D O C . 3 7 9 T R A V E L D I A R Y 5 8 5 Einstein arrived at the Mediodía station in Madrid at 11:30 P.M. on 1 March. A large crowd turned out to greet him. He was met by two official delegations, one from the Universitad Central de Ma- drid’s science faculty, and the other from the College of Physicians. The university’s delegation was headed by Blas Cabrera (1878–1945), Professor of Electricity and Magnetism and director of the Lab- oratory of Physical Research at the Palace of Industry and the Arts. Other members of the delegation were the astronomer Pedro Carrasco, and the mathematicians Francisco Vera and Josep Maria Plans. The physicians’ delegation was led by the anatomist Julián Calleja. He was also met by the German ambassador, members of the German community, and members of the press. After brief introductions, Einstein left for the Palace Hotel with Julius (Julio) Kocherthaler (?–1927) and his wife, Lina Kocher- thaler-Edenfeld. Julius was a co-founder of the General Spanish Mining Company and a distant rela- tive of both Einstein and Fritz Haber. On the morning of 2 March, the Kocherthalers took the Einsteins for a sight-seeing drive through Madrid. Einstein spent the day with Cabrera at his Laboratory of Physical Research. In the evening, the Einsteins attended a musical review entitled Tierra de nadie at the Teatro Apolo (see El Debate, 2 and 3 March 1923 and La Voz, La Vanguardia, 3 March 1923 Ernst Langwerth von Simmern to Auswärtiges Amt, 19 March 1923 [GyBPAAA/R 64 677], and Glick 1988, pp. 123–124). [260]On 3 March, Einstein toured the Prado for the first of three visits. Afterwards, he was wel- comed by the mayor of Madrid, Joaquín Ruiz-Giménez, at City Hall. Einstein delivered all three lectures at the Universidad Central in the physics auditorium. All the lectures “were extraordinarily well-attended” (“hatten ausserordentlichen Zulauf”). He delivered his first lecture at 6 P.M. The topic of the lecture was special relativity (see Appendix H). It was attended by mathematicians, phys- icists, philosophers, and politicians, including Antonio Maura, the former prime minister Amalio Gimeno, the former foreign minister and Joaquín Salvatella, the minister of public instruction. Pedro Carrasco introduced Einstein to the audience. The lecture was followed by a banquet at the Palace Hotel hosted by the College of Physicians. The dinner was organized by the president of the college, Ignacio Bauer, and its founder, Toribio Zúñiga. It was attended by José Rodriguez Carracido, President of the Academy of Sciences, and prominent Madrid physicians including Angel Pulido, who campaigned on behalf of Sephardic Jewry (see El Debate and El Liberal, 4 March 1923 Ernst Langwerth von Simmern to Auswärtiges Amt, 19 March 1923 [GyBPAAA/R 64677] and Glick 1988, pp. 124–126). Bauer was also president of the Spanish Federation of the Keren Hayesod, which planned to hold a reception in Einstein’s honor (see Secretary of the Zionist Organisation’s Executive Committee to M. L. Ortega, 16 March 1923 [IsJC- ZA/KH1/193]). [261]King Alfonso XIII (1886–1941). José Rodriguez Carracido (1856–1928), president of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences and rector of the Universidad Central. Car- racido spoke briefly about the three-tiered structure of science. He claimed that the theory of relativity was an example of the highest tier, that of pure theory (for the transcript of his address, see Discursos 1923, pp. 23–25). Notable attendees were Joaquín Salvatella, Ignacio Bauer, the mathematicians Cecilio Jiménez Rueda and Eduard Torroja, the engineers Leonardo Torres y Quevedo and Nicolás de Ugarte, the geologist Eduardo Hernández Pacheco, and the zoologist Ignacio Bolivar (see ABC, El Imparcial and El Sol, 6 March 1923, and Glick 1988, pp. 126–127). Cabrera presented an assessment of Einstein’s scientific achievements (for a transcript of his lecture, see Discursos 1923, pp. 7–15). For Einstein’s reply, see Einstein 1923d (Doc. 438). Following Einstein’s address, King Alfonso pre- sented a diploma to Einstein that confirmed his status as a corresponding member of the academy. For the diploma, see Abs. 531. In his address, Salvatella offered Einstein “Spain’s hospitality and the financial support of the government in case the current conditions in his homeland should make the continuation of his research temporarily impossible!” (“den gastlichen Boden Spaniens und die finan- zielle Unterstuetzung der Regierung anbot fuer den Fall, dass ihm die Zustaende in seiner Heimat augenblicklich die Weiterfuehrung seiner Forschungen voruebergehend unmoeglich machen soll- ten!” see Ernst Langwerth von Simmern to Auswärtiges Amt, 19 March 1923 [GyBPAAA/R 64 677], and Glick 1988, pp. 126–129). [262]A “tea of honor” was hosted by the Marquesa de Villavieja, Doña Petronilla de Salamanca y Hurtado de Zaldívar (1869–1951). Many members of the Madrid intelligentsia and aristocracy were
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