Albert Einstein Will Not Be Neutralized in His Fight Against McCarthyism

“It would be, however, in my opinion not in the interest of the cause…”  We obtained this letter from the Passikoff descendants, and it has never before been offered for sale.

As the tensions of the Cold War deepened, fear of Communism reached its peak in the early 1950s. The U.S. Congress, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Committee on Un-American Activities, conducted witch-hunts in search of supposed Communist sympathizers. The accused had two options: They could refuse to testify and risk losing their jobs and friends. Or they could cooperate and accuse friends and colleagues of being Communists. At the same time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, led by J. Edgar Hoover, monitored citizens’ activities, searching for “subversive” behavior. Among those investigated were scientists and scholars, who were called upon to appear before the committees to answer questions concerning their political affiliations. Some refused to testify, citing the Fifth Amendment.

Einstein supported a number of political causes that branded him a radical in the eyes of some in the U.S. government. He wrote of his support for socialism, for example, and described capitalism as “economic anarchy.” Such statements, combined with his advocacy of nuclear disarmament and civil rights, made Einstein a highly visible target for McCarthyism. Unlike many targets, however, Einstein did not cower in a corner and hope the storm would pass him by, nor accuse others. Instead, although denounced as a Communist spy and under FBI watch, he chose to publicly criticize McCarthyism as a dangerous threat to democracy and freedom of expression.

To those accused, he recommended a policy of refusing to respond to questions but also refusing to take the 5th Amendment, his ground being that that Constitutional protection was designed to protect those who might have committed a crime, and being a member of a political organization was a right and not a criminal activity. ”I have never been a Communist,” he said. “But if I were, I would not be ashamed of it.” In giving testimony to the committees, “the individual is offered no legal middle ground for him to defend his actual rights.” He pointed to a more “revolutionary” tactic -“non-cooperation, like Gandhi used with great success against the legal powers of the British Authorities.”

Einstein felt the stakes were high and denounced the McCarthy investigations directly, saying “The current investigations are an incomparably greater danger to our society than those few Communists in our country ever could be. These investigations have already undermined to a considerable extent the democratic character of our society.” In a letter to The New York Times, which became a front-page story, Einstein took a stand for the responsibility incumbent upon those who profess a devotion to the life of the mind. Having seen freedom vanquished by tyranny in his native Germany, he wasn’t about to stand mute while America was subject to the same threat. ”Every intellectual who is called before the committee ought to refuse to testify, i.e, must be prepared for jail and economic ruin, in short, for the sacrifice of his personal welfare in the interests of the cultural welfare of this country,” Einstein wrote. “If enough people are ready to take this grave step, they will be successful. If not, then the intellectuals deserve nothing better than the slavery which is intended for them.”

The FBI amassed a file with almost 1,500 pages of information on Einstein’s allegedly subversive political activities. Those files are now open, and contain not a shred of evidence for the claim that Einstein was a Communist or Communist sympathizer. But clearly one gets the impression that J. Edgar Hoover would have loved to draw Einstein into the fray as an accused, if only he could get something on him.

By 1954 McCarthy, who was losing the support of many because of his bullying tactics and unsubstantiated charges, finally overreached himself when he accused several U.S. Army officers of Communist subversion. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was fed up and pushed for an investigation of his charges, and the televised hearings exposed McCarthy as a reckless and excessive tyrant who never produced proper documentation for any of his claims. By mid-year, McCarthy was himself being investigated by the U.S. Senate in a resolution of censure; however, his own committee continued rooting around for Communists.

Louis Passikoff was a machinist working for General Electric. On Aug. 12, 1954, Joseph D. Mazzei, a Pittsburgh theater operator and former undercover man for the FBI, identified Passikoff, an employee of defense contractor General Electric with a labor union background, as a “trouble shooter for the Communist Party,” and as a top level Communist leader, assigned by the Communist party to foment disorder in plants handling contracts for the army, navy, and air force. Passikoff was hauled before the committee, where he accused McCarthy of conspiring with GE to shove labor leaders out the door. He also challenged McCarthy’s right to question him, “while you, Senator, face very serious charges.” Passikoff said he “never engaged in sabotage, espionage or any other activity detrimental to my country,” but that he would refuse to answer more questions and would not take the Fifth Amendment. He unsuccessfully demanded the right to cross-examine Mazzei. With great courage, Passikoff told McCarthy, “I think your time has come…the American people are about ready to get rid of you”. McCarthy said he would recommend that Passikoff be cited for contempt, and Passikoff was finally removed from the hearing room by a policeman. He was dismissed by GE.

Passikoff wrote Einstein on September 1, saying that he had adopted Einstein’s position by refusing to testify, and asking Einstein to endorse his conduct before the committee. “I appeared before the McCarthy subcommittee on August 12, 1954, determined to follow your advice to those appearing before such a committee. I understood this advice as being to refuse to answer any questions as to political beliefs and associations. In addition, I attempted to use the hearing as a forum to denounce McCarthyism, especially to charge McCarthy with conspiracy to deprive men of their livelihood. The charge of conspiracy which I leveled against McCarthy was based on the General Electric-Cordiner policy, which states that any employee of General Electric who uses the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution before a government committee will be suspended for three months and then fired…I was suspended from my job on August 17th. Although McCarthyism has directly victimized hundreds of teachers, scientists, technicians and professional people of all kinds, the Cordiner policy is that aspect of McCarthyism which is directed toward the trade union movement…Implicit in this policy are such things as the blacklist…blasted reputation and the other evils left in the wake of McCarthy’s activities. Particularly affected by this vicious policy how do been active trade unionists.

“As a Jew, many of whose relatives died in the fight against fascism, I am possibly more sensitive than other people to the dangers of McCarthyism. The hysteria created by McCarthy and his friends is similar to that which attended Hitler’s seizure of power. The bill outlining the Communist Party, and directed firstly against trade unions, is part of that hysteria… I have the fullest confidence that the people of United States will not allow this country to go the way of Germany in 1933. The example of the Second World War is still too fresh in the minds of the people. I am firmly convinced, as I told McCarthy at the hearing in Washington, that the American people are ready to get rid of him…. I would appreciate an answer to this letter telling me whether you feel that I acted correctly, and in the best interests of the people. I think that such a letter would help in the fight against McCarthyism…”

Einstein responded. Typed letter signed, on his blind embossed letterhead, Princeton, September 7, 1954, to Passikoff, adopting a policy that to remain an effective opponent of McCarthyism, he must keep above individual frays. “Thank you for your informative letter of September 1st. As you mentioned yourself, I have repeatedly expressed my opinion concerning the right behavior toward investigations of private life and convictions, and I still stand by this opinion. It would be, however, in my opinion not in the interest of the cause if I were to interfere in individual cases. I feel therefore unable to send you a letter for public use as you requested.” We obtained this letter from the Passikoff descendants, and it has never before been offered for sale.

Passikoff’s letter put Einstein on the spot, and this response reveals his strategic sense. Einstein knew that were he to take part in the arguments over individuals, and the specific facts and contentions relating to their cases, however tempting, this would divert his public conversation from important overall philosophical issues, to micro-issues relating to allegations against this person or that.