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me led to a situation that forced me into my headlong retreat, so to speak, which I
felt very keenly and bitterly. Tell Betty that she should not be sad, but that she has
the divine right to feel like the moral victor. Tell her also that she shouldn’t interpret
my odd-seeming behavior as a consequence of roughness or severity. But I cannot
and must not explain the case to you, as that would not be good for all concerned.
Just believe me on one thing, that as a conscientious and decent person I could not
do otherwise than crawl away into my snail’s shell. The exclamations of mine that
you cited are accurate and were meant as honestly as ever possible. You can gather
from them under what heavy duress I had to act. For I don’t take my relationships
with people lightly, and don’t easily become emotionally attached to anyone.
You must gather from this letter and from the fact that I am answering it imme-
diately that it is important to me to spare you and your daughter any disappoint-
ment; and it is almost just as painful for me to excite such feelings in the Mühsams.
But as an honest person I could not do otherwise.
Greetings in complete sympathy with you and your daughter, your highly re-
spectful
A. Einstein
460. From Heinrich Zangger
[Zurich, before 14 March
1925][1]
Dear friend Einstein,
Where will this letter find you? In South America, according to Albert’s report,
or in Pasadena, with Michelson on Mount
Wilson?[2]
That c is no longer indepen-
dent of the speed of ¢sound² the emitting body (if the newspapers are reporting cor-
rectly), and that through the new experiments Michelson and Fizeau is also becom-
ing questionable—gives occasion for thought once again
now.[3]
This matter isn’t
quantitative, of course, but what will change for UV [rays] and the electron field
and cathode rays?
You do know that Debye is in Pasadena now until
May?[4]
Perhaps he can an-
swer your questions and critically examine the experimental conditions; he is cer-
tainly very talented at such a thing, too; that I can judge fairly—and psychological-
ly.
I wrote you that I received the invitation for the Dunham lectureship at Harvard
University for
1925/26.[5]
Have a good trip to Mount Wilson
Zangger