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International Journal of Psycho-Analysis
26 January 1922
London
Dear Professor,
Another business letter! Dr. William Brown,1 whom you may know as one of our unpleasant opponents, who likes to call himself a psychoanalyst when there is no-one present to contradict him, came to me yesterday. I know him well as a scoundrel with a thoroughly bad character. He
will be in Vienna in April and asked me if he could see you as he wanted to discuss some moot theoretical points with you. I told him I was doubtful as you were so busy. I am sure that his sole motive is in order to be able to boast on his return to Oxford “The last time I discussed this question personally with Freud”, “On one of my recent talks with Freud I pointed out to him his mistake in thinking” etc., etc. It would be a pity to give him this pleasure, and in this way to enhance his prestige, and I daresay you will have the boldness to be impolite enough to refuse his request if you feel so inclined.
Kann tells me that his total now comes to 2737.
I had a long interview with Unwin yesterday to the following effect. Both Moffatt Yard and he have acted honestly in regard to the Gradiva. The only person to whom you could address any remonstrances is Stanley Hall.2 The translation rights of the Gradiva would in any case have lapsed within a few months in all countries by the Berne Convention of ten years from the date of publication.3 In America they had already lapsed, owing to the state of war, and Moffatt Yard first obtained the assurance from the Congress authorities to that effect. Brill first raised objections, but then is said to have withdrawn them at the second interview he had with Stanley Hall, who then assured Moffatt Yard that all was in order. No doubt Brill saw that nothing was to be done, and perhaps felt his own position insecure as a foreigner at that time. Unwin has bought the American translation to sell in England. He has neither moral nor legal obligations to us or Deuticke, but I have nevert