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18 September 1933
81 Harley Street, London
Dear Professor,
I have just come back from an enjoyable holiday. The rheumatism cure, like most of these cures for organic troubles, was not very successful. It
gave considerable temporary relief, but the trouble soon came back afterward. However, there are much more important things to talk about.
First of all, please let me say that it is perhaps possible to exaggerate the blow to our work caused by recent events in Germany. It is easy in Germany, or perhaps even in Austria also, to forget the rest of the world. Deplorable as the whole affair has been, particularly in its personal reverberations among our friends, I am confident that we shall survive it as we have other blows. Nothing can lastingly set back the progress of our work. Its effect on our organization is another matter, which needs careful consideration. We shall certainly miss Eitingon very much. I see this much advantage in von Hattingberg's appointment by Hitler, namely, that his calling himself a psycho-analyst will have the result that psycho-analysis will not be forbidden in Germany.1 There will of course be a tendency to dilute it with other material, and it is there that we shall have to fight. Boehm has sent me a letter of which I enclose a copy and you will of course perceive the significance of the passage I have marked. We have good reason to be suspicious of him, but I want to explore the situation and so am accepting his invitation to meet him in Holland (next week). I am making the condition that van Ophuijsen, as Beirat, should also be present at the discussion.2
Coming now to your proposal about the Princess, my opinion of her is that she has the highest technical ability, admirable energy, and self-less devotion to our cause. The fact of her being non-medical would also, as you say, be an advantage to an official position. I think, however, that her judgements are apt to be impulsive and to need a steadying influence. We are good friends and