Prof. Dr. Theodor Adorno Frankfurt am Main September 16, 1965
Dear Mr. Enzensberger,
As soon as my letter was sent, then, as a model of the understanding of stairs, something occurred to me for the COURSE BOOK that seems a bit like Columbus: a criticism of the Godesberg program of the SPD. You can really show everything that matters in this situation. At the moment I don't dare to decide whether I should do it myself, or just my suggestions, and whether the elaboration will then be carried out collectively; my feeling is that such work, when done by several people, has some advantages over an individual one. Of course it will be necessary to prevent any abuse in the sense of the SED and the communist racket; I should be able to do that. Herbert Marcuse could possibly also be brought in on the matter. All of these, however, are curae posteriores; today I would like to knowhow you basically react to the idea. It occurred to me that I could not bring myself to sign appeals for the SPD, which I was strongly urged to do; and then I discovered that my copy of the Godesberg program contains so much annotation that it actually corresponds to the draft of such a thing.
Warm regards, always your Adorno
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22.9.65
dear and honored mr. adorno,
that is a very excellent thought, one that everything speaks for its speedy realization, i would not have dared to ask you directly and frankly for such a job. let me now cite a few of the reasons that make you urgent: the defeat of the spd opens up a prospect, however weak, of breaking up the great cartel. this is the right moment to criticize the godesberg program. a motif of lesser importance, but one that is not without meaning for us: the germany issue of the course book, which will appear in january 1966, offers the best conditions for the publication of such a criticism. I do not know when such a favorable opportunity would come again. because the whole booklet is intended for a thorough revision of the so-called german question,Of which, by the way, nobody really knows how to say what it is and to whom it is addressed.
So I would like to hurry on without any shame, certainly a thorough and collective elaboration could be envisaged, an experiment of great scope. but i doubt that this would be the best solution. i would prefer a laconic version that would come to light at the right moment, that is: this winter. but they alone can do this. the preparatory work has already been done: all that is required is an explanation of what your notes on the spd program contain in nuce. a text like this from your hand could have a profound effect. forgive my impatience: it is not an editor who is pushing here, it is the matter itself. we would have to put the criticism of the godesberg program into print in the first week of november. please reconsider the plan and tell me soon whether it can be realized.it would not only help the course book.