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378A
Berlin-Grünewald
10 June 1920
Dear Professor,
In spite of certain reservations, I answered positively to your question about Urban and Schwarzenberg. As far as our cause is concerned, it makes a difference whether you yourself or someone else contributes to a comprehensive work of this kind, and it may even happen that the editors will decide to omit any presentation of our view on the theory of neuroses. On the other hand, I should be glad to relieve you of this burden. It is better for all of us if you are free to do your own work. It will definitely not be a holiday task for me. Because my holidays will only last for three weeks (15 July to 5 August) and I very much need this short spell—which, incidentally, I shall spend at home—for a rest. But if the editors commission me for the work, I shall spread it over some time and shall postpone other plans. To conclude, I want to assure you that I do not simply regard it as a burden but am pleased that I should be the one whom you entrust with the task of standing in for you!
Our memorandum is now with the Medical Faculty. Some days ago I had a longish discussion with Bonhoeffer, who is the most influential person concerned. B. is no friend of Ψα; but he is not an enemy on principle either, especially not an unfair one. He openly admitted to me that his reasons against are of an emotional nature, “quite unscientific”! But he says he acknowledges much of it. He has no factual objection to a Chair in Psycho-Analysis, only a technical one, which does need discussing. There is a tendency in Berlin to convert all Professorships in the special subjects into Chairs, thereby making the subjects in question obligatory for students and also examination subjects. In his opinion, Ψα is not yet mature enough for this. But he says he has no objection to my being personally entrusted with lecturing. I replied that, in our view, Ψα would gradually establish itself and that for the time being we were not concerned with making it a comp