3 1 2 D O C U M E N T 1 9 3 J A N U A R Y 1 9 2 4 Nous espérons donc de pouvoir vous offrir dans notre ville les commodités de séjour, vous permettant de travailler et prendre votre repos d’une façon satisfai- sante, à moins que le gouvernement argentin vous offre comme c’est possible l’hospitalité officielle. 7o).– Dans le cas où la colonisation agricole israélite argentine, œuvre du Baron de Hirsch, laquelle a acquis un grand développement et une notoriété générale, vous intéresse, le Directeur Général des Colonies argentines de la “Jewish Coloni- zation Association” qui est aussi le Président de la “Asociación Hebraïca” se fera un plaisir de vous inviter et de vous faire visiter ces colonies.[8] Nous espérons que nos explications vous auront donné toute satisfaction et que nous aurons l’honneur de vous présenter personnellement à Buenos-Aires les res- pectueuses salutations de la “Asociación Hebraïca” et de vous acclamer avec toute l’Argentine intellectuelle, qui a étudié et admiré vos travaux scientifiques. Veuillez agréer, Monsieur le Professeur, l’expression de nos sentiments les plus distingués. Le Secrétaire Le Président M Nirenstein[9] [Isaac] Starkmeth TLS. [43 089]. Written on letterhead “Asociacion Hebraica, Suipacha 1008, Buenos Aires.” A card is attached: “P. Starkmeth, Ayacucho 800, Buenos Aires T. Juncal 1740.” [1]Max Straus. Elsa Einstein. For the previous correspondence with Straus, see Doc. 138. [2]This sentence is underlined in red pencil. [3]Elsa Einstein had apparently informed Straus that Einstein would only accept the invitation if it were extended by an academic institution, rather than a private one (see Ortiz 1995, pp. 82–83 and 92, and Tolmasquim and Moreira 2002, p. 231). [4]Three clippings were enclosed with this document. The other universities were the National Uni- versities of Cordoba, La Plata, the Littoral, and Tucumán (see [43 090], [43 091], and [43 092]). The university council of the University of Buenos Aires had approved the decision to issue a joint invi- tation from all Argentinian universities at a meeting on 21 December 1923 (see Ortiz 1995, pp. 83 and 92). [5]The clippings cited a donation from the Asociación Hebraica in the amount of 4,660 Argentinian pesos, equivalent to $1,500 at the time. In comparison, Julio Rey Pastor, a prominent faculty member at the University of Buenos Aires, was earning 1,500 pesos a month. Einstein’s honorarium and travel fares almost equaled the annual salary of a distinguished visiting professor. Funding in the amount of 1,500 pesos was also received from the Argentinian-German Cultural Institution (see Ortiz 1995, pp. 83–84). [6]The rector of the National University of Buenos Aires, José Arce, had sent his university’s invi- tation for a series of lectures in late December 1923, and again (with Mauricio Nirenstein) in early January 1924 (see Abs. 238 and 250). The interim Argentinian chargé d’affaires Pedro Guesalaga for- warded Abs. 238 to Einstein (see Abs. 303). [7]This was equivalent to approximately $320 at the time. The university’s College of Engineering had asked Uruguay’s National Administrative Council for 1,000 pesos to cover the costs of Einstein’s visit to Montevideo. However, the council agreed to contribute only 500 pesos. This amount was com- parable to the average sum a public speaker would earn (La Mañana, 30 April 1925, and El Sol, 9 May 1925). [8]Baron Maurice (Moritz) de Hirsch (1831–1896) was a German-Jewish philanthropist and the founder of ICA, the Jewish Colonization Association. ICA had purchased land in the provinces of