquisition of the image on the birthday of the leader." However, on April 4, 1939, Jaromir Czernin Hildegard Gussenbauer announced that the purchase was no longer feasible and that there was no interest in it. Karl Haberstock, who sent the copy back to Eugen Czernine in February at the beginning of July 1939, visited him on July 29, 1939 and again inquired about the figurative painting. In August 1939, Jaromir Czernin informed his legal representative Eugen Czernine that Adolf Hitler wanted to visit the painting in Munich and that it was therefore to be brought to Munich by night train. Eugen Czernin insisted that the painting should not only travel to Munich accompanied by Jaromir Czernine's lawyer Ernst Egger, but also accompanied by his lawyer Anton Gassauer. Furthermore, he demanded from Jaromi Czernin the explicit assurance that the present painting would return to the gallery if Adolf Hitler did not buy it. A report by Gottfried Hohenauer of the (Vienna) Ministry of Internal and Cultural Affairs, recorded in December 1939, shows that Adolf Hitler had visited the painting at the Munich art dealer Maria Almas-Dietrich "in the presence of the Czernin representatives". These representatives had then been informed by Heinrich Hoffmann that Adolf Hitler would not buy the painting "even because of the high price – albeit justified – (RM 1.7 million). However, an export permit was not to be expected under any circumstances. The Hamburg-based industrialist Philipp Reemtsma learned about Heinrich Hoffmann and the Munich lawyer Gustav Scanzoni that Adolf Hitler had to negotiate the sale of the goods.