Part 1 - The Institute Libraries - Institute for Advanced Study

Dear Mr. President:
With genuine and profound reluctance, I felt myself c-
pelled this afternoon to explain to your Secretary, Hr.
kmin kcfntyre, that Professor Einstein has c m to Princeton
for the purpose of carrying on his scientific work in
seclusion, and that It is absolutely impossible to make any
exception which uould inevitably bsfng him into public
not ice,
You are aware of the fact that there exists in New York an
irresp~nsible group of Nazis. b~ addition, if the news-
papers had access to him, or if be accepted a single invita-
tion or engagerent that could possi5ly becorne public, it
uould be practically fmpossible for him to remain in the post
which he as accepted in this Institute, or in America at all.
With his consent and at his desire I have declined in his be-
blf invitations £ram high officials and fsm scientific soci-
eties in vhose work he i s really interested.
I hope that you and your wife will appreciate the fact that
in making this explanation to your Secretzry I do not forget
that you are entitled to a degree 05 consideration wholly
beyond mything that could be claimed or asked by anyone else,
but L am convinced that, unless Pxofessor Einstein inflexibly
adheres to the regime which we have with the utmost difficulty
established during the last two weeks, his position vill be an
inpossible one.
With great respect and very deep regret, f am
Very sincerely yours,
Abraham F Lexner 93
Of course the invitation was repeated, this tire in a personal
message delivered by the Secretary of the Treasury, and was accepted.
Though Flexngr explafned that he was doing no mare than his own good
private secretarj did with the many.invitations he received, the incident
caused a proper rerouting of the mil, leaving the Efnsteins to answer
their ovn. In such case Mrs. Einstein's social impulses, more highly
developed than her husbandgs, brought than into greater activity publicly.
Unfortunately Flexner had not accepted with good grace the rearrangement