DOCUMENT 382 APRIL 1912 447 [4]For an earlier, more enthusiastic assessment of a paper by Reinganum, see Einstein's al- lusion to Reinganum 1900 in Einstein to Mileva Maric, 28 May 1901 (Vol. 1, Doc. 111). See Doc. 265 for another less positive comment. [5]Richard Gans was Professor of Physics at the National University of La Plata, Argentina, and Director of its Physical Institute. Einstein gave a similarly negative assessment of him eight months earlier (see Doc. 275). [6]pierre Weiss. [7]Max Laue. [8]Laue 1911. [9]Arnold Sommerfeld, Max Laue's supervisor at the University of Munich, praised Laue's teaching abilities as a Privatdozent who initially gave too demanding lectures but had correct- ed this in the last three semesters (see Arnold Sommerfeld to Alfred Kleiner, 3 April 1912, SzZE Bibliothek, Hs. 412:1). [10]Paul Ehrenfest. [11]Max Abraham the position at the German University, which Einstein was vacating (see Doc. 351). [12]The last week of February (see Docs. 357, note 3, and 367, note 1). [13]Held on 27 February in the Physics Institute of the German University (see entry of this date, Diary "E," NeLR, Ehrenfest Archive, Notebooks, ENB:4-11). [14]Einstein similarly describes Ehrenfest's lack of mobility and its cause a month earlier (see Doc. 366). [15]Peter Debye was a member of the commission to select his own successor. Only a week earlier, in seeking to dissuade Arnold Sommerfeld from employing Ehrenfest as a Privatdo- zent in Munich, Debye described Ehrenfest as a Jew "of the 'high-priest' type who can, with his seductive Talmudic logic, exert an extremely pernicious influence" ("vom "Hohepriester" typus kann doch mit seiner bestrickenden Talmudlogik einen äusserst schädlichen Einfluss ausüben") (see Peter Debye to Arnold Sommerfeld, 29 March 1912, GyMDM, Handschriften- Sammlung, 1977-28 (A, 61/7)). [16]Einstein had requested Pierre Weiss's assistance in expediting Ehrenfest's attempt at ob- taining the Habilitation a few weeks earlier (see Doc. 369). [17]Heinrich Greinacher (1880-1974) was Privatdozent in physics at the University of Zurich. Though given special consideration by the Zurich authorities because he was a local candidate, he was ranked far below Max Laue by all reviewers (see Alfred Werner memoran- dum to Mitglieder der philosophischen Fakultät, 6 April 1912, SzZSa U 110 b .2 (50)). [18]Peter Debye had withdrawn from the University of Zurich at the end of the previous month (see Doc. 366, note 11). 382. To Alfred Kleiner Prag. 3. IV. 12. Hoch geehrter Herr Prof. Kleiner! Sofort nach Empfang Ihres Briefes und kurzer Überlegung antwortete ich Ihnen heute Morgen.[1] Nachträglich kam es mir dann in den Sinn, dass es un- verantwortlich von mir sei, dass ich für Abraham kein gutes Wort eingelegt habe, der doch alle die Genannten an Bedeutung weit überragt.[2] Auch Abra- hams in den letzten Jahren publizierte Arbeiten sind von grosser Bedeutung. Nur die neulich publizierte Theorie der Gravitation halte ich für einen schwe- ren Missgriff.[3]