Abusive Attack on Einstein; “we Want Our Place to Be Absolutely Clean”

Under the caption, “Einstein Incites the Whole World Against Germany,” the “Voelkischer Beabachter,” a Nazi organ, today declares that the Jew, Einstein, who is notoriously hostile to Germany, called at a New York banquet for the world’s moral intervention against Hitler, an appeal which was prominently featured in the American press. The “Beobachter” declares in most forceful language that thus “once again this Jewish personality is doing tremendous harm to the Reich.” But it is the “Berliner Lokal-Anzeiger,” owned by Dr. Alfred Hugenberg, leader of the Nationalist Party, which exceeds even the “Beobachter” in the violence of its attack on Einstein.

Under the heading of “Good News from Einstein—He Is Not Returning,” it proceeds to reproduce a statement purporting to have been made by Einstein in New York on Wednesday: “I do not intend to put foot on German soil as long as conditions in Germany remain as they are.” Commenting on this, the “Lokal Anzeiger” remarks that this means quite a long absence from Germany, but that the Germans would remain absolutely untroubled by the news that Einstein was not coming back. “The outlook for Einstein,” it adds, “is, therefore, decidedly bad.” It goes on to say that Einstein’s statement seems to imply that he would eventually return, if possible. To this, the “Lokal-Anzeiger” retorts, “Take that back. We want our place to be absolutely clean.”

The “Lokal-Anzeiger” concludes its attack with an abusive paragraph in which it describes Einstein “as big with blown-out vanity,” adding a peroration to the effect that there is little demand for Relativity at present. “On the other hand, Germans were working to make conceptions of national honor and love of Fatherland absolute values, ideals which Einstein recently declared, should be completely abolished.”