Prof. Albert Einstein was today the recipient of messages of congratulations on his 75th birthday from leaders in all walks of life from many lands. Among the messages were greetings from Indian Prime Minister Nehru, novelist Thomas Mann, philosopher-teacher Bertrand Russell and scientist Linus Pawling of California Institute of Technology.
Yesterday some 200 persons, including educators, scientists, writers and social scientists, attended all-day session here on academic freedom held to mark Prof. Einstein’s birthday. Although Dr. Einstein did not attend the me meeting, he sent written replies on five questions concerning civil liberties and academic freedom submitted by the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee, sponsor of the of the meeting. In his replies, Prof. Einstein hit out sharply at “inquisitions,” congressional investigations of political opinions of individuals and “witch-hunting.”
The New York Times, in an editorial today on Prof. Einstein, notes that his contributions to the world of science have changed the lives of his contemporaries in this world, despite the fact that so few understand them, and quotes the late George Bernard Shaw’s remarks that Einstein’s name will go down in history with those of Pythagoras, Aristotle, Galileo, and Newton. The editorial also pays tribute to his political belief in democracy and liberty and declares that “his genius is for mathematics and philosophy, not for politics.”
(In Jerusalem, President Ben Zvi was scheduled to deliver an address tonight at a convocation of leading Israeli scholars marking Dr. Einstein’s 75th birthday. The program, organized by the Hebrew University, Haifa Technion and Weizmann Institute of Science, will feature discussions of Prof. Einstein’s work by leading scientists)
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
