D O C U M E N T 3 8 5 J A N U A R Y 1 9 2 9 3 6 3 such a thought never occurred to me. I have never asked you in other cases when I have written about relativity theory. Or are you hurt because I have not championed the new theory with the same warmth as I always did for the old? I cannot think that you resent my conservative opinion—especially as I have just stressed in the aforementioned essay that your own opinion represents, in the meantime, the most important judgment on this problem. And you can believe me that this reluctance originated from the wish to preserve your work from the distortion of the press’s need to sensationalize. I know that the Vossische Zeitung understood my essay in that way, and the opinions of many who have now read my essay reassures me in this matter. Yet you call my behavior tactless and you even use these words with third par- ties. This—Mr. Einstein, this I have not deserved. I have put years of work into the conceptual clarification of relativity theory. Whatever results I found, I have al- ways put the significance of your entirely personal accomplishment in the fore- ground with everyone, and I have defended your person wherever I found it attacked. I have nearly severed my academic career with philosophers because of my advocacy for relativity theory, and I have never criticized you even when, de- spite everything, I have not had either the recognition or help for my work from you that I had hoped for.[5] I know that your mathematical-physical work seems more important than philosophy, and I have always let your scientific genius take precedence, unperturbed by any obligations of human nature to go one’s own way. But that you now want to dismiss me in public as a “tactless colleague” without dignifying me with a direct message because I have written a newspaper article that you disagree with—that I will not stand for. Thus I am writing you this letter. Yours, Hans Reichenbach 385. From Louis de Broglie 914 Rue Perronet, Neuilly-sur-Seine, 29 January 1929 Dear Mr. Einstein, First of all, I must apologize for having disturbed you in your work. But my cu- riosity has been very strongly aroused because the French newspapers have an- nounced that you recently communicated a very important discovery.[1] If that is true, I would be infinitely grateful to you if you could have a copy of your commu- nication sent to me, because I believe that it appeared in the Berichte of the Berlin Academy, and it would be quite difficult for me to obtain the Berichte in Paris.