South Bend, June 2, 1968
The Words of the Patriarch
On today’s Pentecost Sunday the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Maximus V Hakim of Beirut, Patriarch of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem delivered the sermon at the concelebrated Mass for the Commencement Exercises at the University of Notre Dame. He spoke to the graduating students, their parents and relatives. The Patriarch, who on his way from Beirut to South Bend, had stopped in Rome, Paris and Brussels, was still under the impression of the recent strikes and unrests. He compared these revolts to a civil war. The Patriarch emphasized that a great responsibility for the future of the world has been laid into the hands of the United States not only because of its position as a world power but also because of its spiritual and moral leadership. In our technological age, he said, the United States of America has become an example to follow for many nations in the future. The encounter with this venerable personality on the grounds of a Catholic university gives testimony to the ecumenical spirit of the Second Vatican Council.
South Bend, June 2, 1968
The Kennedy - McCarthy Debate
Last night, before the California Primary, Robert Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy confronted each other for the first time in Los Angeles in a nationally televised debate. Both candidates agreed on most issues, as they were seeking an alternative to the Johnson Administration’s policy and a way out of the War in Vietnam. McCarthy remained restrained, dealing with the emotionally charged subject matter of factly. There was no doubt that the Democratic Party has split up into three camps in this campaign: The first is the Kennedy camp, the second follows McCarthy, and the third rallies around Vice President Hubert Humphrey. As the official candidate of the Party, Humphrey attracts more and more of the faithful. This division can only be to the advantage of the Republicans who, showing rare solidarity, are closing ranks behind Richard Nixon. The ruling Party makes an exhausted and burned out impression. A change in favor of the Republicans appears to be more and more likely.
South Bend, June [9], 1968
The Assassination of Robert Kennedy
In the early morning hours of June 5, shortly after he had celebrated his victory in the California Primary, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot by a Jordanian nationalist in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He was so severely wounded that he died 25 hours after the assassination attempt. Since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963, no other news has shocked the world so much as the awareness that his brother Robert Kennedy met the same fate. America, still suffering from the shock of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., was paralyzed by this new politically motivated brutal murder. Dismay, shame and horror were spreading; people from all walks of life were shaken and showed genuine mourning. For three days the American public could follow on television the tragedy of the Kennedy family. The pictures around the immediate family were heartrending and full of anxiety. How the family coped courageously with this new tragedy was admirable, honest feelings of sympathy were expressed everywhere. Despite the scorching heat in the concrete sea of New York, hundreds of thousands of people did not shy away from standing in line for hours to pay their last respects to Robert Kennedy in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. And an immeasurable crowd of people lined the funeral procession from New York to Washington. Robert Kennedy was laid to rest next to his brother John in the Arlington National Cemetery.
South Bend, June [10], 1968
Reflections on the Loss of Robert Kennedy
Like no other American politician today, Robert Kennedy was able to bridge the differences between Whites and Blacks, rich and poor. Minorities have lost their best advocate. Mixed with the mourning are feelings of guilt. There has been the self-accusation that the increasing violence has led to this brutal deed. The self-accusation also assumes that America is “a sick society.” In such tragic moments America gets confused about itself, and the world gets confused about America.
Without a doubt, Robert Kennedy would have emerged from the primaries as the strongest candidate of the Democrats. He would have had a chance to win the presidential election in November. His tragic death has thrust the issue of violence to the forefront of the national debate. Spontaneously, thousands of people have voluntarily turned in their firearms to the police. The perennial discussion over a “gun control bill” will urgently be taken up again in Congress. At least the unrestricted delivery of firearms by mail should be prohibited. Violence is a serious problem that is more prevalent in American society than anywhere else in the world. Still, it cannot be said that America is a sick society.
Before the Requiem in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Edward Kennedy gave the eulogy on his brother Robert. At that moment, the grievous loss which the Kennedy family and America have suffered was especially painfully felt.
Through the deaths of John Fitzgerald and Robert Francis Kennedy the world has lost a vision, which had made it easier to imagine how the future can be mastered.
[During the fall semester 1967, my appointment as visiting associate professor at the University of Notre Dame had been extended for another year. And in the spring of 1968, I was offered the directorship of the Notre Dame Foreign Study Program in Innsbruck for a two year term 1969-71. Over the summer of 1968, my family and I stayed in South Bend. We planned to take a trip by car to Colorado in August.]
South Bend, June 26, 1968
The Inevitable Pull of the English Language
After a sojourn of a few months in the United States, one feels the inevitable pull of the English language. Even as trained linguists my wife and I have noticed a certain hesitation in expressing ourselves precisely in German. Loan translations have been creeping in, just as one forgets common words and idioms. It has become easier to name objects in English for which one is searching an adequate German expression to no avail. The children learn English fast in school and they chat in English with each other, although German is spoken at home. It is known from experience that the native tongue gets lost in the second generation after immigration. The third generation learns the language of their grandparents again through the foreign language instruction in college. Bilingualism can only be maintained by continuous practice, reading, language contacts and occasional visits to the old home country.