Letter from Sigmund Freud to Ernest Jones, May 28, 1919

28 May 1919
Vienna, IX. Berggasse 19

Dear Jones,

If you press me to inform you, where and when we shall meet this summer or autumn, whether an ordinary congress should be held or a meeting of the comité instead, I cannot but infer that you know nothing of the conditions we live in and get no light on Austria by your papers. Now believe me I have no idea [where and]1 when travelling will become possible for me and no choice where to go for a summer recreation. It may even be I will be glad to stay at home. It all depends on the state of Europe in general and of this neglected unhappy corner in particular, on the signing of peace, on the improvement of our money, the opening of the borders etc. and there is a great probability things will not be better two months hence than they are now. Add to this that my wife is abed with a strong grippe, overcame a pneumonia but shows no good tendency to recover strength and has this very day begun to fever afresh, it is not yet known why, but I hope it may not turn out very serious. As for the other town, Bp, Ferenczi and Freund, indispensable to our meeting, are absolutely cut off for the moment; no prophesy can reveal, what may be their destiny and degree of freedom in the next weeks. As regards the latter, unknown to you, I have reason to fear that you will never be able to make his acquaintance. His life is endangered by a bad recurring growth (he is 40 years old!), and it will be a hard blow to all of us, to the movement and to me personally, if we lose him. Rank is fighting like a lion for the fonds [Fond], Freund created for ΨA, it is still in the grips of the Hung. Government and we could not get it out till now.

I cant remember a time of my life when my horizon was so thickly veiled by dark clouds or if so I was younger then and not [infested]2 vexed by the ailments of beginning old age. I know you had a bad time and bitter