D O C U M E N T 1 0 5 A U G U S T 1 9 2 3 1 0 3
ademically employed Jews scattered throughout the world. That a place for free re-
search should already be provided at such an early stage in the development of con-
struction projects in Palestine is consistent with our people’s particular love of the
intellectual. May the Jewish university be as close to the hearts of all Jews as befits
its importance!”
Respectfully.
105. From Max Born
Göttingen, 9 Bunsen St., 25 August 1923
Dear Einstein,
Your nice letter was a great joy for
us.[1]
We thank you heartily for it. Today I
would like to ask you something (to which I request a rapid reply): One is being
constantly bombarded with messages—from the Helmholtz Society, the German
Physic. Soc., etc.—that one should go to Bonn to the physicists’
convention.[2]
If it
had been taking place somewhere else, I wouldn’t have thought of going to it. But
at Bonn some importance seems to be placed on a large attendance, because of the
French occupation; and
Franck[3]
is of the opinion that for propriety’s sake one
ought to go. I find that, reasonably speaking, the congress should not have been sit-
uated in the occupied territory, as it is misguided to bring scientific meetings into
any connection with political events. But now this stupidity is done and the ques-
tion is only whether it is necessary to participate. Considerable problems could
arise, of course, through roadblocks, etc. I myself have absolutely no yearning for
high physicist concentrations but would rather prefer to live and work quietly on
my own, since I just recently returned from the North Sea. From you I would like
to know what you Berlin physicists (particularly Planck, Laue, Hahn,
Meitner,[4]
etc.) are doing and whether the trip is deemed desirable by all of you. Please answer
me right away, because one does need to apply soon for the permit.
My wife was on
Langeoog[5]
for 5 weeks with the children; and I was there for
the last 3 weeks as well. All of us relaxed very well; the
children[6]
particularly be-
came stronger and look good. We swam often but otherwise did nothing but lie on
the beach and laze about. Despite such toughening, I immediately caught a vile
cold here. I had envisioned my Göttingen vacation days as quiet and leisurely; but
during the 3 days since we’ve been back, there have been 2 more outside visitors
here, an Englishman from Oxford and Mr. Grimm from
Munich.[7]
As of tomor-
row, though, I shall play dead and won’t be available. I actually don’t have anything
special planned. I am thinking, hopelessly as ever, about quantum theory and am