party membership, nationality, or class. But an author’s title had been changed in a drastic
way without his permission. It would seem clear that Wolfe made this change at Reich’s insti-
gation. Reich, usually so scrupulous in respecting an author’s intention, in this instance fla-
grantly violated his own policy. The trigger was evident: his rage at the newspapers that had
slandered his work in Norway.
If particular interactions could stir old resentments, they could also stir old hopes.
Alexander Lowen has told me that around 1943 he knew staff members of the Settlement
House connected with the Union Theological
Seminary in New York City^6. He arranged for Reich, who he then thought “could
change the world,” to speak before the staff of the House. Reich proposed a plan whereby
he would give talks at the House for the staff and youth on sexual problems and their social
connections—in short, an effort along earlier sex-political lines but without the Marxist, rev-
olutionary perspective. As at the earlier sex-counseling centers, Reich, Wolfe, and a few oth-
ers would also offer sex counseling free of charge for adolescents connected with the House
who wished this opportunity.
According to Lowen, Reich spoke superbly and the staff greeted the plan enthusi-
astically. However, the board of the House vetoed the proposal. Like his scientific overtures
to Einstein,Reich’s social initiative was dashed after what looked like a promising beginning.
Never again would he make this kind of social effort.
By 1943, Reich had changed his mind, and was eager to become a father again. The
birth of his son Peter on April 4, 1944, was a tremendously joyful event, which he shared
with Neill. Reich’s personal delight in having a baby boy blended inextricably with his scien-
tific sense of wonder. For, as noted earlier, the birth of Peter gave a tremendous spur to
Reich’s long-standing interest in the newborn.
Peter added a new and stabilizing dimension to Reich and Ilse’s relationship. For all
his dislike of compulsive monogamy and whatever his problems with Ilse, part of Reich was
definitely a family man. He enjoyed doing things with his family. And he loved his son. He
was undoubtedly eager not to make some ofthe same mistakes with Peter he had made with
Eva and Lore, They had been put on a rigid feeding schedule; with Peter, everything was
done in accordance with the principles ofself-regulation and of orgonomy^7.
Reich’s interest in Peter does not imply that he was the kind of husband who
“shared” child-caring responsibilities with his wife. As Reich once wrote to Neill, he was a
great child lover but a poor child caretaker. Ilse has related the anecdote of how Reich very
generously told her to take some time off and go fishing, only to call her in a panic when
Peter needed to have his diapers changed.
For all Reich’s emphasis on the importance of the mother-infant relationship, he
was keen for Ilse to have considerable time to work for him. At some point in Peter’s first
year the Reichs employed a full-time maid, which relieved Ilse of many daily chores with
both the home and the child, but enabled her still to have time with Peter. In my dealings
with the Reichs I was always impressed by how Peter was fitted into the daily schedule so
that he received considerable attention as work continued.
24 : Personal Life and Relations with Colleagues: 1941-1950 315