The good Mr Raoult[1] writes as well as carves wood. I wish we had a lawyer who possessed the qualities of this artisan, for both the form and content of his discourse: politeness, rationality, the capacity to recognize what is essential in the matter at hand, and even to admit frankly and without resentment what he encounters in it that is singular. But where are the snows of yesteryear?
Your last telephone call (which sounded like it was being tape recorded) reassured me a little. It will nevertheless be necessary to see how Hebey himself[2] analyzes the situation and what he can do and soon.
What you have seen in Donald [Nicholson-Smith] appears to me to confirm the entire picture: bitter discontent at lacking so much in his life, due to my fault in a certain way. This conclusion is reinforced by his lack of eagerness to telephone me. And when he does so, I will respond that I am absent, and that the moment is not quite suitable, but there is nothing pressing. I leave it to you to manage things the best you can on the purely professional level and still remain prudent. Because he who has not known how to affirm himself by himself, over the course of twelve years, must thus necessarily associate with the most jealous our enemies.[3]
I remind you that it is now necessary to have Champ Libre pay the salary of Elisabeth[4] so as to avoid the suspicion of illegality on this point (it remains permitted to wonder how far Desurmont has pushed casualness and the attitude that he has taken towards you in his remarks will certainly not increase his good will in the future). Moreover, this unfortunate inheritor begins to exhaust his resources, given the time that Gruet took to make restitution, which risks costing me more and more dearly. Of all the phenomena of this upside-down world, which we have had the occasion to be completely disgusted by, I find that this is the most tiresome.
I hope that Renaud[5] will satisfy you more than Donald.
Best wishes,[1] Parisian artisan tasked with producing the Game of War cabinet game.
[2] Translator's note: Pierre Hebey, attorney employed by Artmedia.
[3] Translator's note: The ex-situationist Donald Nicholson-Smith is best known for his translations of the works by Raoul Vaneigem.
[4] Elisabeth Gruet, who needed to salaried employment to obtain guardianship of her daughter.
[5] The singer Renaud Sechan, linked to Artmedia.
(Published in Guy Debord Correspondance, Vol 6: Janvier 1979-Decembre 1987 by Librairie Artheme Fayard, 2006. Translated from the French by NOT BORED! April 2007. Footnotes by Alice Debord, except where noted.)