A series of fascinating letters written in German by Albert Einstein, including his thoughts on world events and his prediction on winning the Nobel Prize, will be auctioned by Nate D. Sanders on August 24, 2017.
Einstein Letter Condemning Chamberlain
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Albert Einstein wrote the October 10, 1938 letter, postmarked from Princeton, to his best friend Michele Besso. Besso, a Swiss/Italian engineer, was the only person credited by Einstein on the original draft of the Theory of Special Relativity. Einstein penned the letter ten days after England’s Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the fateful Munich Agreement allowing Nazi Germany to annex Czechoslovakia. Einstein wrote in part, “…You have confidence in the British and even Chamberlain? O Sancta simplicitas …! [‘Oh holy innocence’, i.e., naiveté in Latin] Hoping that Hitler might let off steam by attacking Russia, he sacrifices Eastern Europe. But we will come to see once more that shrewdness does not win in the long-term. In France, he pushed the Left into a corner and, in France as well, helped give power to those people whose motto is, ‘Better Hitler than the Reds.’ The extermination policy against Spain already showed this clearly. Now he saved Hitler in the nick of time by crowning himself with the wreath of love of peace and inducing France to betray the Czechs. He did all this in such a clever way that he deceived most people, even you (unfortunately). His only fear, which spurred him on to his humiliating flights, was the worry that Hitler might lose ground. / I do not have any hope left for the future of Europe…”
Einstein had long worked with Besso to save European Jews by issuing affidavits. In the letter being auctioned, Einstein mentioned he wasn’t able to distribute any more affidavits because it would endanger those whose applications were pending.
Bidding for the letter begins at $25,000.
Einstein’s Nobel Prize Letter
The second document being auctioned is a three-page letter to Michele Besso, in which Einstein analyzed his divorce settlement with his first wife Mileva Marić. Einstein predicted future earnings for winning the Nobel Prize for his Theory of Special Relativity paper stating, “Interest on a hypothetical Nobel Prize will not exceed Fr. 8,000.”
The letter shares a unique look at Einstein’s marital history and the trust he had in his best friend Besso.
Bidding for the Einstein letter begins at $42,250.
Einstein Letter on the Protecting His Family As He Moved to the US
The third letter from Einstein to Besso, which is dated October 21, 1932, was written just months before his departure for the United States due to the rise of the Third Reich. The letter expresses Einstein’s concern for his son’s diagnosis with schizophrenia and his interest in ensuring the financial stability of his family.
Bidding for the letter begins at $25,000.
