BR's papers are being prepared for sale. Also in this file are other letters to and from Schoenman re the sale.

This is the first of three letters from Rosenbaum concerning the sale of BR's papers. The others are dated 19 July 1967 and 11 September 1967. The University of Toronto wants to acquire the papers.

The letter concerns legal action against Newsweek. The enclosures are letters to W.H. Smith & Son Ltd. and Seymour Press Ltd.

Also in the file are tear-sheets from Newsweek, item in "The Periscope", "Lord Russell, Texas and the VC", 17 April 1967, and tear-sheets from British newspapers about that issue of Newsweek being banned.

Ralph Schoenman "tells me that he has had a long talk with you about Newsweek and the only thing to work for is a letter of correction from B.R. I hope that you do not feel such a course will be too damaging to the Archives."

"We are shocked almost beyond expression relative the nature of the Newsweek comment concerning the Archives. If there is any truth in the news release no American can approach within 40 miles of this matter, let alone seriously consider any acquisition."

Anton Felton repudiates the Newsweek comments of 17 April 1967 and confirms that the proceeds from the sale of Bertrand Russell's Archives will not go "to aid Communist forces in Vietnam." There is a photocopy of the original letter in Rec. Acq. 1584, record 119965. The text of these two letters is the same but this carbon is done by a different typewriter; thus it must be a copy.

"I have just seen a letter to BR from Mark Twain's son who says that the Red Dean of Canterbury, Hewlett Johnson, left all his papers and manuscripts to BR. What will Newsweek think of next?"

"I wish only to record the hope that BR's letter in Newsweek has effectively silenced the sort of complaints which you have received from the House of El Dieff."

Felton's reply to Farley's letter of 15 May (record 122910): "There has been a distinctive freeze and loss of local interest from America for the past two months, and I would associate this with the increased activity of the Tribunal."

"The main market of right-wing American universities, is, in the short-term, very hostile to B.R."

Re BR's Archives: "Recently, the other universities of Ontario petitioned the Canada Council to make funds available for their purchase and designated this university as the depository...."

File 1 contains correspondence, mainly between Ready and Felton, regarding the purchase of BR's Archives by McMaster University. All the letters were written in 1968. Not all of them are entered individually.

Farley is responding on BR's behalf to Ready's letter of 9 January 1968 (record 122912). He asks that Ready communicate with Continuum 1 Ltd. about the acquisition of the Archives.

"The British Museum is, at this moment, making efforts to acquire the Archives." Any institution wanting to acquire them will have to pay what they are worth.

Ready is raising the money and will have a figure to offer next week.

Felton plans on visiting McMaster on 20 February as part of his tour of Europe and North America. He will be bringing a small portfolio of original materials with him. "I am pleased to add that Lord Russell has consented to hold an interview with the head of the department of that institution which will finally house the Archives, wherein he will discuss the Archives and their uses. The interview will be tape recorded...." [There was no tape recording, possibly because McMaster's lawyer, Weatherston, had to substitute for Ready.]

Re the purchase of BR's Archives: "I arrive in London March fourth I will meet with you to formally complete the deal. Please confirm your end of it so that I can sleep nights. Pray keep this matter confidential until we can arrive at a mutually agreeable release of the good news."

"I am not in a position to discuss your proposals meaningfully with Lord Russell until I have received your draft contract from your solicitors. I would stress however that speed and flexibility are of the utmost importance if the Archives are to go to McMaster."

Ready puts forth McMaster's case for acquiring BR's Archives and praises BR.

"We write to confirm that on completion of the contract between your university and our clients, Earl Russell and Furtina Limited, we will hold all the deeds, documents and papers referred to in that contract solely and exclusively to your order and instructions."

"I was a little bit surprised to read in today's Daily Telegraph the following: 'McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario has paid Earl Russell, the philosopher, $480,000 (£200,000) for a collection of 150,000 of his letters....' I thought we had agreed that no mention of price should be made!"

