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In a letter to James Laughlin of February 16, 1955, Merton writes, "I am getting more and more interested in Japan, especially since getting a letter and some books from a very alert missionary there, Fr. Van Straelen in Tokyo." In the same letter, Merton mentions to Laughlin that he is now interested in finding books by D.T. Suzuki, whom he has not read yet. No letters to or from Fr. Henri van Straelen are extant, but there is a transcript of letter from Merton to van Straelen from 1959 recorded by Dom James Fox.
Fr. Henri van Straelen, S.V.D. was a priest of the Society of the Divine Word and a professor of philosophy who spent much of his life as a missionary and scholar in Japan. He was a peritus to the Second Vatican Council.
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See also letter of 1955/02/16 in the "Laughlin, James" file.
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| # | Date | From/To | First Lines | Pub ✓ | Notes |
| | y/m/d | Merton | | Scan ✉ | |
| 1. |
1959/06/16 |
transcript from Merton |
My interest in Japan continues from day to day. In fact in last writing to our Reverendissime |
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[see "Fox, James" Series 29 for source file for the letter transcript] letter to Dom Gabiel Sortais indicating Merton's willingness to serve as a confessor of nuns in Japan - interest in "participating in some way in the work of the Church there [Japan] / interest in learning Japanese language
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