This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/1/2026
Albert Einstein autograph letter signed with very good content regarding German politics, including his own pacifism and German nationalism in 1928, shortly before Naziism would consume the country. Einstein also makes interesting mention of a delightful ''Tagore adventure'' in this letter, no doubt referencing the Indian spiritual leader Rabindranath Tagore, whom Einstein first met in 1926 and then again in 1930 with a lengthy conversation on the nature of philosophy, religion and science flowing from it. Einstein might be referring here to the first time he met with Tagore in 1926.
Writing from Berlin on his personal embossed letterhead, Einstein pens this lengthy letter to his close friend Grete Lebach on 28 June, 1928. Translated from German, in part,
''When I sought out Humboldt Street in Dusseldorf, in order to be solicitously looked after by unknown residents, I could not have had any idea what dear, good people fate would present me with. How vividly I still remember the uneasiness that my arrival produced in the quiet hermitage, and how quickly that ice was broken! How delightful the Tagore adventure was, and the rest of what we did!...
The tempo of my return to health is inversely proportional to the number of doctors and other people fussing over my slovenly carcass...Remind your husband about that pleasant political evening he took me along to. It has stayed in my mind as especially pleasant. The [German] Democratic Party is like contrasting colors: You have to have stared at the blue stain of German nationalism for a long time for the Democratic Party to appear red to your eyes.''
By ''blue stain'', Einstein refers to the optical illusion where if you stare at one color for a long time and then quickly look away to a white surface, you see an afterimage in the opposite color, meaning that the German Democratic Party (which Einstein founded) was not Communist ''red'' and could only be considered such in comparison to the ''blue stain'' of German nationalism.
He continues, ''The guys have thrown [Paul von Hoverbeck genannt von] Schonaich [a pacifist] out of the Democratic Party on account of antimilitarism, out of fear of the 'Patriots.' Read these sentences aloud to your husband; otherwise, he won't visit me again when he comes to Berlin. The best way, you see, to get a man moving, as another man, is to give him an opportunity to fight - if it's not a matter of pacifist phlegmaticism in dealing with me...A. Einstein''.
Einstein was a staunch pacifist at this time, publicly advocating for the refusal of military service, although he reconsidered his views during World War II, believing that Nazi Germany necessitated military action by the Allied countries.
Three page letter on bifolium stationery measures 11.625'' x 7.375'' unfolded. Partial split along center fold, mounting remnants to edge, moderate toning and spot of tape repair, overall very good condition.