Munich
8th August, 1980.
Dear Father Zinneeker,
Your letter of 23rd July was sent on to me from St. Augustine to Oberammergau where I had to take a seven week treatment in the rheumatic clinic there. At the end of the treatment at the beginning of this week I travelled to Munich for a few days and tried to reach the Paraguayan Consul in Hamburg at once. Yesterday morning I was able to have quite a long telephone conversation concerning your query regarding the immigration of vietnamese refugees. As you know, the consul has been in Asuncion/Paraguay since 31st May of this year and I gave him all the necessary data via the Paraguayan Legation in Bad Godesberg to give to the authorities in Asuncion.
Unfortunately I discovered from our telephone conversation that the matters is not making much progress in Paraguay (probably) because they do not like the vietnamese in Paraguay. What are the reasons?
On my side, as you know, Father, I am doing everything in my power to help these poor people. I have two suggestions to make to you.
1.
2.
You address yourself directly to Bishop Johannes Bockwinkel in Encarnacion who can personally request the entry permits from the State President; or
I personally would be prepared, if my superiors were in agreement, to fly there in my capacity as a Freeman of Paraguay and to place the matter personally, with all the persuasion I can muster, before the President (who is a personal friend of mine).
For suggestion 2 I would need a request from you to the Procurator of Mission P. Gerhard Huth, Steyler Mission, St. Augustin, who would relay your request to the General Superior in Rome. The opportunity could be taken to conduct a further mission project. The Mission Procurator and also the General Superior must therefore be informed that on your side only the travel expenses will be reinbused.
In the hope, dear Father that we can bring this to a satisfactory conclusion, I want for your reply.
Greetings in Christ
Yours,
+
P. Carl Winkel