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19 May 1908, Vienna, IX. Berggasse 19
Dear friend,
Enclosed a letter from Moll1 which I am passing on to you and Bleuler with his knowledge. I have already answered, saying that I approve of his plan but am bound by the decision made in Salzburg to found a “Journal for ΨA and Ψpthology” and that before telling him anything definite I must submit the matter to the two of you. In my opinion Moll's organ cannot take the place of our own journal,
because we need more space for analyses and association experiments than his more comprehensive programme could allow us. On the other hand, we might perfectly well contribute to his journal and make use of it if it takes on the character of a central organ, publishing meticulous abstracts and short original articles requiring quick publication. Would you prefer, after consulting Bleuler, to answer Moll directly or through me? I imagine you agree with me that starting as we do from very different basic assumptions and working with a technique of our own, we had better remain aloof, i.e. independent, for a while.
Now to Gross! I can imagine how much of your time he must be taking. I originally thought you would only take him on for the withdrawal period and that I would start analytical treatment in the autumn. It is shamefully egotistic of me, but I must admit that it is better for me this way; for I am obliged to sell my time and my supply of energy is not quite what it used to be. But seriously, the difficulty would have been that the dividing line between our respective property rights in creative ideas would inevitably have been effaced; we would never have been able to disentangle them with a clear conscience. Since I treated the philosopher Swoboda2 I have had a horror of such difficult situations.
I think your diagnosis of Gross is correct. His earliest childhood memory (communicated in Salzburg) is of his father warning a visitor: Watch out, he bites! He remembered this in connection with my Rat Man story.
I should pre