Oct 30, 78

Dear Jan,

I wrote the enclosed letter to V, but after re-reading it, I decided to mail it to you instead. You can read it and inform him of the contents. Unless I miss my guess, he’ll be very perturbed by what I say, but I said what I need to. My answer to his offer is very provisional and is more likely to be No than Yes, depending ultimately on further details which I’ll have to evaluate. This is all reminiscent (to me at least) of the offer he cooke dup with Cyrus Gordon and Bruce, when Bruce would pay me and I’d pretend to be paid by a university for a job I wasn’t really doing, all backe dby Gordon, who not only did not agree to it (contrary to V’s impression), but personally advised me against it. When I did turn it down, V went into a tantrum about all he did for me (none of it requested by me, all without my knowledge, none of it to my liking, and all, as far as I was concerned, for his own benefit, not mine) and how hard he tried to get Hewsen and Greenberg to forgive me, and how I didn’t follow through (again he did that without my knowledge and I hold both of them in contempt, I don’t care if they bless or curse me, and I haven’t forgiven them, whatever they feel toward me). So, I expect him to be angry that he worked so hard “for me” for so much ingratitude on my part. I might accept his offer, once I hear and evaluate it, but if it is at all like past offers, I won’t. From now on (after I send him “Mycenae”), I look out for me first, not him first (something that has cost me plenty and gained nothing for me). If our interests coincide, wonderful. If not, I give mine top priority. I do want to hear more, but I think it best if I hear from you, since I’ll get a less polemical response if it’s from you than from him. Meanwhile, you’ll know my thoughts and reasons for them from the letter.

Sincerely, Eddie

P.S. Before mailing this, I received a type copyu of part of the 1974 Mycenae chapter. Since it bears little resemblance to the piece as it will appear in my revision, I won’t bother to deal with it.