5 0 D O C U M E N T S 5 6 , 5 7 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 2 1
56. To Arthur T. Hadley[1]
Berlin, 22 February 1921
Highly esteemed President,
The kind invitation you conveyed to me in your letter of the 8th of this
mo[nth][2]
puts me in some difficulty. For I am traveling to New York on the 10th of March on
the occasion of the founding of the university in Jerusalem and hope to be able to
spare some time for lectures there. But now I have already been invited by Prince-
ton University, the University of Wisconsin, and the Academy in Washington, with-
out having concluded the negotiations with any of these
places.[3]
Nonetheless, I
do believe that I am going to deliver a few lectures at Princeton University, whose
invitation was the first I received. Because I was informed very suddenly and unex-
pectedly of the necessity to travel to America so soon
already,[4]
I have not prepared
any lectures. A very particularly large problem always lies in that I have no com-
mand of the English language and an insufficient proficiency in French to be able
to speak extemporaneously. It is not possible for me to assess from here what I will
be able to undertake in the short time at my disposal there. Please inform me
whether under the prevailing complicating circumstances you would still like to
extend your invitation at all. Your message reaches me at the address of Paul War-
burg in the firm Kuhn, Loeb & Co., New
York.[5]
I would also like to add that I
gratefully appreciate the American invitations that have reached me not just as a
sign of personal goodwill but particularly as a sign of the resumption of growing
international relations among scholars.
In utmost respect, yours sincerely.
57. To Hendrik A. Lorentz
[Berlin,] 22 February 1921
Highly esteemed Colleague,
It was an unutterably great joy for me to have been invited to the conference in
Brussels at your
suggestion.[1]
And now I must unfortunately inform you that I am
not in a position to appear. But I am convinced that you will approve of my deed.
The Zionists are planning to establish a university in Jerusalem. For this purpose
the crucial constituent meetings are supposed to be held in America in
March.[2]
The people have now entreated me to come to these meetings because they believe
that through my personal participation the rich Jews of America will be made more
eager to
donate.[3]
Fantastic as this must sound, I do believe that these people are