THEME MUSIC
"Facade", Sir William Walton, 1921
Einstein
Philippe Halsmann
In response to: On Albert Einstein
To the Editors:
THE BEAUTIFULLY PHRASED AND DELICATE VENOM of Dr. Oppenheimer’s “tribute” to Professor Einstein [Mar. 1] distressed me deeply. I must admit, however, that I am partial to Professor Einstein. His intervention on my behalf in 1940 resulted in my coming to this country and probably saved my life.
MY WIFE AND I VISITED HIM OFTEN IN PRINCETON. We came in contact with a human being full of empathy and warmth, a man of rare selflessness and touching modesty, always ready to oppose injustice, to fight for an underdog, or to help a victim. Dr. Oppenheimer in trying to sum up this “attitude toward human problems of Professor Einstein” suddenly found himself lacking an adequate English word for it and had—characteristically—to use a word in Sanskrit: “Ahinsa,” which he helpfully translated as “harmlessness.”
Einstein
Philippe Halsmann
In response to: On Albert Einstein
To the Editors:
THE BEAUTIFULLY PHRASED AND DELICATE VENOM of Dr. Oppenheimer’s “tribute” to Professor Einstein [Mar. 1] distressed me deeply. I must admit, however, that I am partial to Professor Einstein. His intervention on my behalf in 1940 resulted in my coming to this country and probably saved my life.
MY WIFE AND I VISITED HIM OFTEN IN PRINCETON. We came in contact with a human being full of empathy and warmth, a man of rare selflessness and touching modesty, always ready to oppose injustice, to fight for an underdog, or to help a victim. Dr. Oppenheimer in trying to sum up this “attitude toward human problems of Professor Einstein” suddenly found himself lacking an adequate English word for it and had—characteristically—to use a word in Sanskrit: “Ahinsa,” which he helpfully translated as “harmlessness.”