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9 rue de la Paix,
Paris,
August 25th., 1938.

AIR MAIL.

Dear César:

Thanks for your little card from ???. I didn't write to you, as I was so 'filthy tired' in St. Moritz - where I only stayed two weeks - that I could hardly move. I am here for a very few days - 3 or 4 - and will probably spend a week on the Riviera after stopping en route in a couple of places. I also want to thank you for the postal cards you sent me. 

What you are interested to know is what happened in the Wulf-Koenig matter. I was called in up St. Moritz and was told by Miss Wulf, that Mr. Koenig could not get the Cezanne landscape, and she asked whether we would be interested in securing the "Lovers" and the "Nature Morte" on the basis of £10,000., the two drawings being given to Koenig and Miss Wulf getting two-thirds of the original £1,000. commission.

I told her to go ahead on this basis, through of course I would be a great deal more interested in securing the two pictures for a lower figure. She thought we might perhaps be able to have them for £9,000.

I am leaving out all of the bargaining, etc., and also the proposition which was first to sell just the "Lovers" and another Van Gogh "La Moisson" which is a very small picture, the latter being estimated at £2,000. I told her that under no circumstances would we be interested in "La Moisson". 

The latest news is that last night, late, I called up Miss Wulf again - she is at the Palace Hotel in Gstaad for another two or three days - and she had nothing new to report, but was expecting a telephone call from K. probably tomorrow. 

I told her that we couldn't wait indefinitely and that it had to come to a show-down sooner or later.

This morning we received a note from HABERSTOCK, of which you will find herein a copy. We are just going to answer him (as you will see from the enclosed) that we have forwarded the letter to you, giving him your address in Budapest. My suggestion is that you should NOT write under any circumstances (I'm sure your wouldn't) but telephone him or wire him asking when you could meet him. He seems only to mention the Picassos, whereas we are certainly interested in the Gauguins.

I hope you are having a lovely time and that you are resting. As far as I am concerned, I can't get over my deep inset fatigue.

(Germain Séligmann)

Monsieur C. M. de Hauke,
26 Margit Rakpart
Budapest.

Transcription Notes:
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