Only problem is that the letter is 8 pages long and in pdf format.
Another way to find it is to go to William de Thouars homepage.
http://www.willemdethouars.com/
Right below his picture are his letters
Read the one titled
The de Thouars brothers
or the one titled
de Thouars HighHorse
Actually both should be read. I dont know when these were first put on the website. I dont remember them being there last year. But you can see now that their relationship is very very bitter.
We all have to agree that especially in Indonesian arts there is alot of politics involved. So any information I read I try to remember, but not fully believe.
Another example of politics and why this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. In the article on Victor there is a letter in there supposedly from Master Reeders stating that he never heard of Willie Wetzel. Victor stated that he translated this from Dutch to English to be read.
Quote:
Now here in America, I know of well over a hundred pentjakkers that claim to have Pak Serak style, learned from a certain Willy Wetsel, who claimed that he was from Mas Djut. I know him from Malang (East Java) as a little boy, and know that he never was in Bandoeng, so that he never could have learned Pak Serak system. His style is some what Bantam with a little Karate kicks. But all his students (a couple of hundred) have now schools here in Pennsylvania and I do not know were the Pak Serak instruction came in, and really have to do at all with Pak Serak. I do not know how to stop it.
I do not know if I know you personally Victor, my descendent branch is from Nes de Vries, Leo Sjel, Lion de Riearere, Theo Schrijn, Puk Soverbier and Mancho Soverbier, Madrais, Tji Petjut, Abu Saman, Suro Djawan.
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This letter was included in this artical to discredit Wetzel...but Reeders didnt know Victor either. Just because Reeders didnt know everyone, doesnt mean they made their art up out of thin air.
Now if you know who Grand Master Sikes is...he learned Karate from Master Reeders...but actually learned his Indonesian art from Willie Wetzel.
http://www.nasda.net/gmhistory.htm
What I'm trying to say is that there are probably hundreds of thousands of variations on Silat. Just because everyone didnt learn their art from the same master and grow up in the same village doesnt mean their art holds no value. It doesnt make them frauds.