Raab Collection

In 1914, Einstein made his first openly political statement by condemning militarism and opposing World War I. This was a courageous act and a distinctly minority opinion to put forward as his native Germany rushed with enthusiasm to the precipice. After Einstein catapulted to international fame in 1919, he used his celebrity status to promote his pacifist beliefs. By 1930, he was a leading figure in the global pacifist movement, frequently writing and speaking out against compulsory military service and the use of force. 

In February 1932, 60 nations sent delegates to a Disarmament Conference in Geneva, and Einstein and his fellow pacifists were initially hopeful. However, disagreements over the definition of categories of war materials and the scope of the disarmament quickly arose and hindered any progress. By July, the conferees were hopelessly deadlocked and conference advocates became disillusioned when they saw that no results would be forthcoming. This meeting marked the high tide of Einstein’s pacifism. In August 1932, a World Anti-War Congress met at Amsterdam under the patronage of French novelist, journalist and anti-militarist, Henri Barbusse. Barbusse was a communist, and his pacifism was subservient to his support of the party agenda and his patron, Stalin. So despite the support of non-party intellectuals, that conference was sidetracked by the Soviet agenda and failed as well.

Meanwhile, the political situation in Germany was deteriorating all through 1932. In April, Hitler received 37% of the vote in the presidential election. Violent clashes broke out in the streets and the position of the Jews became ever more precarious. That same month, Einstein returned to his summer home at Caputh. There he was visited by an American, Abraham Flexner, who offered him the chance to work at the new Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton. Much to Flexner’s dismay, Einstein could not bear to leave home, family and friends, despite the jeopardy in which he lived. “He does not know the meaning of fear,” complained Mrs. Einstein. In July, the Nazis gained enough seats in the Reichstag to preclude passage of legislation they opposed. Soon, through an intermediary, Einstein’s family received a chilling message from no less than the commander of the German army saying that his life “is not safe here anymore.” If indifferent to his own well-being, Einstein was not completely indifferent to that of his family. He changed his mind and accepted Flexner’s offer in August 1932 and began preparing to leave. On December 10, with the Nazis just one month from gaining power, Einstein and his wife Elsa set off for America. Although according to their public plans they intended to return to Germany in 1933, by the time they left Einstein was more than apprehensive. As they drove from their home, Einstein said to Elsa, “Turn around. You will never see it again.” The Einsteins never returned to Germany.

Against this backdrop, with  Einstein’s life changing and his passion for pacifism weakening in the face of the ever more apparent need to confront the Nazis, he received a letter from a man with whom he was well acquainted- Dutch Reverend Johannes Bernardus Th. Hugenholz, a pacifist and member of the Peace Bureau Council. Hugenholz was displeased with the failure of the conferences in Geneva and Amsterdam, and he was advocating an international peace organization in The Hague.

Typed Letter Signed on his personal letterhead, in German, Caputh bei Potsdam, October 26, 1932, to Hugenholz, discouraging him from undertaking the project and saying that the time is just not right for another pacifist meeting. “I have made my participation in your project dependent upon the agreement and participation of the most important radical pacifist organizations. If that can not be completely achieved, I would consider it to be a serious mistake to undertake something of that sort and, as a consequence, I could not participate in it. The worst thing that we could do would be to offer the militarists the spectacle of discord among us. I also consider it to be a serious mistake, so shortly after the Amsterdam Conference to convene another conference with the same goal and could not in any way participate. As much as I lament the mistake that Mr. Barbusse made by his meeting, I am more than ever convinced that any appearance of a counter move by the pacifists side must be avoided. I urgently request of you, indeed I beseech you, not to undertake anything that might jeopardize our purpose. At this moment, it is more important to be content with undertaking nothing than to roll out new initiatives. Work with patience to achieve the complete agreement of the radical pacifist organizations, even at the expense of your personal wishes.” 

This letter clearly illustrates Einstein’s new desire to await events rather than move forward with a pacifist agenda, and although he may not have been conscious of it, just as he would never return to Germany, he would never return to pacifism.