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William James Sidis Correspondence with Julius Eichel

1933-1944

Research notes by Doug Renselle at Swarthmore College on WJS portion of their Peace Collection, on 1Oct1999

From DG-131, Box 3

Folder   1 - Containing William James Sidis to Mrs. Eichel and Mr. Julius Eichel, 1933-1939
Folder   2 - Containing William James Sidis to Mr. Julius Eichel, 1941-1944, et al., about WJS, posthumously 1945-1946
Folder   3 - Containing Closed Org. AIS celebrates American Historical Events, and Penacook Courier, 1936-1938
Folder   4 - Containing WJS' Successors of Shays, and Continuity News, 1938-1939
Folder   5 - Containing WJS' AIS1 papers, 1938
Folder   6 - Containing WJS', The Tribes and the States, issued by AIS (just 1st 43 of ~600 pages)
Folder   7 - Containing LWOA2 papers, 1939
Folder   8 - Containing The Orarch, a group news letter by WJS, 1939-1943
Folder   9 - Containing Parker Greene3 papers: Geprodis, etc., Freedom Poems, Libertarian VUSP4, 1944
Folder 10 - WJS' obituary in The Absolutist
Folder 11 - Julius Eichel, et al., correspondence
Folder 12 - Articles, profiles about WJS, 1978

1American Independence Society
2Liberty War Objectors Association
3One of William James Sidis' pen names (his favorite)
4Volunteer Urban Self-Supporting Projects

Folder 1 of Box 3:

Letter
Index

Letter & Comments

Date

WJS' Address
1 Letter to Mrs. Eichel (presumed Julius' wife)
WJS mentions, "Grammar, the American lingo."
11Mar33 257 W. Newton Street
Boston, MA
2 Letter to Mrs. Eichel
-$5 payment on loan.
14Nov34 197 Warren Ave
Boston, MA
3 Letter to Mrs. Eichel
-Tells her he was, "...fired 31Jan35 for not being a mental calculating machine..."
15Feb35 197 Warren Ave
Boston, MA
4 Letter to Mrs. Eichel 15Apr35 197 Warren Ave
Boston, MA
5 Letter to Mrs. Eichel
-Sends three more copies of The Tribes and the States,
"...work of an organization, not just WJS..." his own words.
-Mentions some "...tribal organization in New Hampshire, publishing a newsletter..."
15Apr35 197 Warren Ave
Boston, MA
6 Letter to Julius 16Jul36 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
7 Letter to Julius
-Reminds Julius Eichel (JE) of his lapsed subscription to Penacook Courier.
-9Nov36 JE sends $1 for renewal.
4Nov36 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
8 Letter to JE
-Scheduled meeting in NYC for 18-9Apr37.
-Reschedule meeting for 19Jul37.
8Apr37 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
9 Note to JE
-Mentions Mr. & Mrs. (M&M) Marcos A. Spinelli, 129 Highland Ave., Jersey City, re: invitation to 'celebration part,' re: Bill of Rights.
20Jan38 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
10 Letter to JE with above note attached
-Mentions:
M&M Joseph J. Resnick, 4410 Cayuga Ave., Bronx;
M&M Lowell W. Gerson, 6742 Continental Ave., Forrest Hills;
Mr. Joseph Ellner, 1640 Undercliff Ave., Bronx.
12Jan38 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
11 Letter to JE 27Jan38 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
12 Letter to JE
-"Thanx," from WJS for,
-Letter from JE on WJS' 40th birthday on 1Apr38.
13Feb38 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
13 Letter to JE
-Signed, "Yours for liberty," WJS.
5May38 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
14 Letter to JE
(Reader, please note WJS makes no mention of significance of 25Jul38 here. See The Modern Gray Champion date and its significance. PDR-30Oct1999.)
17Aug38 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
15 Postcard to JE
-Part 3 of, "The Tribes and the States is ready."
22Dec38 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
16 Letter to JE 27Dec38 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
17 Organization letter for AIS, American Independence Society
-Mr. Hobart S. Bird, 40 Monroe St, NYC (299 Broadway NYC)
-Mary C. Guilhempe, 935 E. 9th, Brooklyn (277 Broadway NYC)
22Jan39 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
18 Organization letter for AIS
-Mentions The Gray Champion from Hawthorne's Twice Told Tales.
12Feb39 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA

 19

Organization letter for AIS 28May39 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA

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Folder 2 of Box 3:

1 Organization letter for AIS 15May41 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
2 Organization letter for AIS
-WJS attempts to fill out his 1-A card and avoid draft.
-Mentions Jack Schneider invite to party.
28Jun41 196 W. Canton Street
Boston, MA
3 Organization letter for AIS
-Recommends Leo Robbins.
-Martha Foley, c/o Story, 432 4th Ave., NYC.
9Mar42 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
(may be, 'Shailer')

