NEW YORK TIMES

New York, Tuesday, December 6,1932

Second-Class Matter, ,'Xfor York, N. Y. NEW YORK, iSTJESDAYT DECEMBER 6, 1932.

Einstein's Ultimatum Brings a Quick Visa; Our Consul Angered Him by Political Quiz

Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES.

B E R L I N , Dec. 5.—Professor Alber t E ins te in w a s so angered today by forty-five minu tes of quest ioning a t t h e United S ta tes Consula te Genera l a s to his f i tness to visit Aiaer ica t h a t he refused to submit to fur ther in ter-rogat ion a n d r e tu rned home.

H i s a n g e r did not cool on the way . As soon as he r e t u r n e d h e te lephoned to t h e Uni ted Sta tes Consulate Gen­eral to submi t w h i t F r a u Eiriatein t e rmed on ' ' u l t i m a t u m , " saying t h a t If 1»y tomor row noon he h a d n o t r e ­ceived a visa t o en te r t he Uni ted Sta tes he would cancel h i s t r ip .

[George S. Messersmith , Uni ted Sta tes Consul Genera l in Berl in , noti­fied the Sta te D e p a r t m e n t a t Wash­ington late yes te rday t h a t he would issue a visa to Professor Eins te in to­morrow.]

Heretofore Professor Eins te in h a s been used to hav ing his t r ips , includ­ing all formali t ies , a r r a n g e d by

o thers , usuall ly by officials of ship­p ing l ines. H e h a d reques ted the Hamburg -Amer i can Line, on whose Oakland he plans to sail Sa tu rday , to a r r a n g e everyth ing.

Much to his surpr ise he was called u p th is morn ing by t h e Uni ted S ta tes Consulate Genera l shor t ly af ter he had come to Berl in to s t a r t pack ing his bags , which were fo be sen t to B r e m e n tomor row. H e was reques ted to come to t h e Consulate to a n s w e r a n u m b e r of quest ions before receiving h i s visa .

The professor said he was busy and would r a t h e r have t h e visa s en t to h im, bu t t he consular au thor i t ies in­sisted on his coming downtown. He finally decided to go, accompanied by his wife.

As F r a u Eins te in described the Con­sulate interview to this correspond­ent , the Professor was courteously re-

Continued on P a g e Fif teen.

\7 \

T*

assistant, Dr. Dmitry Marianoff, who was born in ~ Russia, has broken with the Communists.

could not see way he should be ques­tioned on his political beliefs.

P rofesso» Einstein has never con­cealed his* pacifistic leanings and is

. one of the promoters of the War Re-sisters ' League. He is not a Com­munist and has declined invitations

_ _ _ ^ _ _ _ ^ _ _ to lecture in Russia b rause he did received and ushered into the pres- . n : o t w a n t t o S i v e fee impression hje ence of officials, who submitted a | w a s l n sympathy with the Mgseoy ajtestionnaire presented to all visitors 1 regime. His son-in-law and-chksf to the United States. I t soon became evident the questions irritated him.

"Wha t is your political c r eed?" was the first question.

Professor Einstein gave a blank stare and then hurs t out laughing.

"Well ," hs said after some hard -thiijking, " I don't know. I can ' t answer that question." , "Are you a member of any organi­za t ion?" the inquisitors proceeded.

Professor Einstein ran his hand through his ample hair, turning to his wife for assistance.

"Oh, yes ! " he exclaimed with obvi­ous reHSf, " I am a War .Regis ter ."

"Who are t h e y ? " he was asked. "Well, they are my friends," he

replied. " W h a t is the purpose of your 'vlsj t '

to the United S ta tes?" the examina­tion continued.

This question was the only one the professor answered with ease and without hesitation.

" I want to do some scientific work. 'S'he said quickly. ' .^f i f j j^S*

Suspects Practical Joke. The examination, according to Frau

Einstein, went on for awhile until the professor became impatient.

' 'Do you gentlemen believe I have t o go to t h e United States? I t is not necessary," he interrupted.

Still unaware that every visitor to ' t t o United States is forced to comply with- these formalities and tha t he had been spared the trouble on former trips, he obtained the impression-#iat he was the victim of a practical joke.

"Gentlemen, are you t rying to kid m e ? " he asked. "Are you doing this to please yourselves or are you act­ing upon orders from abovs^?''

Without waiting for an answer he took his hat and coat and left the office.

Professor Einstein tonight g a v e u p his plan to ipack and left Berlin for J i t s ^BQtOjtfjF home in Caputh, near Potsdam. Frau Einstein said he ex­tremely regretted this development

"^5^caBgJa_"J»'<.Jifld looked forward to this t r ip with keen pleasure and

Women Made Complaint. BERLIN, Dec. 5 </P).—The reason

for the unusual consulate questioning of Professor Albert Einstein, which he said amounted to an "inquisi­t ion," was not explained tonight, but recently the State Department at Washington forwarded a demand by the "Woman Patr iot Corporatien that the scientist be barred on the .ground tha t he was a Communist.

Professor Einstein 's clash with the consul came after the query:

"Wha t 3>arty do you belong to or sympathize w i t h ? "

The professor, still not "compre­hending;, the significance of the pro­ceedings, asked what the consul was driving *Viid£iii3

"You see ," said feat official, "when persons applying for visas hold certain political beliefs it is dif­ficult if not impossible to gran t the visa, , For instance, are you a Com­munist or an anarchis t ?-'i I

Prof essor'Einstein's patience broke. His usual genial face stern and his normally melodious voice strident, he cried:

"Wha t ' s this, an inquisition? Is this an a t tempt a t chicanery? I don't propose to answer such silly questions. •.

