D O C U M E N T S 1 0 , 1 1 A P R I L 1 9 2 3 1 5
10. To Pierre Comert
Berlin, 11 April 1923
Dear Mr. Comert,
I am touched that after my brusque withdrawal you still wrote me such a cordial
letter.[1]
I shall never forget that.
I was forced to make this retraction because the events of the past half year con-
vinced me that there is no violent act that is sufficiently brutal to cause the League
of Nations to
protest.[2]
There may well be sincere and fair men within the League
of Nations; yet they cannot change the fact that the League of Nations, as it is cur-
rently administered, discredits pacifist thinking in the worst way. I cannot shake off
the impression that the League of Nations as a whole, the way it operates today, is
functioning under a misleading name as nothing more than an obedient instrument
of that group of powers currently dominating Europe with unrestrained military
force. Under these conditions, based on this conviction, with all due respect to you
and others working for the League of Nations, I was duty bound to do what I did. I
decided to do so quickly even before my return to
Germany,[3]
in order to avoid the
appearance of any influence from German quarters.
In the hope that, even if you will not approve of my conduct, you will at least
understand it. I am, with the assurance of my sincere amity, yours,
A. Einstein.
11. To Gano Dunn[1]
Berlin, 11 April 1923
Dear Mr. Dunn,
I can imagine that the honorable
offer[2]
I discovered upon my return from Japan
arose at your initiative, for you were the most heartily obliging among all the
Americans.[3]
I thank you very much for this new proof of friendly sentiment.
After careful consideration I have decided to stay here, after all. At my age, a
major investment of nerves and working energy is needed in order to adapt oneself
to entirely changed living conditions; and my situation here is by no means as un-
favorable as it may seem from America. My material circumstances are satisfactory
and it would be hard for me to remove myself from among my circle of friends and
family. As concerns anti-Semitism, it is for me more a source of peace than of dis-
quiet, especially considering that there is hardly any question of personal peril