Carl Belz was a fellow classmate of Kurt’s at Princeton, went on to teach art history at Mills College and later at the University of Buffalo in New York. He and Kurt collaborated on a book about rock and roll, which Carl later published under his own name. This letter from Carl to Kurt from 1966 deals with Kurt’s looming difficulties at UCLA, and Carl’s support and friendship is evident, as is his concern. Carl writes, “I'm afraid that you're going to run into very similar problems no matter where you go. It's just a thing with you and your personal style.” As time would tell, his concerns were not unfounded, as Kurt”s tenure was denied and his teaching contract with UCLA terminated. Significantly, Carl clearly understood Kurt, his strengths and weaknesses.