" I d idn ' t ask to go to America. Your countrymen invited m e ; yes, begged me. If X;ijim to enter your country as a suspect I don't want t » go a t all. If you don't want to give me a visa please say so, then" I'll know where I stand. But don't ask me humiliating questions."

Frau Einstein declared emphati­cally the professor was neither a Communist n o r an anarchist . He has no political affiliations, she said.

" I ' ve packed six ', t runks , " she said; "and they must be shipped to Bremen by tomorirow noon. If we don't get that visa by noon tomorrow tha t ' s the end of our ever going to America again. Certainly in the future we shall accept no invitations from there unless a visa is arranged in advance j g n t h e other side. That scene a t the consulate was most

humiliating, most unworthy of my husband 's international s tanding."

Jus t then Professor Einstein, who had been in another room where several callers were waiting for him, stepped in. He seemed to be calmed down after the incident a t the con­sulate and his good na ture once more "was in evidence.

"Wouldn ' t it be funny if . ( m wouldn't '."list jne i n ? " he smiled, rubbing" fikj hands together. "Wbjk the whole world • would laugh at America." • i Sdkii'iT

Consul Investigated Charge. Special to T H E NEW YORK TIMES.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5.—George S. Messersmith, United States Consul General in Berlin, notified the -State Department late today thatsTte would issue a visa tomorrow morning to Professor Albert Einstein. He did so after questioning the distinguished scientist as to thjj». views on com­munism, fascism and anarchism to see whether he should be barred from entering the_United States.

A complaint made to the State De­par tment by the Woman Patr io t Corporation charged Professor • Ein­stein had been affiliated with com­munism and should not be admitted to th is . country.

The department issued no instruc­tions in t he : ease, and officials' indi­cated today tha t it was not disturbed over the charges. I t was emphasized tha t whenever such complaints are received the* are forwarded to the .consulates that might be interested merely as a mat ter of information,

If of the State Board of Education of Delaware from 1912 to 1914, when he entered the consular service. •: His first post was a t Fo r t Er ie and he s e r v e d ' subsequently a t Curacao. Antwerp and Buenos Aires before being assigned to Berlin.

should be attached to its action in this case. I

Mr. Messersmith informed the State] Department tha ;. he hac'i examln d] Professor Einstein a s he would exaifr-l ine any applicant. S f e s l

The State Department made public the following statement:

The American Consul General at Berlin, George S. Messersmith, re­ported to the Department of State

' tonight tha t Professor 'Albert Ein­stein today applied for a visa; tha t he has examined Professor Einstein in regard to his admissibility in the same manner a s he would ex-amine any applicant, and. has reached the conclusion that "Pro­fessor Einstein inadmissible to the United States. , ' ""St i l l

Consul General Messersmith fur­ther reported that he will issue the visa tomorrow.

Stimson Explains Inquiry. '• i J&i&h: '•• ' ••• %'& '

At the. same time Secretary of State Stimson ijriade public a letter he sent to Roger-N. Baldwin of New York, director of the American Civil Liber­ties Union, which aad'Jjjquired why the department h id forward*!! t o ' can public,'<"^t said.

Berlin the complaint of the Woman Patr io t Corporation. FN-"

The department , Mr. Stimson ex­plained, communicated the allega­tions to the Consul General in order tha t he might afford the "professor an opportunity te answer these alle­gations along with other questions which a consular officer must, under our laws, ask every applicant ior'-a* visa." l a ^ ' ^ P i i

"You are, no doubt, aware , " he added, " tha t the immigration laws place upon c tosu la r officers abroad the responsibility of classifying aliens seeking to come to the United States and prohibits them from issuing visas to any aliens not found by them to be admissible under the law, TVs department is fully aware of fee dis­tinguished reputation of Professor Einstin and it has no doubt that any consular officer before whom he appears will extend to him ' the ut­most courtesy and the most generous t rea tment which the laws of the United States permit . • » «

"The record of such information as Professor Einstein may have given in support of his application for a yisa on the occasion of his last visit to this country is not in this depart-ment, but is on the files of Uut^con-sulate abroad to which he made application. Moreover, since the responsibility of determining the, question of admissibility and of grant ing visas' is placed by law not upon this depar tment but upon con­sular officers abroad, it must seem obvious tha t the consular officer making the -decisions should have be­fore him all the pert inent informa­t ion." • &*..*•«

Mr. Messersmith was born in Fleet [wood, Pa . , in 1883- and attended Dela-'

and t h a t no especial significance!iware College. He was vice president

Accepted Princeton Post . P r e s s o r Einstein planned to sail

Saturday for California to resume h i s scientific work a t Mount Wilson Ob-servatory\before taking up his duties as head of the School of Mathematics of the Inst i tute for Advanced Study a t Princeton, N. J . vjThe institute

• will open next Fall. Professor fflrf stein Had agreed to be a t the insti­tute from Oct. 1 to>Ajprfl^B each year.

Dr. Abrahapft Intexner, director' of the Inst i tute for Advanced Study, de-j clined to 'comment last n ight on few consular • inquisition to which Pro*, fessor Einstein has been subjected.

When asked whether he had mad* any complaint to the s t a t e Depart­ment, Dr . Flexner replied tha t « had not .

'We will leave tha t to the. A m e * n miVkli/* " h a ealH !