Jim writes to his brother about working with a difficult writer, Marcel Rivet, who has taken Jim's typewriter. He has enclosed a story by Rivet that Jim helped edit in English. He is hoping that if Ring can sell the story, it might encouraged Rivet to return his typewriter. Jim tells his brother that is it difficult to try to speculate about the war, and doesn't bother because by the time Ring gets the letter, the news will have proven Jim wrong. He discusses the current problems in Vienna, having written a good deal about it from France. He gives his opinions on Hitler's presence in Czechoslovakia and whether he will succeed in an actual invasion. He thinks that France will be glad to stay out of any confrontations in Czechoslovakia with regards to Germany. Jim has tentative plans to write a book about the Lincoln and Washington Battalions, and some pieces for the Herald Tribune and a few magazines. He is studying German for a prospective job that he is sure to get within the next few months. He is also studying Spanish history for articles he will be writing about the war in Spain. He intends to visit Barcelona, Valencia, and Madrid. He will also be best man at a friend's wedding. He writes that already the whispers have started(in French), "always a best man, never the groom."