D O C U M E N T S 2 3 , 2 4 J A N U A R Y 1 9 2 1 1 9
lending my most enthusiastic support to this proposal. I believe I may do so even
though I have no right to submit nominations, since I am neither a professor of
history nor of
philosophy.[3]
Masaryk has earned the greatest merit as a defender of minority nationalities,
especially of the Czechs and
Jews.[4]
He never sacrificed his noble convictions to
any policy that merely promised practical success, not even when the path he was
pursuing appeared to hold no promise. In my conviction, an award of the Nobel
Prize to him would be a fine victory for the idea of conciliation among peoples and
would fully agree with the intention of the founder of the Peace
Prize.[5]
In utmost respect.
23. To Paul Zacharias
[Berlin,] 19 January 1921
Dear Doctor,
I am a mem[ber] of the pacifist society N[ew] F[atherland]
L[eague],[1]
whose
secretary is the writer Mr.
L[ehmann]-R[ussbüldt].[2]
[Since] I only rarely am in a
position to attend the meetings of the society and, in addition, the leadership pos-
sesses a certain liberty in its activities, I had no knowledge of the interview with the
Matin correspondent in question, first learning about it from your
letter.[3]
Now, as
regards the matter at issue, I do consider it very questionable that large quantities
of war materiel would be in the hands of unauthorized private persons, which fact,
incidentally, the Entente would not have to rely on Mr. L.-R. to be informed
about.[4]
With reference to your letter I made inquiries of Mr. L.-R., who only com-
mented that the matter had been completely misrepresented and that the League is
going to file suit against that newspaper.
In gr. respect and with best compliments to your wife also from my family,
sig. A. E.
24. To Paul Ehrenfest
[Berlin,] 20 January
1921[1]
Dear Ehrenfest,
Now I’m back again from my “visitor’s
trip”[2]
and am in my nest with a grand
bout of enteritis; thus I have more time for chatting. In Vienna I gained a much bet-
ter impression of Ehrenhaft than I’d had of him
before.[3]
I stayed at his home and
got to know him very well. His biggest sin is—his lack of taste. But he is good
toward people who are dependent on him and honest in his battles, which cannot