the curing of the head pains, and it seems to stop the nasal cold from
going down to the chest.
Worried about my school staff'. It seems that work is impossible with
out having trouble with staff ... unless one is a disciplinarian who will
chuck them out at the first sign of trouble.- I •
[Reich never sent the following.]Forest Hills, New York
February 28th, 1948
My dear Neill:
I just received your letter of February 24th. I think it will be
important that I clear up a few points:
Of course, I want you to announce my books wherever and whenever
you can. But that has nothing to do with trying to convince people and
to beg them to accept my theories. You only become saddened and dis
illusioned if you do this. But I never meant to say that our friends and
co-workers should not do all they can to make our work known.
I do not think that our discussions would be dull if you don't smoke
and I don't drink, because I do not believe that our discussions de
pended in their subjects and luminosity on smoking and drinking alone.
The most complicated matter I have to deal with in my relation to
you is the question of my recognition. When I said in my letter that you
underestimate the actual recognition which I enjoy, I meant the follow
ing: To my mind, a man is recognized in the strict sense of the word,
when he made a very great discovery-as a matter of fact, one of the
greatest in the history of science--and when, accordingly, he is talked
about everywhere in scientific, educational as well as political circles.
Your idea of recognition seems to be that a man should be adored, or
receive prizes. I don't think this is true recognition. They are meting out
prizes and recognition today to men who did not accomplish anything,
except complying with the rules. I would not like to be in their shoes,
and I would not like to be mistaken for one of them. To have so many
enemies as I have, alone proves that the world knows what I am doing.
namely overturning a heap of stale and wrong self-damaging beliefs
about nature and man.
The "State" is not against me. There are a few pestilent officials, who
are a disgrace to the American administration, who are against me. If