B593 <=> B595 (BTG XXXIV Russia, p. 594)

“’Now, my dear Doctor, that you already know approximately the gist of that affair, which was the cause for my present spiritual unbalance, I will frankly confess to you my inner thoughts and hopes which have arisen in connection with my acquaintanceship with you.

“’The point is,’ he continued, ‘that during our frequent and lengthy talks on the subject of the evil vices of people and about the possible measures for getting rid of them, I reached a full conviction of your thorough competency in questions of the subtle understanding of people’s psyche, as well as in the creating of conditions for the struggle against their weaknesses. And that is why I regard you as the only man who might be the source of every kind of initiative for the organization, as well as for the carrying out in life of the activities of the Trusteeship founded there at home for the struggle against alcoholism.

“’Yesterday morning an idea came into my head, over which I thought the whole day and evening, and it is about this that I finally decided to ask you.

“’Would you consent to go to my country, to Russia, and, after you have seen everything on the spot that is going on there, help us to organize this Trusteeship of ours, in such a way that it may indeed become of that use to my country for which it was founded.’

“He further added: ‘Your just humaneness gives me courage to address this request to you, as well as the assurance that you will not, of course, refuse to take part in the work of saving perhaps millions of people.’

“When this sympathetic elderly Russian finished speaking, I, having thought a little, replied that I might very possibly consent to his proposal to go to Russia, since that country might perhaps be very suitable also for my chief aim.

“Further I said to him: ‘At the present time I have but one aim, namely, specifically to clear up for myself all the details of the manifestations of the human psyche of individuals existing separately as well as in groups. Well now, for the elucidation of the state and manifestations of the psyche of large groups, Russia would perhaps be very suitable for me, since as I have understood during our talks the disease of the “passion for alcohol” is spread there in your country among almost the entire population, thanks to which I shall the more often have the possibility of carrying out my experiments on various types, each separately as well as in a mass.’