Dear Chris:

We were surprised and quite upset that you signed the contract without Velikovsky’s approval, while you were asked repeatedly not to sign and to wait.

We understand your enthusiasm: but now there are difficulties. In regard to Earth in Upheaval which is still, as well as Oedipus and Akhnaton, Doubleday’s foreign right, we are not sure if and when Doubleday will hand over those rights. Since you signed already Earth in Upheaval as sold instead of as option which we would have insisted on for all volumes excepted Worlds in Collision, Doubleday will, of course, rightfully insist on their 25 % commission, and we cannot be expected to pay commission twice.

Velikovsky would have insisted that footnotes should be at the bottom of each page; if Umschau did not concede this, a Swiss publisher would have done it, as Europa Verlag did; and it would have been more fortunate for our feelings. Though what you write about Umschau’s stand in regard to Nazism and Neo-nazism is reassuring, still we don’t know happened during the war and Hitler years.

We also think that you should have made Umschau aware, for their sake, of the great attack on Velikovsky, which may reflect on sales.

We would have asked to wait till 1978 with the payment of the advance royalties. For now, please leave the money in the account, until we know better how to proceed.

As for the Velikovsky Institute, Velikovsky is not in favor of the idea.

In acting as you did, you overstepped the powers that Velikovsky granted you: no literary agent can sign an agreement without the author’s approval. You can negotiate an agreement, but the final decision must be with Velikovsky.

As to Holland, we ask you not to involve yourself there; if there are any problems outstanding, Mr. Kluwer should communicate with us directly.

One final point: since you write that the German translation is free, and having negotiated with Umschau as you did, it is now your responsibility if any difficulties arise from Europa Verlag.

We did not study the contract carefully, since it is already signed; there may be other points which we would have asked to change had we seen the contract before signing.

Meanwhile, Kronos has just published a special AAAS issue and on the whole it is quite a good rejoinder to the Cornell volume. Ramses II and His Time is now scheduled for April.

With friendly greetings,

Jan