BR is sorry he was not able to meet with Ready because of the death of Ready's mother.

"I have complained to Mr. Felton about the story in The Observer of March 31, but should point out to you that the story in The Daily Telegraph of April 2 emanated from Hamilton and is in direct breach of the agreement entered into with you not to reveal the price of the Archives. This failure appears to me to be entirely your responsibility, and there is nothing in your letter to suggest that you recognize this fact".

"The price did not come from our release. I see there have been many figures quoted in some of the newspapers. I have written to Lord Russell explaining that the releases were to be disregarded and that I felt as badly about it as I am sure he did."

The BR Archives arrive at McMaster University. "The first shipment of the papers arrived today. They were delayed in the warehouses because of the Easter holidays here."

"I think we should be able to make the last shipment of the Archives very soon and I would confess I have fantasies of Ken Blackwell climbing on to the lorry after the last filing cabinet, opening the bottom draw, jumping in, and as the lorry speeds away closing the draw upon him with a resounding clang!"

"Lord Russell wrote me recently complaining, with reason, of newspaper accounts of our activities regarding the Archive, accounts that were altogether false and which we have denied, both to the papers and to Lord Russell."

BR says he has contributed to the expense of the treason trials in S. Africa. The letter is crossed out.

"Guiana to be invited to conference".

BR cannot remember any occasion on which his grandchildren tried to frighten him. Therefore the Portmadoc shopkeeper was pulling Magee's leg.

A note to send a letter from the Home Office re Schocklin to Rotblat.

BR is glad to have Popper's The Logic of Scientific Discovery in English with the new appendices. BR read it "many years ago when it first appeared in German".

BR cannot be in London to meet Wright Mills, "whose book on the causes of World War III is very interesting."

"Tylor's bill".

BR declines to review Koestler's new book as his time is "completely booked for some months to come". The book was probably The Sleepwalkers, a history of cosmology.

BR thanks Saito for "the beautiful silk cloth".

"BBC tax mistake".

BR declines to lecture to the writer's society. (The recipient isn't named, but the incoming letter of 19 Dec. 1958 is referred to, and this letter matches the content of BR's letter. See record 45004.)

In regard to his upcoming CND conference speech, BR says acknowledgements and politenesses should be the chairman's job.

BR needs to know the length of his speech and what the "European Charter" is.

BR sends changes to the "sons of very rich Americans" passage of Common Sense and Nuclear Warfare and wants the UK edition to match.

BR tells Schuster that he has omitted all mention of "chicken!".

BR asks Harris to recollect whether his interviews with him a year ago included autobiographical content. Associated Rediffusion is claiming it has such content in order to discourage others.

The Times is to be sent to Rotblat; no further detail.

"Cheque 1841.13.9 > Commissioners of Inland Revenue > Madams".

BR thinks it extremely probable that he will be willing to write a preface to Gellner's book on "WII" [the later Wittgenstein]. He invites him to Hasker Street.

BR is glad to hear that Egner and Denonn are editing a book of BR's essays [Basic Writings].

BR sends Duff a letter from Dr. Kurt Grobe (Groebe in BRACERS) listing Germans who want to attend the CND conference. He asks her to acknowledge the letter.

BR encloses (not present) a letter of invitation to Bullard, duly signed.

BR was glad to see "the Pugwash letter in the Manchester Guardian". The Times telephoned to say they never print letters that are not exclusive.

BR asks Carter to approach Associated Rediffusion to get them to let him know what they have of an autobiographical nature. A sentence about an approach to BR from the BBC was deleted.

BR updates Wyatt on the claim that Associated Rediffusion has autobiographical content from BR. He mentions the Freeman interview for the BBC on 11 December 1958, and the "not intelligent" questions from Lady Barnet on the publication of Alan Wood's book. "During the last few minutes I was permitted to talk about the H-bomb". It took place on 17 May 1957.

