Dean's letters/Briefe von Dean/Cartas de Dean/Письма Дина

Dean Reed an Kurt Hager

7 of Nov. 1978
Wright County Jail
Buffalo, Minn.

My Dear Friend + Comrade - Kurt Hager!

Today I am beginning my 10th day of hunger strike from my cell here in Wright County Jail.

I came to Minnesota on an invitation from the Chile Committee to show our film "El Cantor" at the University of Minnesota. By the way ... our DDR film was a large success!

Here in Minnesota there is a growing popular movement against the building of enormous power lines by large U.S. corporations across the States. The corporations are solely interested in their profit in spite of the fact that the lines put into danger the lives of the farmers through whose lands they run. The construction of the lines has already destroyed vast areas of the farmers lands.

Since I was here to defend human rights in Chile, I felt that I must give my solidarity to those farmers who are beeing imprisoned because they are fighting for their human rights.

On the 29th of Oct., we held a peaceful protest demonstration with 450 people. I ended the meeting with a speech + some songs after which 20 of us carried banners which read "Power to the People" up to the lines of riot police where we were arrested.

We consider ourselves political prisoners + we shall continue the hunger strike until we have gained our freedom in order to draw world attention to the plight of the thousands of political prisoners here in the U.S.A.

We are receiving hundreds of telegrams of protest each day from the U.S. + other countries.

Each day we are physically weaker, but our moral, spiritual + ideological resolve is each day stronger.

I thank you for friendship + solidarity. Please give an embrace to Gen. Honecker for me.

Venceremos!

Ich umarme Dich
Dean Reed

Ansichtskarte mit Motiv "einsamer Cowboy führt sein Pferd durch den Indian Summer eines Birkenwaldes" (gedruckt in Boulder/Colorado)

Bildunterschrift: I wish for you a special day with sunshine through the trees that the joy of life may touch you like the warmth of a gentle breeze.

Dear Kurt -
I thought that maybe you would like to publish my letter in N.D. - so I'm sending you a copy.
I hope what when I return to the D.D.R. you will find time to screen "El Cantor". My film was given very good reviews here in the States from the critics.
Take care of yourself -
en embrace
Dean

Kurt Hager (1912-1998) war 1978 im Zentralkomitee der SED verantwortlicher Sektretär für Wissenschaft, Volksbildung und Kultur. Im Politbüro des ZK galt er als Chefideologe und oberster Kulturverantwortlicher. In diesen Funktionen war er Ansprechpartner für Dean Reed.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Hager