2 0 8 D O C U M E N T 7 5 J U L Y 1 9 2 0
sick. I hope I do not turn to you in vain, in the name of the German Central Com-
mittee, with the petition to contribute toward executing the assistance so kindly of-
fered and so willingly provided.
This request is being made completely unofficially, at the wish of the donors;
thus I ask you please to direct your reply to this letter to me personally, possibly as
a letter excerpt or in any similar form you wish, with an original signature.
I shall be happy to provide any additional information.
For the German Central Committee for Foreign Relief,
Elsa Herrmann, Jur[is]
Dr.[2]
75. From Max Born
Frankfurt-am-M[ain], 16 July 1920
Dear Einstein,
It’s highly probable that we’ll be going to Göttingen, specifically if Franck
receives the call and accepts; the faculty has nominated
him.[1]
Now the question
of my successor becomes acute. Schoenflies wanted to write you and ask for your
reference.[2]
I want to have Stern, of
course.[3]
But Wachsmuth is not willing; he
said to me: “I esteem Stern very much, but he has such a demoralizing, Jewish
intellect!”
[4]
At least it’s open anti-Semitism. But Schoenflies and Lorenz want to
help
me.[5]
Wachsmuth proposes Kossel, a very cleverly designed proposal, since
obviously nothing can be said against him— at most, that he has no mathematical
proficiency; but that’s not a
fault.[6]
Stern built up our little institute and thoroughly
deserves the recognition. I don’t have to point out his merits to you, obviously. Then
Lenz and Reiche still come into
consideration,[7]
perhaps other outsiders too. An
embarrassment of riches!– I asked Laue for an expert
opinion;[8]
perhaps it would
be good if you discussed it with him so that your judgments do not conflict with
each other.– I am very lazy now and hardly work at all; the only experiments I
pursue with enthusiasm are those on the free length of path of atomic beams of sil-
ver. My assistant is doing the thing very
well.[9]
Our apparatus system is completely
finished, but measurements are unlikely to start before the holidays, unfortunately.
We are setting out for Sulden in South Tyrol (Italy) on Aug. 6th; I am tremendously
looking forward to getting away from it all again and seeing something pretty. My
wife has recovered again a bit from the trying time after her mother’s
death.[10]
We
go on many excursions; that does her some good. Tomorrow we are traveling to the
Rhine, with which she is as yet unacquainted. The children are
well.[11]