514 APPENDICES
to ease my conscience,' he notes the following 'approximately equivalent
possibilities:
[J.] Franck and [G.] Hertz, for their investigations of light excitation by colli-
sions with electrons
[P.] Langevin and [P.] Weiss, for the statistical theory of magnetism
[O.] Stern and [W.] Gerlach, for the experimental proof of orientation of atoms
in a magnetic field required by the quantum theory
[A.] Sommerfeld, for his contributions to quantum mechanics
A. H. Compton, for the discovery of the quantum scattering of Roentgen
radiation
C. T. R. Wilson, for the Nebelmethode as [a method of] proof of the ionization
generated by corpuscular rays
P. Debye, for his contributions to our knowledge of molecular forces.'
In 1925 the physics prize is awarded to Franck and Hertz.
- May 22, 1925. Einstein proposes the famous Brazilian explorer Marshal
Candido Mariano da Silva Rondon for the peace prize. 'I take the liberty to draw
your attention to the activities of General Rondon from Rio de Janeiro, since,
during my visit to Brazil, I have gained the impression that this man is highly
worthy of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. His work consists of adjusting Indian
tribes to the civilized world without the use of weapons or coercion.'
- September 28, 1927. In a brief note, Einstein again proposes Compton 'for
the discovery of the Compton effect, named after him, which is a milestone in our
knowledge about the nature of radiation.'
In 1927 the physics prize is awarded to Compton and Wilson. Compton's cita-
tion reads, 'For his discovery of the effect named after him.'
- February 15, 1928. Dr Heinrich Meng from Stuttgart, editor of Zeit-
schrift fur Psychoanalytische Pddagogik, and author Stefan Zweig (then in Salz-
burg) have written to a number of prominent figures urging them to support the
nomination of Freud for the Nobel prize. On February 15, 1928, Einstein replies
to Meng, 'With all [my] admiration for the genius of Freud's achievement, I can-
not decide to intervene in the present case. About the extent of truth [Wahrheits-
gehalt] of Freud's teachings, I cannot come to a conviction for myself, much less
[can I] make a judgment that would also be authoritative to others. I would further
suggest to you that it is questionable whether the achievement of a psychologist
like Freud falls within the domain of the Nobel prize for medicine, which is pre-
sumably the only one that should be considered.'
Upon receiving a reply from Meng, Einstein reiterates the same views in a
letter of October 26, 1928, adding that 'the unique difficulty of the material def-
initely requires that this judgment be left to experienced professionals.'
Far more fascinating than this award issue are the relations between two men
who each in his own way transformed his own and later times. Their jointly
authored booklet Why War? gives only minor indications of the personal senti-
ments of one in regard to the other [El]. Much more revealing information is
