THE FINAL DECADE 475in ways beneficial to mankind [and] to diffuse knowledge and information about
atomic energy ... in order that an informed citizenry may intelligently determin
and shape its action to serve its own and mankind's best interest,' as it is put in
the charter of the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists, a group of which
he was the chairman during its brief existence.* In 1954 Einstein sided with the
overwhelming majority of atomic scientists who publicly condemned the United
States government's actions in the security case against Oppenheimer.
Einstein's political views in the post-war years centered, I believe, on the themes
just described. The reader interested in a more complete picture of his actions and
beliefs is referred once again to the book Einstein on Peace [Nl], in which the
documentation of this period, covering hundreds of pages, illustrates how much
effort Einstein devoted in his last years to issues dealing with the world's future.
Some of his suggestions were perhaps unrealistic, other perhaps premature. Cer-
tain it is, though, that they originated from a clear mind and strong moral
convictions.
Two further issues, bearing on Einstein's political views but going much
deeper, must be mentioned. He never forgave the Germans. 'After the Germans
massacred my Jewish brothers in Europe, I will have nothing further to do with
Germans. ... It is otherwise with those few who remained firm within the range
of the possible' [E10]. To him those few included Otto Hahn, Max von Laue,
Max Planck, and Arnold Sommerfeld.
Einstein was devoted to the cause of Israel, even though on occasion he was
publicly critical of its government. He spoke of Israel as 'us' and of the Jews as
'my people.' It appears to me that Einstein's Jewish identity emerged ever more
strongly as he grew older. He may never have found a place that truly was home
to him. But he did find the tribe to which he belonged.
During the last years of his life, Einstein was not well.
For a number of years, he had had attacks of pain in the upper abdomen. These
lasted usually two days, were accompanied by vomiting, and recurred every few
months. In the fall of 1948, the surgeon Rudolf Nissen,** who had been called in
for consultation, diagnosed an abdominal growth the size of a grapefruit. He sug-
gested an experimental laparotomy, to which Einstein consented. On December
12 he entered the Jewish Hospital in Brooklyn. Dr Nissen performed the oper-
ation and discovered that the growth was an aneurysm in the abdominal aorta.
The aneurysm was intact, its lining was firm. Corrective measures were counter-
indicated. Einstein stayed in the hospital until the incision had sufficiently healed."The committee was incorporated in August 1946. Its other members were R. Bacher, H. Bethe, E.
Condon, T. Hogness, L. Szilard, H. Urey, and V. Weisskopf. This group became inactive in Jan-
uary 1949.
**Here I use an informal account by Dr Nissen [N3].