DOCUMENT
410
DECEMBER
1917
571
ALS
(GyBP,
I
Abt.,
Rep. 1A,
Nr.
1656). [77 251].
Written
on
letterhead,
in
which Einstein
has
deleted
the address
of
Haber’s institute.
At
the
head
of
the
document,
the
recipient
has written
a
note
on
18 December,
in which he summarizes
a telephone
conversation with Ernst
Trendelenburg, Secretary
General
of
the Kaiser
Wilhelm
Society.
[1]This
letter is dated
on
the
assumption
that
it
was
written before
the
publication
of the
press
announcement.
[2]Siemens (1855-1919)
was
chairman
of
the board
of
Siemens & Halske and
of
Siemens-Schuk-
kert.
[3]The
joint meeting was
held
on
26 November 1917 in the Prussian State
Library
under
the chair-
manship
of
von
Harnack. Siemens
was
elected chairman
of
the board
of
trustees
(Kuratorium)
of
the
new
institute
by
the other trustees:
Adolf
von
Hamack,
Max
Planck,
and Walther
Nernst
representing
the
Kaiser
Wilhelm
Society,
Leopold
Koppel
and Fritz
Haber
representing
the
Koppel
Foundation,
and
Friedrich
Schmidt(-Ott)
representing
the
government, though Hugo
Andres Kruss
(1879-1945),
ministerial director for
Academy
matters in the Prussian
Ministry
of
Education and Schmidt’s alter-
nate,
attended the event
in his stead
(see
minutes
of
the
meeting,
26 November
1917,
GyBP,
I
Abt.,
Rep.
1A,
Nr.
1656).
[4]Unable
to reach
agreement
in
a
meeting
of
the directors
on
6 November, Max Planck
had
re-
quested
postponement
of
the
joint meeting
until he and the
other
directors had
agreed on
the
language
of
a press
release to
physics
journals
and other
papers,
announcing
the
creation
of
the
new
institute.
By
mid-November,
consensus on
the
matter had been
reached
(see
Max Planck
to
Exzellenz
[Adolf
v.
Hamack], 7 November and
16
November
1917,
both in
GyBP,
I Abt.,
Rep. 1A,
Nr.
1656).
The
announcement
was signed by
five members
of
the board
of
directors
(Planck’s name
had been
over-
looked),
who
unambiguously
claimed for
themselves
the choice of
research
problems
and methods
though welcoming proposals by
other
physicists
(see,
e.g.,
Vossische
Zeitung,
16
December
1917,
Morning
Edition,
2d
Supplement:
“Finanz- und
Handelsblatt,”
p.
[3]).
All that
remained
was
to
inform the
sovereign
of
the institute’s creation and to obtain
permission
to
use
his
name
(see
Kriiss
memorandum,
27 November
1917,
GyBSa,
I.
HA, Rep.
76
Vc,
Sekt.
2,
Tit. 23,
Litt.
A,
Nr.
116,
p.
39
(M)).
Von
Hamack submitted
the official
request
on 3 December,
and
it
was approved on
22
December
(see
Friedrich
Schmidt(-Ott)
to Seine
Majestät,
12
December
1917,
and
draft of
approval, 18
December
1917,
with
date
of
expedition
“22/12.” See
GyBSa,
I.
HA,
Rep.
89 (2.2.1), Vol. 21306,
p.
37 (M)).
[5]Originally, there had
been
discussion
about
constructing a
small
building
in
Berlin-Dahlem
to
serve as
the seat
of
Einstein’s institute.
Meetings might
be held
there,
and
it would
accommodate
an
archive,
library,
and
some
physical
apparatuses
(see Antrag
betr.
Begründung
eines Kaiser-Wilhelm-
Instituts für
physikalische
Forschung, ca.
26
June
1917, GyBP,
I
Abt.,
Rep. 1A,
Nr.
1654).
The
plan
was
abandoned “for the time being”
(“vorerst”; see
Adolf
v.
Hamack,
Präsident,
Kaiser Wilhelm
Society
to
Seine
Majestät,
3
December
1917,
GyBSa,
I. HA, Rep.
89
(2.2.1), Vol. 21306,
pp.
38-40
(M)),
and the institute
was
housed in Einstein’s residence at
Haberlandstraße
5.
410. From Gustav Mie
Halle
a.
S. d. 17.
12.
1917.
Hochgeehrter
Herr
Kollege!
Ich hätte Ihnen schon
einen
Sonder[a]bdruck
meiner
Arbeit
geschickt,
wenn
ich
die Abdrücke bekommen
hätte.[1]
Sobald ich sie
habe,
schicke
ich Ihnen. Ich hatte
übrigens
die Redaktion
der
Phys.
Ztschr.
gebeten,
da ich
von
meinem
Manuskript
keine Abschrift
hatte,
Ihnen die
Korrekturbögen
zugehen
zu
lassen,
hoffentlich hat
sie
es getan.
Ich wünschte
sehr,
ich könnte mit Ihnen einmal über die
Dinge
spre–