D O C U M E N T 3 4 M A Y 1 9 2 0 2 7 9
Denken nehmen. Göttingen aber wäre gut für ihn in jeder Beziehung, natürlich
auch Zürich wenn er dort
bliebe.[3]
Ich soll hier eine Fremdenprofessur bekommen, je 3–4 Wochen jährlich hier
sein. So habe ich darauf gerechnet, meiner Frau von hier aus 2000 fr zu senden,
kann es nun aber erst von Berlin aus weil meine Ernennung zu spät
komm[t].[4]
Ich
habe Albert telegraphiert, er soll Sie einfach anpumpen. In längstens 14 Tagen be-
kommen Sie das Geld wieder. Besten Dank im Voraus für die
Hilfe.[5]
Vieles von Ihren Briefen kann ich nicht lesen, vielleicht oft gerade Wichtiges.
Schreibmaschine wäre sehr vorzuziehen.
Ich habe hier schöne Wochen bei Ehrenfest verlebt, auch einiges
vorgetragen,[6]
sehr viel wissenschaftlich gesprochen mit ihm, Lorentz und den andern hiesigen
Physikern.
Ich sehne mich sehr darnach, meine Buben
wiederzusehen,[7]
weiss aber noch
nicht, wann ich endlich wieder nach Zürich kann.
Herzliche Grüsse von Ihrem
Einstein.
AKSX. [80 813]. The postcard is addressed “Herrn Prof. Dr. H. Zangger Bergstr. Zürich,” with return
address “Abs. A. Einstein vom 1. VI an wieder in Berlin.,” and postmarked “Leiden 27.V.1920. [–1]
N[amiddag].”
[1]Federigo Enriques (1871–1946) was Professor of Projective and Descriptive Geometry at the
University of Bologna. His letter, dated 20 April 1920, was sent to Zangger with the request to for-
ward it to Einstein (see Vol. 9, Doc. 384). Apparently it was further forwarded to him from Berlin to
Leyden.
[2]Conrad Habicht (1876–1958), a close friend of Einstein during his university days in Switzer-
land, was a physics teacher at the Schaffhausen Kantonsschule (see Vol. 1, Biography of Habicht,
p. 382).
[3]The University of Göttingen invited Hermann Weyl to be the successor of Felix Klein; Weyl was
also considering an invitation by the University of Berlin. He visited Berlin in the last week of May
(see Doc. 38), apparently to discuss the invitation with the authorities. Elsa Einstein, after a personal
encounter with Helene Weyl in Berlin, mentioned a few days earlier that “the Weyls are hesitating
whether to choose Göttingen or Berlin” (“Weyls schwanken, ob Göttingen, oder Berlin”; see Elsa
Einstein to Hedwig Born, 25 May 1920 [8 279.8]).
[4]Due to the declining value of the German mark in relation to the Swiss franc, Einstein had been
experiencing difficulties since mid-1917 supporting his wife Mileva Einstein-Maric; and their two
sons, who lived in Switzerland, with funds earned in Germany (see Vol. 8, Doc. 349a, in the present
volume). As one possible solution, in October 1919 Einstein proposed that his Swiss family move to
Germany (see Einstein to Mileva Einstein-Maric; , 15 October 1919 [Vol. 9, Doc. 135]).
See the Introduction, sec. III, for more on the delay of Einstein’s appointment as Special Professor
at the University of Leyden.
[5]Einstein was obliged, under the terms of his divorce agreement, to pay Mileva Einstein-Maric;
8,000 Swiss francs annually (see “Divorce Agreement” [Vol. 8, Doc. 562]). Einstein’s older son, Hans
Albert, had boarded with the Zanggers during the winter months of early 1920 (see Einstein to Hans
Albert and Eduard Einstein [Vol. 9, Doc. 360], note 3); he had also stayed with them during parts of
1917 and 1918 (see Einstein to Heinrich Zangger, 15 or 22 December 1918 [Vol. 9, Doc. 217],
note 12).
[6]Einstein lectured in Paul Ehrenfest’s university course in the morning of 19 May 1920 (see
Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, 20 May 1920, Evening Edition), and in the evening of the same day
delivered a talk for a wider audience (see Doc. 22, note 1).
[7]Hans Albert and Eduard Einstein.