My Years with Ludwig von Mises.pdf - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

he was, in a car, in an airplane, in his bed, at night or during the
day-he lay down, put a handkerchief over his eyes, and the world
was gone-he was asleep. Lu's capacity for sleep whenever he
neededit was, in my opinion, one of the reasons for his physical
well-being and his amazing intellectual output.
Our life in Geneva was steadily involved in and influenced by
politics. The signing of the Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact in August,
1939, Hitler's so-called peace speech to the Germans on the
evening of August 31, 1939, in which he claimed that all his peace
proposals to Poland had been rejected, were·followed by us on the
radio with the greatest excitement. We knew Hitler lied; while he
spoke, the most reliable S.S. men, dressed in Polish uniforms, were
blowing up the German radio stations in Poland and the German
artillery was crossing the border. (This trick-German soldiers
dressed in foreign uniforms-was used everywhere.) Hitler's
bombers were flying over Polish landing fields, destroying Polish
planes on the ground. The German troops moved with such unbelievable
speed that Poland was effectively defeated in a few hours.
The Western powers clearly knew the next decision had to be
theirs. When, on September 3, Chamberlain told the British Parliament
that Great Britain and France were at war with Germany, it
meant the beginning of the most horrible war in history, and for
me personally the beginning of a never-ending fear for Lu.
Switzerland immediately prepared for the worst. The Swiss are a
peace loving people. For three centuries they had lived in harmony
with three neighbors, three languages, and three religions. They
had an excellently equipped, small modern army, a sort of standing
militia. Every Swiss citizen had to report for military duty once
yearly, and the general feeling was enthusiasm for peace and a
hatred for aggression.
One of the first actions of the Swiss government was the requisitioning
of all foreign-made cars. Lu was one of the first who got the
order to deliver his beloved Ford. He never saw it again. The Swiss
government paid him a small remuneration for his car. But, on the
whole, the automobile investment was a loss.
The atmosphere in Geneva had completely changed. New refugees
from the newly occupied countries arrived daily. Hotels and
apartments were filled and streets and. coffee houses were crowded.
But along with the newcomers came Hitler's spies. The atmosphere,
once so tranquil and peaceful, was now filled with rumors.
Fear touched everyone. The Sunday excursions to France had to
stop. We· also avoided going to restaurants for dinner and taking
afternoon tea in the beautiful gardens at the lake. One did not
know who might be sitting at the next table to overhear the conver-
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