4

Minority Report on Reunion
-WJS expresses his "problems" with a reunion meeting.
28Mar42 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
5 Organization letter for AIS
-Letter about his 'snubbing' by COs who had been to Leavenworth and laughed at WJS because he had not done "his time" yet.
-This letter shows a decidedly defensive and inflexible Sidis. He appears to want liberty for himself, but one can see that his own liberty requires a clear-cut separation from those with whom he disagrees. We see a clear and objective dichotomy that is very classical and SOM-like. We thought Sidis was a sophist, but this shows a side of him as a SOMite (researcher opinion only — it is worthwhile to note that sophists are capable of abiding many contexts — Sidis may have been in one of his SOM contexts when he wrote this letter — we choose that as our own assessment of this letter — WJS previously demonstrated often his ability to reside in multiple, apparently conflicting contexts simultaneously, e.g., playing games with his supervisors — soon, we expect to have a copy of WJS', The Animate and the Inanimate, — we expect to find abundant examples of his ability to straddle multi-contexts simultaneously there — we also expect to demonstrate a heuristic that extreme quantum sophism is often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia, autism, etc. See Mollie Fancher.). Note that JE's letter back to him (see JE to WJS, 4APR42) expressed a similar opinion to our own above (which we wrote prior to seeing JE's comments.)
2Apr42 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
6 Letter to JE? 14Aug42 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
7 Letter to, "My Dear Mr. Eichel." 27Aug42 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
8 Organization letter for AIS
-WJS says, "WRL, War Resistors League, double-crossed us."
-WJS says, "No conscription!"
22Sep42 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
9 Letter to JE & AIS 30Sep42 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
10 Letter to JE 14Nov42 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
11 Postcard to JE
-WJS says, "Any government that embarks on war is a failure..."
18Dec42 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
12 Letter to JE & AIS
-WJS resigns AIS.
-Reader should note that Sidis will transition from his Earth form on 17Jul44. His writing here is tense and defensive. He is under considerable strain. We do not know, but we guess he was financially less than broke, very overweight at this time, and probably suffering high blood pressure and perhaps adult onset type II diabetes.
13Jan43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
13 Letter to JE 9Mar43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
14 Letter to JE 9Mar43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA

15

Letter to JE
-WJS says, "My own economic situation is in probably the worst spot it has ever been. It is beginning to look as though I will not be able to keep myself alive for much longer..."
 28Mar43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
16 Postcard to JE 13Apr43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
17 Postcard to JE 30Apr43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
18 Letter to JE
-WJS says he has been recalled to a job for 30 days.
-WJS announces his new addended postal code: 46
20May43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
19 Postcard to JE
-WJS submits four addresses for JE's newsletter — all females.
28May43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
20 Letter to JE 4Jun43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
21 Letter to JE
-WJS submits a letter/article to JE's news letter, The Absolutist.
17Jun43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
22 Letter to JE
-WJS submits changes to his 'amendment.'
-WJS mentions I. Rab as possible newsletter subscriber.
25Jun43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
23 Postcard to JE
-Note to reader: WJS has less than one year to 'live.'
25Jun43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
24 Telegram to JE
-Note that WJS is 'tight' for money, but sends JE a telegram for what appears to us as non-urgent communications. We see stress and instability here.
-WJS suggests "Libertarian," or "Absolutist," instead of "Liberty."
12Aug43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
25 Letter to JE
-WJS tells JE his pen name is Parker Greene.
-WJS, per JE's earlier comments agrees, "Jerry Tuck is a federal undercover agent!"
2Sep43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
26 Letter to JE 13Sep43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
27 Letter to JE 4Oct43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
28 Letter to JE
-WJS mentions his, The Peace Paths, a "book" by Sidis. It is about old courier system and the many ramifications of its consequences in modern life.
-WJS calls Jerry Tuck, "...Friar Tuck..."
12Oct43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
29 Letter to JE 14Oct43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
30 James V. Bennett, Dir
Federal Bureau of Prisons
-WJS proposes his plan for AWOAs, American War Objectors Association members, to work, "...according to their beliefs." William James Sidis does a superb job in this letter. Simply excellent work.
25Oct43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
31 Letter to JE
-WJS tells JE about his letter to Bennett.
25Oct43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
32 Postcard to JE
-WJS asks to plan a luncheon.
9Nov43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
33 Letter to JE
-WJS submits his "antislavery" column to JE's newsletter.
15Nov43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
34 Letter to JE 20Nov43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
35 Letter to JE
-WJS: "...no one on Earth above criticism..."
28Nov43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
36 Note to JE 23Nov43
(~Seq.!)
15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
37 Letter to JE
-WJS bemoans JE's censorship of his submissions. WJS appears to be going more unstable here. Writing is shaky and a tad nonlinear.
29Nov43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
38 Letter to JE
-WJS' first full stencil of his "column" for JE's newsletter.
-WJS mentions Anne Hutchinson, puritan martyr. She rated three pages in Sidis', The Peace Paths.
9Dec43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
39 Letter to JE
-WJS issues another stencil submission. Request for 20 copies of The Absolutist to distribute.
-JE rejects Sidis' stencils based on his extreme position against violence. Eichel's membership could not agree w/Sidis when he interviewed them on that topic.
12Dec43 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
40 Letter to JE
-WJS ends his newsletter relationship with JE.
25Mar44 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA
41 Letter to JE
-Note to reader: WJS will die in just three months and seven days.
-WJS tells JE he got his New Yorker settlement. ~Victory! Calls JE "bitter" against WJS. Accuses JE of stealing his VUSP plan. Describes 'dodos' as birds which walk up and openly challenge their "killers." Tells JE his heroes (JE's) are "dodos." WJS admires "dodgers" not "dodos." Doesn't care if JE takes his comments as antagonism.
-Reader, we could see this coming, but doubt you can imagine our shock to actually read these words. Sidis is clearly not well and appears almost childlike in his verbal retributions. We think he was in his own contrived multiverse of many mansions — apparently none or few of which commingled his acquaintances'.
10Apr44 15 Sheiler Street
Brookline, MA

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©Quantonics, Inc., 1999-2006 Rev. 3Dec2002  PDR — Created 30Oct99  PDR
(27Dec99 rev. - typos)
(3Dec2002 rev - a typo.)