Richard Krebs Letters
The letters exhibited here are from Pfc. Richard Krebs. Krebs was a German defector and emigrant to the United States before WWII. In August 1943, he was drafted as an infantryman and deployed in December 1944 to the Philippines to fight the Japanese in the Pacific War. On March 10, 1945, Krebs was commissioned as a press correspondent in the 19th Infantry. He authored five books under the alias, Jan Valtin, before his death in 1951: his autobiography, Out of the Night (1940), Bend in the River (1942), Children of Yesterday (1946), Castle in the Sand (1947), and Wintertime (1950). The following letters of correspondence were written between March 7, 1945 and April 12, 1945, to his wife, Abagail, and occasionally to his son, Conrad, living in Connecticut. These letters are courtesy of Richard’s son, Eric, who conceived and wrote the play of “My Father’s Voice: Letters From Ellis Island and The War in the Pacific 1938-1945”, in honor of his father. When Eric’s mother passed away in 2007, his brother found cartons of his letters in her tool shed in California.
“Days here as hot and sweaty and dusty as ever, and filled with the busyness of turning out stories for the press-quite a bewildering kaleidoscope of deeds which would seem utterly fantastic in peacetime, but which are “un-exciting” routine in war. There’s a big difference between reading about these things in some newspaper-and hearing them told in simple and direct words by some Joe…who somehow can’t really believe that these things have happened to him.” –Richard Krebs, Letter to Abigail, March 7, 1945
Krebs, as a war correspondent, was able to channel his perspective of the war from two different angles: as an author and journalist on one side, and as soldier on the other. He was well aware of the machinations of narrative that are generated for the general public in the press during times of war and how it can, at times, contradict the experiences of the soldiers serving on the ground. At the start of the war, Krebs was stationed in the Philippines and was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division. He was temporarily transferred to the 19th Division, which was listed as a “phantom” division, in order to conduct press correspondent activities in the regiment.
“Papa is on an island far away in the war. He is watching that the J*** who want to take our home away and who want to hurt you and Eric and Mama cannot get to Bethel in Connecticut…But some day Papa will be back home…”-Richard Krebs, Letter to Conrad, unknown date
The letters and pictures from Richard Krebs’ wife and children were treasured keepsakes by his family. Krebs wrote to his son, Conrad, on a few occasions while he was stationed in the Philippines. His letters usually detailed how much he missed him and his younger brother, Eric, and how his son should conduct himself in his absence. This letter demonstrates that Krebs clearly wanted to fight in order to keep democracy intact in the United States and ensure that his family was protected. His use of derogatory ethnic slurs in describing Japanese soldiers is a reflection of the racist propaganda powering Western military and media communications, which perpetuated the U.S continuous involvement in WWII.
“My Sweetheart, when this reaches you, Germany will be licked and occupied by our armies. That means it’s time for us to find our son, Jan and to take care of him. Please see what you can do and do not let up until you succeed.” –Richard Krebs, Letter to Abigail, April 1, 1945
Krebs, before he defected to America and joined the U.S. Army, had a former wife, Hermione, and child, Jan, still living in Germany. Hermione died in Germany in 1938. At the end of the conflict in Germany, Krebs first course of action was to locate his 12 year-old son in Germany, whom he lost track of in 1939, and relocate him back to the United States. In this letter, dated April 1, 1945, he gives instructions to his wife, Abigail, for the course of action required, including reaching out to other German immigrants and contacts in the U.S. who had family still living in Germany for help. In a separate letter to his friend, Natalie, he implores her to reach out to the U.S. Red Cross in New York for assistance in locating his son. Jan was found after the war and brought to the United States to live with Krebs.