BR requests 12 more copies of the cheap edition of Common Sense and Nuclear Warfare. The brief notice of it in The Times was "exactly similar in tone to the obituary which I attributed to them twenty years ago." He encloses a copy of a very encouraging letter from Duncan Sandys (record 2990).

"Portmadoc tax epistle > Madams".

BR is fully satisfied with the agreement with McMaster University. There is a typescript carbon of the agreement, 12 March 1968, with pencilled comments in the margins throughout. There is also a photocopy of the agreement with different comments written in the margins. Also in this file is correspondence regarding payment.

The letter sets out in point form arrangements with regard to the Archives II agreement which was being signed that day. A second draft typed carbon of the agreement is also in the file. It is not dated or signed.

A photocopy of this letter is in Rec. Acq. 1698.

Thode proposes that McMaster "undertake to bring out" BR's "Collected Essays, beginning in 1972." Thode's letter is the official proposal of The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell.

File 17 contains letters and telegrams, mainly to/from William Ready and Anton Felton.

Blackwell asks permission to reprint Frank Russell's autobiography My Life and Adventures.

BR has sent Felton McMaster University's letter of 5 August to deal with as instructed by BR. Felton acknowledges this.

Felton is replying on BR's behalf to Blackwell's letter of 25 July. All future correspondence should be sent directly to Felton.

The letter is also from B.A. Veldhuis, the co-editor of Ti Estin, a student publication at McMaster University.

"The University has overlooked your motives behind the sale." "There is grave ignorance in these parts about the activities of your organization." They ask BR to rectify that, making 3 suggestions.

Felton replies to BR's letter of 7 February. He encourages him to write a short work on the New Testament.

Felton encloses a copy of Cruden's Complete Concordance to the Old and New Testaments. [K. Blackwell was requested by Farley to purchase a Biblical concordance for Russell; presumably this is it.]

BR writes with regard to the publication of "The Perplexities of John Forstice": "Whilst I am satisfied with the first part of the work, the second part represented my opinions during only a very short period. My views in the second part were very sentimental, much too mild and too favourable to religion. In all this I was unduly influenced by Lady Ottoline Morrell." There are photocopies of BR's letter elsewhere; see record 27539 and record 54261. Apparently K. Blackwell first raised the question of publication with BR, receiving this positive answer; see record 121676.

BR asks Felton to answer Professor Boll's letter of 19 April 1968 (record 122966).

Boll wishes to publish a letter from BR to May Sinclair in the biography he has written, Miss May Sinclair: Novelist: a Biographical and Critical Introduction (1973).

Felton grants permission for Boll to publish BR's letter to May Sinclair of 20 August 1917. Boll will also have to get permission from McMaster University.

Felton has been talking with Stanley Unwin about reprinting some of BR's titles.

BR encloses a letter from McMaster University (not present but presumably the letter at record 122957). He wants Felton to deal with this letter and all future letters from McMaster "concerning possible publications". He does not want Frank Russell's Autobiography altered in any way if it is reprinted.

BR has missed the broadcast on the BBC of "A Selection from the Amberley Papers". He wants to be notified in advance of any such programmes in the future.

Felton replies to BR's letter of 29 August re the BBC (record 122971). "The programme is being repeated on September 9th and that the tape will remain available to you."

BR writes that Felton does not need to monitor the BBC Radio Times for programmes.

She writes that BR has been listed as a contributor to The Encyclopedia of Sexual Education. She encloses a photocopy of the title page along with a letter, in Italian, that her lawyers have written to the publisher, Tempo.

BR forwards the material sent to him by Abbagnano: a photocopy of the title page of The Encylopedia of Sexual Education along with a letter, in Italian, that her lawyers have written to the publisher, Tempo.

Felton is replying to BR's letter of 6 November 1968. He suggests taking legal action against Tempo. Follow-up letters with Heald, Johnson and Co. are also in the file.

