D O C U M E N T S 2 9 , 3 0 M A Y 1 9 2 0 1 7 1
ingenuousness in laying the blame of the war on us
alone.[3]
The truth can only be
made known to the people with a fight; and both
Viereck[4]
and I are striving toward
this; and only knowledge can lead to pacifism. Our ideal, a World
Parliament,[5]
can be attained only through hard struggle; passive idealism is no help there; the
only way to peace leads through battle and war. And once the goal is reached, once
the League of Nations and a World Parliament are created, there too negotiations
will be carried out on a nationalistic basis, the interests of the nations weighed
against one another, because there simply is no other basis. Yet my pacifism does
not extend to eternal peace and fraternization between wolf and lamb; my goal for
the time being is the elimination of anarchy among states and nations.
In utmost respect,
C. H. Unthan
29. To the Royal Academy of Sciences in Amsterdam
[Leyden,] 24 May 1920
Highly esteemed
Secretary,[1]
In your letter of May 21 you informed
me[2]
that your Academy has resolved to
accept me as a
member.[3]
I gratefully accept this nomination and consider myself
lucky to number among this circle of researchers, among which some members in
my discipline share common ties born of years of intense collaboration, long-stand-
ing friendship, and feelings of high esteem.
In great respect, yours very sincerely,
A. Einstein
30. From Elsa Einstein
[Berlin, 24 May 1920]
Dear Treasure,
Your agenda is revealed to me always first by the newspapers, before your mes-
sages arrive. It always reads: “As a private telegram from The Hague informs us,”
pompous![1]
How glad I am that you aren’t traveling to Halle! All that fuming, for
what purpose? You won’t be able to convince that sort
anyway.[2]
But Schlick and
Freundlich are
going.[3]
An official letter arrived from the Norwegian
students.[4]
The Foreign Office would purportedly send everything connected with your trip to
you; you don’t have to worry about anything. The entire trip 1st class from Berlin.
Where is the appointment as Dutch professor
now?[5]
You are [in the middle of] a