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352A
Berlin-Grünewald
1 April 1919
Dear Professor,
I too was very sorry that the publication of the Congress volume was so badly delayed through Simmel's fault. I have urged him many times, but all in vain. In the middle of February I wrote a letter to Rank, in
which I made clear to him my opinion of S. This letter came back after four weeks! My proof of the Pötzl review1 also came back to me, and I sent it off for the second time. I hope that I too have not gained a reputation for slovenliness. You, dear Herr Professor, and Reik as well, make unclear references to Simmel. But I am interested to know what has happened. I even have a special interest in it, because S. wants to be analysed by me.* He should be here for the first session at this very moment but did not turn up. His resistances are very great. You obviously did not see them in Budapest and let yourself be deeply influenced by the one very sympathetic letter. Later I had occasion to have my view of him, which was divergent from the beginning, confirmed many times. The resistances, however, are balanced by a strong positive interest and an intelligence that grasps things rapidly. I shall tell you more later. I should like to take this opportunity to say that in my opinion yet another adept is being overestimated, namely Pötzl. I altered the review only reluctantly at the time. I have the impression that all of you in Vienna still greet every influx from the academic side with too great an optimism. In P., the resistances seem to me to outweigh the few positive elements in his work. He may be more positive in the sessions there; in any case, in his writings he has not risked anything up to now.
I heard from Sachs and Rank directly from Switzerland, and I am pleased that Sachs has had a good convalescence.2 I myself am in quite good health. The practice is satisfactory as far as finances are concerned, and recently has been particularly pleasing from a scientific point of view.
We are still living in our tempor