“Dear Rezső,
We meanwhile took care of one of the companies there that agreed to take the goods and deliver them to the Aschkin (Germans). The company is vitally needed, else there would be no customer, since our friends cannot step out of the role of contractors. The company is called Slovkup and asks 5% for the service. The provision can be paid in abundance, as the goods can be purchased in Slovak crowns that can be effectively and far more economically arranged through the sale of dollars. We discussed it with Bissom, yet it is important that you secure for us either the Slovak crowns or dollars, as payment with Swiss francs can hardly be possible in our case. (…)
There are all kinds of goods available here. The most current offer would be:
The offer from the Orava company, the original copy of which I enclose, to save time. We can place immediate booking for the offered 5 lorries, as there are plenty of those interested and, with Swiss francs, they can be purchased virtually for free. We ask you for prompt reply on this matter, so that we don’t miss out on it.
The same place offers: 180 generators, car sheets, etc., etc., depending on offer.
From Switzerland, we can import chemicals to process leather: it is a highly sought-after item worldwide.
We have available:
15,000 square metres of pig skin
1,500 kilograms of rubber
Different oils for cars and engines, vaseline, as per the enclosed list
Leather shoe tops, possibly soles
Textile and knitwear, all types and qualities,
We have here Swiss medication, thoroughly sorted
We have found 15,000 kilograms of sheep skin. The goods are to be paid for in Slovak crowns. If it is possible to pay in francs as per the above methods, instead of the alimited price, it won’t cost even half.
Cotton thread is hard to get, for the factory found itself in the very centre of the war, if it still exists at all.”
19 September 1944, letter to Rudolf Kasztner