Within the last few days I have witnessed a painful
instance of the average German's lack of moral courage and loyalty. A German student, whom I had met casually when lecturing at a northern University, found himself stranded in London at the moment of the crisis. He telephoned to me, reminded me of our previous meeting, and asked me for advice. I told him to come and see me. Seldom have I seen any human being so completely lost, lonely and bewildered. I advised him to consult his own Embassy immediately and to report himself to the police. He returned in the evening having carried out these instructions with the result that his general perplexity and unhappiness had been increased. He begged me to write a letter to his mother and his fiancée to say that he was alive and well ; he seemed to have some idea, although war had not by then been declared, that his own letters would be confiscated. I wrote the letters. He expressed his gratitude and rose to leave me. His hand trembled and there were tears in his eyes.
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