25 March 1919  Hotel St. Gotthard  Zürich

Dear Professor,

«IP4,0»In these days so crowded with incidents after a long isolation you will not wonder that until now I have only written to you once, a letter from Bern which I hope reached you safely.  It has been wonderfully good to be again with such sympathetic and lively spirits as Rank and Sachs, and I am full of admiration for their qualities.  It is a treat to watch how they turn these stupid and confused Swiss round their little finger.  And you can imagine what jokes we all have together.

Last night the Swiss society decided to join the International, unanimously.  The best members are Binswanger, a psychiatrist, Rorschach, and Frau Dr. Oberholzer.«FN1.××Ludwig Binswanger (1881‑1966), Swiss psychiatrist, influenced by Martin Heidegger and Freud, applied the principles of existentialism, phenomenology and psychoanalysis to psychotherapy; Hermann Rorschach (1884‑1922), Swiss psychiatrist, who devised the famous ink‑blot test for detecting personality traits and disorders.  Mira Gincburg (1887‑1949), medically trained psychoanalyst in Zurich, married to Emil Oberholzer (1883‑1958) of Schaffhausen, a Rorschach specialist, who along with his wife and Pfister, founded the Swiss Society the previous evening.»  Pfister you know; he gives trouble in wanting to make the whole world immediately members, being convinced that every one is on the point of becoming a complete |×/.  Oberholzer I am sorry to say I don't like, but perhaps more on subjective grounds; this dictatorial, hard, schoolmaster type, with no trace of humour or «MDUL»Gemütlichkeit«MDNM», is to me very unsympathetic.  At the meeting Sachs gave a magnificent address, one of the best I have ever heard in my life, and which could not have been bettered.  Rank, who was tired, and I also spoke shortly.  I was glad you were not there to hear my German, but perhaps what I had to say about England was of interest.

We intend to see if it is possible to make the English publications independently of any publisher, just as the Verlag does in Wien, and I think it will be possible.  I am full of enthusiasm for our future plans.  The French plans are not yet settled, though Bircher offers us all we want, but I am rather more in favour of a publisher at Genf or Lausanne ‑‑ perhaps even independent publishing ‑‑ and we shall see what the conditions are there.  At present nothing can be done with the two comical |×/ societies at Genf (I visited Claparède last week), but there may be some younger members.  Sachs has the situation well in hand here, and will be invaluable.  In my opinion we ought to increase the importance of his position (? Zentralstelle der Vereinigung oder Sekretäriat),«FN1.××"Head office of the Association."» because of the immense advantages that Switzerland offers internationally (politically, money, trading, etc.).

My own enjoyment of the experiences in these days has been greatly diminished by personal factors.  I think every minute of the day of my dear wife, who had never been abroad, and with whom I planned all the details of this journey with such happiness.  It is often very difficult to give proper attention to the outer world when one's feelings are so occupied within.  Then also to my other bodily troubles (neuritis, rheumatism) came an influenza, with fever, contracted on the journey hither.  That has now led to an otitis, which caused a fall from vertigo yesterday, and for which I am just going to consult a specialist.  All this makes it more difficult to put up with the troubles of modern travelling, the repeated waiting for hours at various consulates, police, etc. ‑‑ a kind of nonsense for which we English never have much patience.

You may imagine how concerned we are about affairs in Hungary, but one can hardly write about political matters which alter from day to day.  About England my opinion is on the whole optimistic.  I don't think it will come to civil war there, and if it doesn't then the old order will be on the whole maintained ‑‑ naturally with much better conditions for the working classes.

We are going to Neuchatel on Thursday, and I leave Switzerland the day after.  You will soon learn all the details from Rank ‑‑ our opinions and impressions are quite identical on all points.  Then I hope to hear news from you when I am in London.  I am very happy that Dr. Mackenzie can and will do everything possible for Martin.«FN1.××Martin Freud was still being detained in Italy, and Jones was likely arranging assistance through Dr. William Mackenzie, who is listed as a member of the British Psycho‑Analytical Society (address Piazza Meridiana, Genoa) in «MDUL»Journal«MDNM», 1(1920):118.»  He is a charming man; tomorrow I am to dine alone with him and his wife and so shall get to know them better ‑‑ I can do several things for them in London.

In five months I shall surely see you.

Yours always affectionately  Ernest Jones.