4 2 6 D O C U M E N T S 4 8 1 , 4 8 2 A P R I L 1 9 2 9 481. To Kurt Rosenfeld[1] [Berlin,] 3 April 1929 Dear Mr. Rosenfeld, In response to your kind inquiry, I would like to express as follows my view re- garding the entry visa to be granted to Mr. Trotsky:[2] Since in his last telegram Mr. Trotsky stated that the goal of his stay in German territory was related simply to a medical treatment absolutely necessary for his physical condition, it seems to me absolutely inappropriate to deny the residence permit.[3] This seems to me a given according to the spirit of the constitution as well as to international conventions, and from a humanitarian point of view.—[4] Respectfully yours, 482. To Nahum Sokolow[1] Berlin W., 3 April 1929 Dear Mr. Sokolow, Your letter moved and shamed me greatly.[2] You have selflessly devoted your whole life to a social cause, suppressing your own personal goals and wishes. Re- cently, you experienced a great misfortune that deprived you of those closest to you.[3] But I have on the whole received more good fortune than I deserved and in my activities I have followed my predilection more than any ethical impulse in- deed, in order to pursue my thoughts, I have neglected my duties to others to an extent that anyone else would have been blamed for. But since people are made in such a way that undeserved blessings delight them even more than blessings they think they deserve, I gladly accept your kind words as something that really belonged to me. They give me the courage to tell you with what joy I saw that we have in you a man who has not allowed his straight line to be bent by any political considerations and necessities. Respectfully yours, A. Einstein