DOCUMENT 399 MAY 1912 469 nounced Laue's appointment to the faculty in mid-May (see the minutes of the meeting of the Philosophical Faculty II, 14 May 1912, SzZU, AA 10:4) cantonal approval was conferred only two months later (see Aus dem Protokoll des Regierungsrates 1912, no. 1457, 18 July 1912, SzZSa, U 110 b .2 (50)). The delay seems to have been due to Laue's ill health and some second thoughts he had about the appointment, both of which caused the Zurich authorities concern (see Peter Debye to Arnold Sommerfeld, 29 March 1912, April 1912, and 22 April 1912, GyM-DM, Handschriften-Sammlung, 1977-28 (A, 61/7), (A, 61/8), and (A, 61/9), and Arnold Sommerfeld to Alfred Kleiner, 10 June 1912, SzZE Bibliothek, Hs. 412:3). [11]Peter Debye. [12]A month earlier Einstein had pointed out that Laue had a poor reputation as a teacher (see Doc. 381). [13]Einstein had discussed the possibility of an extraordinary professorship for Paul Ehren- fest three months earlier (see Doc. 366). [14]Einstein's negative evaluation of August Bernoulli several months earlier (see Doc. 338) was not given much weight by the Basel authorities, as they considered Einstein unable to judge Bernoulli's experimental contributions (see Paul BÖhringer, i.V., Präsident der Kuratel, University of Basel, to Tit. Erziehungsdepartement Basel-Stadt, 9 March 1912, SzBSa, Erzie- hungsacten, CC 23). Fritz Haber's recommendation was quite positive, however, and stressed Bernoulli's prom- ise and willingness to pursue broad research interests and goals (see Fritz Haber to Fritz Fichter, 23 January 1912, SzBSa, Universitätsarchiv, XI 3,1). [15]Bernoulli was a descendant of the famous seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Basel mathematicians, Johann I and Johann II Bernoulli, and was the brother-in-law of search-com- mittee member Fritz Fichter-Bernoulli, to whom Einstein had addressed his recommendation (see Doc. 338). See also Doc. 388 for an earlier negative comment on the situation in Basel. [16]Philipp Frank (1884-1966) was Privatdozent in physics at the University of Vienna. On 23 May a commission on which Einstein served formally recommended Frank as Einstein's successor at the German University of Prague (see Doc. 400). 399. To Elsa Löwenthal [Prague,] 21. V. [1912][1] Liebste Else! Ich schreibe so spät, weil ich mir ernste Gedanken mache über unser Be- ginnen. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass es uns beiden und andern nicht zum Guten gereicht, wenn wir uns enger aneinander anschliessen. Ich schreibe Dir also heute zum letzten mal und begebe mich in das Unvermeidliche zurück, und Du musst es auch. Du weisst, dass es nicht hart und gefühllos von mir ist, wenn ich so rede, denn Du weisst, dass ich ohne Hoffnung, wie Du, mein Kreuz schleppe.[2] Bewahre mir aber eine freundliche Gesinnung, auch ich werde Dir für Deine Herzlichkeit immer Dank wissen. Wenn Du sonst einmal Schweres erlebst oder sonst das Bedürfnis hast, Dich jemand anzuvertrauen, so denke daran, dass Du einen Vetter hast,[3] der ein Herz für Dich hat, um