Exiles (40 page)

Spiegel wished there was someone he could speak to about all that was racing through his mind. But these were ideas too dangerous to put into writing. That will have to be enough, he thought, for tonight. He signed his letter to Iris, folded it, sealed it in an envelope, and put the envelope in his pack. He would carry it with him to remind him of Iris and of the others he had left behind.

It may be that I will never send Iris this letter, Spiegel thought. But someday I will see her and we will talk about these things, and then she will know.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For background information on American exiles in Sweden in the Vietnam era, I consulted
American Deserters in Sweden: The
Men and Their Challenges,
by Thomas Lee Hayes (Association Press, N.Y., 1971). My friends Ron and Christina Krouk were my guides to the Swedish language.
Tack så mycket!

I am most grateful to Laura Hruska of the Soho Press, for her faith in this book and for her excellent editing of the manuscript. For their encouragement and advice, I would like to thank M.J. Andersen, Alan Feldman, Bob Kerr, Peter Phipps, Bill Reynolds, Lowell Rubin, Alex Smithline, Andy Wolk, and the members of the former Providence Area Writers (PAWs). Most of all, I would like to thank Marge, Anna, and Josie Krieger, for their love and support.