That little piece of crap Copans[2] lies quite stupidly. Is he frowning? On the second day of shooting, after tow hours of obvious sabotage, I sent the entire team back to France, without a word of explanation. And I remained to carouse in Venice, having, by chance, quite enough footage already. This sly little "movement" [of sabotage] was created by a Stalino-unionist named Largeman.[3] And that cunt [Copans] followed it due to cowardice, rather than personal conviction.
I have told Lebo[4] that his idea[5] seems excellent to me, and that you are just the man for the situation. This is even the only way that I believe it is possible to quickly get you out of the current dangerous standstill, starting from the moment you can no longer depart for Mexico.
We are agreed on meeting here around the end of April or the beginning of May. Tell me the date of your arrival as soon as possible, by letter or telegram. I am now at this address: 33, rue de l'Hotel-de-Ville, 13200 Arles.
My telephone (same number) will only be reconnected here at the beginning of May.
See you soon.[1] On the back of a post card of Arles in 1900, on which Guy Debord indicated the windows of the apartment he occupied next to the Saint-Trophime Church.
[2] Richard Copans, assistant camera operator in 1976 for the film In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni.
[3] Bernard Largeman (surnamed Largepogne), a stagehand.
[4] Translator's note: short for Gerard Lebovici.
[5] To engage Jacques Le Glou for the realization of a collection of recordings. [Translator's note: back in 1974, Debord and Le Glou collaborated on the disk Pour finir avec le travail. See letter dated 6 May 1974.]
(Published in Guy Debord Correspondance, Vol 5: Janvier 1979-Decembre 1987 by Librairie Artheme Fayard, 2006. Translated from the French by NOT BORED! May 2007. Footnotes by Alice Debord, except where noted.)