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Vienna, January 24, 1932
IX., Berggasse 19
Dear friend,
With Reich, two affairs are presently merging. I have nothing to do with his circular letter; I only learned about it yesterday. On the other hand, the other matter is hovering directly between me and him. I received in proof an article by him to read, which culminated in the nonsense that what one considers the death instinct is the activity of the capitalist system. I thereupon let him know that I would not allow it to be printed without appending an explanation by the editor which calls attention to the marching route of Bolshevism to which it is bound, and to his party affiliation. He went along with it, but others, Eitingon, Jekels, Bernfeld, objected, and a remark by the latter, to the effect that we should not get a jump on the Soviets with a declaration of war, changed my mind, so that for the time being I have had his (Reich's) article and my note set aside. But that is no solution, and I would like to see the leadership of our Association (Eitingon and Jones, with you) be able to work out such a solution and suggest it to the editor.1
You are, unfortunately, correct about the Congress difficulties. Our members will certainly not receive the monetary means from the National Bank for a trip to Switzerland. It is very regrettable, almost equivalent to a paralysis of the life of the Association. The new election should also not be postponed any longer. You certainly did the right thing in taking up the negotiations over it in the committee, and I welcome altogether the fact that you are emerging from your isolation, which you have maintained for too long.
We rented the same house in Pötzleinsdorf for the summer as last year; we want to move in already at the end of May. Something to look forward to in these gloomy times. Anna has a bad week with the flu behind her; we hope to put her in the Semmering cure house for just as long.
Big changes have taken place in the Verlag. We are making a last attempt to keep it