Letter from Ernest Jones to Sigmund Freud, October 28, 1924

British Psycho-Analytical Society

28 October 1924
London

Dear Professor,

I am much obliged to you for correcting the historical errors. It just shows how easily they can creep in when one makes a condensed statement in which similars are treated as identicals. I knew the facts you remind me of, though they were not in my mind when I wrote. The difference between a decision at the time of the Congress and one which was an immediate reaction to it (as a set-off to the Jahrbuch) was not great enough to force itself on my consciousness. Similarly, although the idea of the Zentralblatt emanated from Adler and Stekel, you accepted the responsibility of appearing before the public as the founder; if matters had gone as we then expected them to, the word herausgegeben von would in time have surely been replaced by begründet von [gegründet von]. However, when I got your letter yesterday I telephoned at once to the printer and was just in time to get the passage altered.

I am glad that my review of Wittels was fairly satisfactory. It was originally more severe, but Mrs. Riviere and my wife both thought it too much so, so I slightly softened it.1

We are, as you may expect, sorry that your chapter “In These Eventful Years” had to appear in an American guise. Some of the expressions you are made to use are decidedly undignified, and therefore clash with our conception of you.2

Last night I gave the opening address before the Oxford University Psychological Society, about 100 people in the audience, and had a considerable success. The subject was The Relation of Analysis to Determinism, Personality and Responsibility.3

Abraham and I are corresponding about the site of next year's Congress. No doubt he has written to ask your opinion about it. What is the likelihood of your attending personally? Your presence would be an inestimable encouragement and pleasure.

With kindest regards,

Yours always,