13 June 1932  81 Harley Street  London  W1

Dear Professor,

«IP4,0»Thank you for your letter.  I am glad to know you are enjoying the spring.  With us it has been a cold one and the last two days have been the first when it was pleasantly warm to be out of doors.  May is one of the many months in which the Vienna climate is preferable to the London one.

Although of course it is for the Congress to decide, I am very glad of the opportunity to discuss with you the suitable composition of the future committee.«FN1.××The committee which took over control of the Verlag was appointed at the 12th Congress of the International Psychoanalytic Association, Wiesbaden, 4‑7 September 1932, and consisted of Brill, Jones, Oberndorf, van Ophuijsen, Spitz, and Sarasin, see «MDUL»Journal«MDNM», (14)1933:179.»  I think, in spite of the distance, we must have an American representative and that no one other than Brill could be considered.  I notice you do not mention Sarasin.  I do not know him very well personally, but Eitingon seems to think very well of him and has recently suggested that he act as Treasurer for the foreign money until it is needed in Vienna.  I understand your feelings about Ophuijsen, although I get on very well with him personally.  The bad habit you mention amuses me and is, I am sure, not dictated by any malice.  After all, his endeavour to introduce some order into the laxaty of our affairs is not altogether disadvantageous.  In Paris either Laforgue or the Princess would obviously be suitable.  It might be advantageous to have Eitingon from the point of view of continuity with the past, but I am not sure that his name would inspire universal confidence.  I was interested in your idea that there should be no Vienna member on the committee and quite see the advantages of it.  By the local Viennese Direktion I take it you meant no one but Martin; I think we are very lucky to have secured his services.

The matter of the new American «MDUL»Quarterly«MDNM» is actually not so simple as you appear to hope, and I want to say something more about it.  First I must remove a little misunderstanding.  It is not the case that they failed to communicate with me before beginning the new undertaking.  On the contrary, they pressed me to let my name appear in the long list of patrons they have secured.  This I naturally had to refuse, on two grounds: first that I think psycho‑analytical publications should be regularised by official arrangements instead of being wild private ventures, and secondly because it would be paradoxical for the editor of one journal to support another which is destined to replace his own, without there being some good reason for it.  I am sure that if someone suddenly announced in Leipsic [Leipzig] or Frankfurt that he intended to duplicate the «MDUL»Zeitschrift«MDNM» by a parallel magazine the editor of the «MDUL»Zeitschrift«MDNM» would take the same view.  What I really complain of is that the authors of the new undertaking failed to consult beforehand with people who are obviously affected.  This shows no spirit of cooperation.  After all, it is being published in more or less the same language as the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM», which hitherto has been officially recognised as adequate to publish both contributions and reports in English of what is going on in the psycho‑analytical world.  I have tried to cater for the Americans as well as for other countries in the «MDUL»International Journal«MDNM» (in spite of Mrs. Riviere's stern veto on American contributions).  If the Americans had explained to me in what respects they regarded the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM» as inadequate to fulfil its function I am sure I should have been glad to cooperate with them or make any concessions they wished, e.g. enlarging the size of the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM», having an American co‑Editor, a special section reserved for American contributions, or in any other way.

Much more serious than any of this, however, is the fact that the «MDUL»Quarterly«MDNM» now directly threatens the existence of the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM».  It happens that we are dependent for more than half our income on American subscriptions, and it is not to be supposed that America will continue to subcribe to the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM» when they have a cheaper corresponding periodical near to hand.  Further, it requires no gift of prophecy to foretell that once it is established the «MDUL»Quarterly«MDNM» will demand recognition as an official organ of the Association, which will be hard to refuse in view of the fact that they are supported by the leading analysts in all countries, who seem to me to have given their support without reflecting on the consequences.  When that happens, all the American members will transfer their obligatory subscription from the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM» to the «MDUL»Quarterly«MDNM», and the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM» cannot exist as a purely English periodical.  I am sure we should not be able to subscribe among ourselves the large deficit which would ensue.

The direct competition is openly announced in the first number as well as by the steps which, to my knowledge, they have already taken in the way of securing the contributions of German writers, the translations of which used to be published in the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM».  It is sheer nonsense and waste of energy for the same things to be translated twice over in the same language.  The «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM» has a legal contract with the «MDUL»ZEITSCHRIFT«MDNM» and Verlag«MDUL»«MDNM» whereby no translations may be published within twelve months without permission from the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM».  This contract has been openly violated in the first number of the «MDUL»Quarterly«MDNM».«FN1.××Regarding Freud (1931a), in «MDUL»Psychoanalytic Quarterly«MDNM», 1(1932):3‑6.

»  And to whom are we to protest?  Martin would naturally say he knew nothing about it, the Redaktion«MDUL»«MDNM» of the «MDUL»ZEITSCHRIFT«MDNM» no longer exists in any responsible fashion since Rado's removal to New York, and the senior member of the Verlag is the author who has apparently given permission for this very thing to happen.

As to the «MDUL»Psychoanalytic Review«MDNM», I regard its existence as superfluous as you do, but I am bound to say thay [they] have always behaved quite honourably in respect of the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM» and have never encroached on its domain.  Jelliffe and I came to an understanding which has been friendily respected on both sides.  If, as you think, the aggression of the «MDUL»Quarterly«MDNM» is meant to be directed against the «MDUL»Psychoanalytic Review«MDNM», it would have been quite easy for the Americans to have cooperated with the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM» in extending it in America for that purpose.

Your inference that the Americans do not feel related to England I should modify by saying this is only true of the foreigners recently arrived in America, who have lost their own civilisation and not acquired any other. Zilboorg, who is a completely wild Russian, is the real centre of this piece of activity.  I admire his energy, but wish it could be somewhat directed and controlled.  The upshot of the whole situation is that a few people have behaved inconsiderately, and a number of other people thoughtlessly; whereas the consequences in two or three years' time are likely to be quite perilous to the existence of the «MDUL»JOURNAL«MDNM».  That in itself is of no tragic import, but what we have done in London in the past fifteen years to establish a good standard of representative and carefully translated presentation of the work of our European colleagues would seem to us to have deserved encouragement rather than discouragement.

I wish there were someone else than you whom I could trouble with these reflections, but you know there is not.  We lost our last leader with Abraham.

With my best wishes for a pleasant summer,  Yours always,  Ernest Jones