Brief von Sándor Ferenczi, 13. Dezember 1926, Budapest1 2

Dear Friends:

Just as Professor Freud said in his last letter, the great engine, America, took me into its power and allows me not one minute's time to have a pleasurable talk with my European friends. Today exceptionally I am passing the weekend in the country-house of two old former patients and that gives me the opportunity to give you at least a very short account of my sojourn here and of my observations.

The general interest in Psycho-analysis in public as well as in scientific circles is much stronger than in Europe. I have had the opportunity to meet all leading psychiatrists of New York and Albany, privately and officially; and can assort that they nearly without exception acknowledge the high theoretical and practical value of Psycho-analysis and have a great consideration for Professor and his work. I have not remarked the tendency, so universal in Europe, to camouflage psycho-analytic work in scientific publications. On the other hand, the theoretical and practical knowledge of Psycho-analysis and training in it, is deplorably superficial. Dr. Salmon3, Professor at Columbia University, with whom I have had long talks, uses Psycho-analysis with great understanding in his psychiatric practise. He told me that he would prefer to give up all that he learned in medicine than what he learned from Freud. On the other hand, he declared

that he does not wish to be analyzed. His »American sense of liberty and independence« prevents his doing so. I told