58
DOCS.
45,
46
JANUARY
1915
We
possibly
saw
each
other
once
at
the
home of
the
Marangoni family,
which
I
frequented often.[5]
With best
regards, yours,
A.
Einstein.
46. To
Mileva Einstein-Maric
[Berlin,]
12 January 1915
D[ear] M[ileva],
Officially you
are
my
wife,
the
same as
before,
and
as
such have
together
with
the
children
a
claim
to
my
bit
of
monetary
holdings.
But
I
am
not
inclined to
relinquish
the
Fr
10,000
which constitute the
remains of
a sum
allotted
to
me
personally
for
my
achievements.[1] I
find such
a
demand
beyond
discussion. If
the share
of
your
paternal
inheritance
had
remained in
your parents’
hands,
it
would have suffered
just
as
much from
the
war as
in
your
hands.[2]
As
long
as
I
live,
the
money
in
my possession
will
serve exclusively
as
security
for
you
and
the
children,
and
when
I
die it will be
transferred
automatically
to
the
children.
The
upkeep
of all of
you
has been
generously provided for,
and
I
find
your
constant
attempts
to
lay
hold of
everything
that
is
in
my
possession
absolutely disgraceful.
Had
I
known
you
12 years ago
as
I
know
you
now,
I
would have
considered
my
responsibilities
toward
you
at
that
time
quite
differently.[3]
A
package
of
returned
items,
which arrived
through
no
intention
of
mine in
my
hands
rather than
yours,
will
be delivered
to
you
sometime.
I will
maintain
a regular
correspondence
with Albert
only
if
I
can indulge
in
the
hope
that
this
is
beneficial and
pleasurable
to the
boy.
Part
of
this
involves
that
no
pressures
be exerted
on
the
child aimed
at
giving
him
a
distorted
image
of
me.
If it
is
your
honest wish
not to
destroy
the
personal
relations
between
me
and
the
boys, you
will
accept
the
following
advice. Read
what
I write
to
the
children
but
do
not
discuss it with
them;
and above
all,
let
little Albert
write
to
me
by himself,
do not read his
letters,
do not admonish him
to
write
me,
and
do
not
discuss with him
what
he
ought
to
write
me.
In this
way
you
could be
sure
that
I
am
making
no
attempts
to take
the
children
away
from
you,
and
I
could be
more
to
the
boys
than their
breadwinner.
If
I
see,
however,
that
Albert’s letters
are
prompted,
then
I
shall refrain from
sustaining
a
regular correspondence
out
of
consideration for
the
children.
With best
wishes for
1915,
Albert
Einstein.
I
am
going
to
write
separately to
Albert
very
soon.