518 APPENDICEShis own life, worked to rescue thousands of my unhappy Jewish people' [E3]. In
reply, an underling stated that he had been authorized by Stalin to say that a
search for Wallenberg had been unsuccessful [Tl].- March 5, 1951. Einstein writes to Dr Alvin Johnson, president emeritus
of The New School for Social Research in New York City. The letter appears to
be in response to an earlier letter by Johnson concerning the possibility of a Nobel
prize for literature for Hermann Broch. Einstein writes that he has no insight and
understanding concerning modern literature. However, from having read parts of
Broch's oeuvre, 'I believe that it would probably be quite justified' to propose
Broch.
(Broch was born in Vienna in 1886. He emigrated to the United States in 1938.
He and Einstein became friends soon thereafter. Einstein had read his main book,
The Death of Virgil, and admired it [Bl]. Broch died in New Haven in 1951.) - Sometime in 1951. Einstein proposes Friedrich Wilhelm Forster for the
peace prize: 'It might be difficult to find people who have actually been successful
in their efforts to secure peace.' Nevertheless, he adds, Forster belongs to the group
of leading personalities who have worked solidly with great dedication for this
cause, especially by exposing the dangers of 'Prussian-German militarism' by his
writings, first in Germany, then in Switzerland, and finally in the United States.
Forster, a major figure in pedagogy, was a lifelong opponent of German mili-
tarism, which he attacked in numerous books, thereby incurring the hostility of
Germany's ruling groups from the Second and Third Reichs. In 1895 he was
imprisoned for three months on charges of libel against the Kaiser and in 1926
was called a traitor when he published accounts of secret rearmament efforts in
Germany. He came to the United States in 1940 and became a citizen. He died
in 1966 in a sanitarium near Zurich. For more on Forster, see [F2] and [N4]. - January 12, 1954. Einstein writes in support of a proposal by von Laue
to award the physics prize to Bothe. In his letter, Einstein refers to the Bothe -
Geiger experiment as Bothe's principal contribution.
In 1954 Bothe and Born share the physics prize. - March 3, 1954. By telegram, Einstein sends his last proposal: 'I have the
honor of recommending for your consideration for the forthcoming award of the
Nobel peace prize the international organization known as Youth Alijah, through
which children from 72 countries have been rescued and rehabilitated in Israel.'
The peace prize for 1954 is awarded to the office of the U.N. high commissioner
for refugees.
It has recently come to my notice that on 19 December 1925 Einstein wrote to
Stockholm proposing A. H. Compton.
References
Bl. H. Broch, The Death of Virgil. Grosset and Dunlop, New York, 1965.
El. A. Einstein and S. Freud, Why War? First published in German in 1933; English
translation by Institute of Intellectual Cooperation, League of Nations, Paris, 1933.