American Citizenship
In June 1945 the Hindemiths bought their own house in New Haven on Alden Avenue. During the next month they attended the «citizenship hearing» for American citizenship, which they then obtained in January 1946. Taking this step not only made Hindemith's social-professional situation easier. Far more than that, the couple were expressing their gratitude to the Americans and a growing approval of their way of living.
Not that Hindemith felt like an American citizen trying to suppress his German identity; it was rather the case that he recognised that the American way of life had a greater measure of personal freedom and solidarity, especially appreciated after his experiences in Nazi Germany. He also began to identify with it in order to better ward off claims made on him by Germany by applying moral pressure after war.
In a letter to German friends, Hindemith summed up this retrospective view in the spring of 1946: «Although the country was not unknown to us, the adjustment to completely different surroundings, new working and living conditions was a not inconsiderable problem. At any rate, the hospitality of the country and the overriding principle of mutual politeness reigning here made adaptation easy. The absence of any enviousness, nosiness and block-warden mentality was particularly welcome after the bad experiences in the old home country [...] Personally, we never had the slightest difficulties. We were neither placed in concentra¬tion camps nor ever made to feel that we were, after all, enemy aliens. During the difficult wartime period, too, the generally friendly and considerate character of all segments of the population we contacted was shown in the best light. The only 'restriction in freedom' was in the limitation of freedom of movement: if one wanted to travel, one needed a permit from the state capital. It was granted without exception, however...»
Hindemith remained an American citizen until the end of his life.