DOC.
98
JULY
1915 113
98. To Hendrik A. Lorentz
Sellin
(Rügen),
21 July 1915
Dear
and
highly
esteemed
Colleague,
Recently
I
spoke
with
Planck,
and
we
both
gloomily
recalled
the bitter
division
that
has arisen between
us
and
our highly
esteemed
foreign colleagues
as a
result
of
the unfortunate
war.[1]
Whatever
errors
may
have
been
committed
on
either
side in
deplorable political
agitation,
it
is
never
too late to
change.
It
is
certain
that
we
academics
are
all innocent
of
the
war
and
that the
present
miserable
circumstances
ought
to induce
us even more
to
solidarity;
whatever occurred
before has to be
regarded
simply
as
not
having happened.
What
to do? If
I
did not
live
in
Berlin,
I
would write
personally
to
our
closest
colleagues
in France and
England
with
the
request
that
they salvage
themselves
from
the
generally
desperate
condition,
to
the
extent
that the
earlier friendliness
in
our
community
can
be
restored.[2] I
would ask them to
assemble, completely
voluntarily
and
unofficially,
at
an
appropriate
location
(Holland or
Switzerland)
already during
these
holidays, primarily
to nurture
personal
contacts.
But
I live
in
Berlin,
have
few
contacts,
and also have
little skill in
commu-
nicating
with
people.
That
is
why
I
am
turning confidently
to
you
in
the
hope
that
you
will
be able to transform all
this,
which
I
can
only
dream
of,
into
reality.
Would
you
not
enjoy devoting some
time to this
fine
mission? Planck
encouraged
me
very
much to do
everything
that
was
in
my
power;
he
also would do
every-
thing
to restore
the
good
relations. This
is
all
the
more
important
as
there
are
signs
that the
official
relations
among
the
societies, just
as
the
academies,
could
get
broken
off;
for
there
is
a
great surge
of nationalistic
blindness.[3]
But
I
note
here
that
especially
the
most
highly regarded
are
fighting against
it
with
all
their
might,
and
this
will
surely
be
the
same
in
other
countries
as
well.-
In
the
first
days
of
August,
I
am
going
to
be in Berlin and shall
immediately
take
care
of
the
move
for
your
children.[4] I
am
very sorry
that this
matter is
now
being
delayed
a
few weeks.
If
I
receive
a good offer,
I will
deal with
the
matter
right away
without
first
requesting approval
of
your
children
regarding
the
price.
Best
regards
to
you, your
wife
and
children,
as
well
as
to
Ehrenfest, yours,
A.
Einstein
until
1st
August,
Sellin
(Rügen).