Ezra Pound

<p>Carlos Baker collection of Ernest Hemingway, C0365 Box 12, folder 2,&nbsp;</p>

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"Dean Gilbert Seldes</p>

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Dear Dean Seldes,&nbsp;</p>

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My great and hearty thanks for your willingness to set down the Hemingway affair for my instruction. I'll look forward to it when you are able to get it said, and I appreciate it all the more because I suspect that you are extremely busy. If Ezra advised Ernest not to be a poet, the advice was certainly sound. I will check the Yale collections later because of the Stein Materials there.&nbsp;

With thanks,&nbsp;

Sincerely,

Carlos Baker

Carlos Baker collection of Ernest Hemingway, C0365 Box 12, folder 2,&nbsp;</p>

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Let me know how all this goes along and tell Archie that with me it's a serious thing because it is really sort of a test of whether we are all sons of bitches or not and I don't think we are to bite on the old nail in this case. They hanged Roger Casement and they hanged, I believe, Eriskine Childers. Both of them were in armed revolt against their Government and paid the legal penalty for such revolt. Pound has made, has written, and has broadcast crazy enough statements to be committed in any civilized country. When I last saw him in 1933 at Joyce's, Joyce was convinced that he was crazy then and asked me to come around when Pound was present because he was afraid he might do something mad. He certainly made no sense then and talked as utter rot, nonsense and balls as he had made good sense in 1923 So I think it would be outrageous for us who followed his decline into ridiculous nonsense and idiocy not to constate that fact and also canstate what a great and fine poet and generous friend &nbsp;he was before he went goofy. It is sort of a historical necessity and it would be as criminal to hang him as it was to hang Mrs. Suratt I suppose the last phrase will hang me but what the hell. What was it the old guy said; if this be treason make the most of it .&nbsp;

Best always. Ernest Hemingway&nbsp;

Carlos Baker collection of Ernest Hemingway, C0365 Box 12, folder 24,&nbsp;</p>

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Dear Allen: (full letter)</p>

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Thank you for your letter of august 23. I am glad that Archie wrote you about my letter. What I wrote to Archie I stand by absolutely. They must not hang the guy (Ezra Pound) nor must he be made a martyr in any way. He ought to go to the loony bin, which he rates and you can pick out the part in his cantos at which he rated it. You must read the photostats of the son of a bitch's broadcast so that you know exactly what he has said. It is a hell of a corvee to read through it all as it is absolutely loony drivel. It is necessary to read it though so you know what you actually think about what he has said.&nbsp;</p>

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On the other hand, with our knowledge of how he went nuts, how gradually and steadily he became irresponsible and idiotic and what a great, sound and fine poet he was, an what a generous and really noble person he was in aiding all those he believed in back in the old days, such as Elliot, Joyce, many many others including the worthless Dunning, think we have an absolute and complete obligation to oppose any hanging even though we all should have to get up on the scaffold with the rope on our own necks. I would not want to live a day ever if I did not take this stand and the time to take is now, and not with publicity but to present the facts to those who should have them.&nbsp;

I cannot get up there now nor for several months. If Archie wants to come down to talk it over or if &nbsp;you want to come down I can always fix it up so we can meet where ever I am, and will be, as you know, truly happy to see you.</p>

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Am about the same as always. Like you say, it is a hell of al long time between bicycle races and it is getting to be a hell of a long time between everything else including literature. I think it is wonderful you being in the chair of poetry in the northeast pavilion. There are several jokes could make about they all have either musical of flushing in them and I am sure you made them all yourself long since. By the way, how did the civil war ever come out? Am inspired to ask this by a friend of mine, Winston Guest having recently been reading Renan's Life of Jesus., due to his thinking he ought to have some spiritual influence in his life in these grave times, and I had to warn him not to skip to the end &nbsp;to see how it came out. As a matter of fact it turned out, finally that they nailed Jesus in the 34th.&nbsp;</p>

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Let me know how all this goes along and tell Archie that with me it's a serious thing because it is really sort of a test of whether we are all sons of bitches or not and I don't think we are. There are going to be 3 or 4 times when everybody is going to have to bite on the old nail in this case.&nbsp;</p>

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They hanged Roger Casement and they hanged, I believe, Erskine Childers. Both of them were in armed revolt against their government and paid the legal penalty for such revolt. Pound has made, has written and has broadcast crazy enough statements to be committed in &nbsp;in any civilized country. When I last saw him in 1933 at Joyce's, Joyce was convinced that he was crazy then and asked me to come around when Pound was present because he was afraid he might do something mad. He certainly made no sense then and talked as utter rot, nonsense and balls as he made good sense in 1923. So I think It would be outrageous for us who followed his decline into ridiculous nonsense and idiocy not constate that fact and also constate what a great and fine poet and generous friend he was before he went goofy. It is sort of a historical necessity and it would be as criminal to hang him as it was to hang Mrs. Suratt I suppose the last phrase will hang me but what the hell. What was it the old guy said; if this be treason make the most of it(Patrick Henry 1765)&nbsp;</p>

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Best Always,&nbsp;

Ernest Hemingway&nbsp;

Princeton, Carlos Baker Collection of Ernest Hemingway, Box 12, Folder 24</p>

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