DOCS.
522,
523
APRIL
1918
541
522. To
David Hilbert
[Berlin,
before
27 April
1918][1]
Esteemed
Colleague,
I
wrote
you
a
letter[2]
a
while
ago
in order
to
excuse
myself
for not
being
able to
get
in touch with
you during your
last
visit here.
A
chain
of
unfortunate
circumstances
deprived
me
of the
pleasure of
seeing
you.
At
that
time
I
also
asked
you
for information
about
whether
a
letter
directed
to
you by
Ehrenfest
had
arrived;
Ehrenfest
apparently
has
doubts
and therefore
requests
of
me
to ask
you.[3]
Did
you
receive
my
letter?
Please do clear
up
both
of these issues for
me.
The attached little
communication
concerns
an
endeavor
that
was
inspired
by[4]
some
like-minded
persons.[5]
The Rascher
publishers
in Zurich have taken
on
the
printing.[6]
I
would be
very pleased
if
an imposing
little
volume of
wel-
come
statements of
opinion
were
compiled.
For the moment
this letter
is
going
out,
in
addition
to
you,
also to
your colleague
Prof. Lehmann
(Göttingen),
Prof.
Troeltsch
(theologist, Berlin),
Prof.
Schucking
(Marburg),
Brentano
(Munich),
and
Weber
(Heidelberg).[7]
No
one
whose
name
has been
tainted
by
chauvinistic
declarations of
any
sort is
being
invited.
Please tell
me
very candidly your opinion
of
this
effort.
With
cordial
regards, yours very truly,
A.
Einstein.
Could
you
perhaps
name a
few
suitable
persons
to whom
I
could also turn
con-
cerning
this matter?
Among
mathematicians
and
physicists
in
Germany you
are
unfortunately
the
only
one
to whom
I
can
write
about this
affair.
[4]Deleted
text:
“initiated
by
the Kassirer
publishers.
This
man
is
in Switzerland
and has
placed
his renowned
publishing
house
completely
in
the
service
of international
causes.
Upon
his
inspiration
I wrote
this letter.
For
a
start,
it
will [...]”
Marginal
note: “The crossed-out text
was
based
on a
mistake.”
523. To Felix Klein
[Berlin,]
5
Haberland
St.,
27 April 1918
Esteemed
Colleague,
I
already passed
on
your
lectures to Mr. Sommerfeld
the
day
before
yesterday.
Now I
do not know whether it
is
your
intention
that
I ask
him to hand it
over
to
Mr.
Freundlich
first.[1] I
think
that
Mr.
Sommerfeld
will
soon
have
picked
out
the
choicest
plums. Then,
if
you
wish,
he could
possibly
send it
on
to Mr. Freundlich.
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