"I received the enclosed letter [not present] this morning from Lady Ottoline's son-in-law, Professor Vinogradoff and have replied that I doubt if anything can be profitably done in the matter, deplorable and certainly distasteful as it is, but that I am sending his letter on to you asking your advice."

During Christopher Farley's absence, BR is told all queries with regard to Vol. 3 of his Autobiography.

Felton replies to BR's letter of 20 November. "I really do doubt if either [sic] we would succeed in any legal action against the Revue and I fear that any informal approaches after Julian Vinogradoff's contact with Alan Bennett would be of no use whatsoever." He returns Igor Vinogradoff's letter.

BR is replying to Feinberg's letter of 9 December. BR agrees to alterations made by Felix Pirani to a new edition of The ABC of Relativity.

"I wrote to Peter Davison of the Atlantic Monthly Press on January 7 and enclose a copy of that letter [not present] herewith. You will see in it that there is a small misstatement, and since it refers to you I am anxious to remove any misunderstanding which it may have caused." "... I am anxious to confirm that there has been no change in the relationship of either myself or the Foundation with you or the New York agents in recent weeks."

Feinberg writes about Lee Eisler and possible infringements of copyright. He encloses a few examples (not present).

Although the book's title is not mentioned, it is Morals without Mystery.

"Rayner Unwin has written to say that he does not wish to publish Lee Eisler's Morals without Mystery."

"I enclose for your consideration a draft (not present) of a biographical blurb which Allen and Unwin have asked us to prepare for the German publishers of The ABC of Relativity.

"I approve sale Russell Archives as outlined in telephone conversation March 21st with Anton Felton in concurrence with Christopher Farley."

There is also a transcription of this telegram in the file. There are also Schoenman letters in the file which have not been entered individually.

"I ... hope that you will remember the times when we used to meet at Logan's before the war." He would like to quote from BR's letters about D.H. Lawrence in 1915 in the memoirs of Ottoline Morrell that he is editing. Edith Russell sent this letter to Anton Felton with her letter of 15 January 1972. Across the top of the letter is written: "4 Barry", i.e. Barry Feinberg.

Edith forwards Gathorne-Hardy's letter of 12 January 1972 to Felton (record 122986).

Edith writes that she cannot give permission to publish BR's letters "without the agreement of my co-literary-executor, Anton Felton."

Gathorne-Hardy encloses a typescript summary of the letters he would like to quote in Ottoline Morrell's memoirs.

Gathorne-Hardy encloses photocopies of pages from his original typescript of the memoirs of Ottoline Morrell.

Edith hopes that Allen and Unwin will publish a new edition of Justice in War-Time. She would also like to know about reprints of other books.

"I am writing to confirm that all the papers concerning my husband which I possess have now been sent to you from here. The oldest of these were given to me by my husband when we moved here from Richmond in 1955; he gave me the further batch of more recent papers just before we went to prison in 1961. Since his purpose in giving them to me was to ensure that they were not made public indiscriminately, I wish to be consulted about their proposed future use."

Edith writes about Hasker Street, "Dr. Lackey's projected edition of various technical papers by Bertie", and the "catastrophic falling off of the sales of Dear Bertrand Russell."

Felton replies to Edith's letter of 30 June.

The letter concerns Ronald Clark's contract.

Edith does not agree with breaking the embargo on the Ottoline Morrell letters.

The letter was sent to the estate at Plas Penrhyn. It concerns Einstein: the Man and His Achievement.
 

This letter is written on the envelope from the BBC (record 12998). Edith has signed a document (not present).
 

Edith is replying to Felton's letters of 21 July and 25 July.

Edith requests £500.

Edith writes about the centenary celebrations at McMaster University. "I hope you were as deeply and well impressed by it all as I was. Though I looked forward to the celebrations with profound dismay, I am infinitely glad that I was able to attend them. I can say nothing but good of the place and the people and everything that happened. It was with the greatest relief that I saw how beautifully and skilfully cared for Bertie's papers were."

[Re Archives.]