Record of a Friendship

losigkeit [lack of intercourse] and that is very true. No, Neill, I am
afraid there is no escape from the one conclusion that the core of all
these difficulties of children and adolescents, whatever their variations
might be, is the genital frustration as far as their energy metabolism is
concerned. Everything else depends on this energy metabolism-from
sleeplessness to infantile paralysis. And I would not be too sure that in
Zoe there is not some kind of frustration, genital or otherwise, which is
responsible for her being ill-tempered. And by the way, how do you
get children to sleep if they don't want to?? No command will achieve
that.
As far as the plague is concerned, I am not depressed, I am only
disquieted because I don't know how to make our friends fight it.
All the best to all of you, and a very good Christmas.

• • •

Forest Hills, New York
December 17 , 19 48
My dear Neill:
I had qualms about my argumentative letters of late to you.
You know I am not a fussy person deep down, but in matters of infantile
genitality I somehow feel easily challenged. I am sending you a color
photo from Orgonon to cheer you up.
I received the review of the Sexual Revolution. I also read the nasty
poisonous review about your Hearts Not Heads. What fools they are!

Summerhill School

Leiston, Suffolk

My dear Reich,

•••

December 20, 1948

But why shouldn't we argue? It isn't argument anyway. You

kept saying to me in Orgonon that no one knows what a normal child is.

I agree. I agree that genitality is the central point, but I argue that

making sex right will not be a success unless the other factors are right

too. Take Zoe. I am convinced that her bad temper after too little sleep

has nothing to do with any thwarting of genitality. I say that lack of

sleep will cause unhappiness in her case, and I made the suggestion that

it might also apply to Peter.