D O C U M E N T S 1 9 7 , 1 9 8 J A N U A R Y 1 9 2 4 1 9 9
wretches, imprisoned behind such thick bulwarks of conventional propriety that I
don’t rightly know how I can have my little Betty again for a couple of hours. But
maybe it will turn out that over the course of this week you can go on a walk with
me. In case you don’t call me beforehand, I’ll see if I can find you, Wednesday at
4 o’clock, at the Nollendorf subway. If you aren’t there, it just wasn’t meant to be,
and I’ll continue on my way alone.
Heartfelt greetings, my dear Betty, from your
A. Einstein.
197. To Heinrich Zangger
Berlin, 15 January 1924
Dear Zangger,
Many thanks for the nice letter. I don’t go to any conferences unless I absolutely
have to, therefore, not to Naples,
either.[1]
Whether quietly holed up or abroad in
the world, solitude is better. I now have an interesting possibility for solving the
quantum problem—perhaps just a fata morgana, but it is
nice.[2]
Give my cordial
greetings to
Weyl.[3]
I do not recall
Ferrero.[4]
I am looking forward to the an-
nounced warrior, because he’s Swiss. There is order here but much need. Coal
mines are being impossibly burdened by the MICUM
treaty.[5]
But hope has risen
for reasonableness and good will. I might be coming to the Sci[entists] Conv[en-
tion] in Lucerne in the autumn, where I am unfortunately supposed to be
preaching.[6]
Cordial regards, yours,
A. Einstein.
198. From Leo Szilard[1]
Dahlem, Berlin, 4–6 Faraday Way, 18 January 1924
Esteemed Professor,
In the enclosed is a Laue image of
sugar;[2]
the area of the spots seems to be quite
clean. The arrangement for heating the aluminum wires will be ready in a day or
so; since the continuous spectrum will certainly be very disturbing in the search for
the change in the Compton radiation, we are now trying together with Mr.
Böhm,[3]
who works in the neighboring institute, to construct a tube able to remove the
radiation (in the opposite direction from the cathode rays) through the perforated