To Paul Arthur Schilpp
Hotel Savoia,
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. July 6, 1940
There is no strain whatever for me in remaining here, so long as the United States is neutral and I can get my money regularly from Boston, where a nephew of mine has charge of it. There is no excitement here and no controversies, and except for darkening windows and seeing no foreigners, we might forget that anything was wrong. There are also restrictions about food-stuffs; but living in hotels I eat what is served, and find it more than sufficient. You know, I suppose, that I am a Spanish subject, not an American citizen, so that my passport and my permit to reside in Italy are obtained without any difficulty or ominous warnings. It would be much more disturbing to my peace of mind if I were in Switzerland or even in Spain, which swarm with refugees. The end of hostilities with France is certainly a great relief, because it removes all fear of invasion (except by air) and of heavy casualties in the army.
From The Letters of George Santayana: Book Six, 1937–1940. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2004.
Location of manuscript: Morris Library, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.