Communications between Germany and the United States became more difficult after 1938 -- the United States government had effectively recalled its ambassador to Germany after Kristallnacht, and Hitler's governmnet retaliated by "delaying" American mail sent to Germany.

This 1939 letter that Herman Stern sent to the American Consulate in Stuttgart reflected his continued hope that somehow his older brothers Julius and Moses could find their way to France, even if they were only "temporary refugees."

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