Part 4 Summary and Analysis

"Manifesto—March, 1939" opens Part 4 with a declaration Einstein will live only under liberty, tolerance, and equality before the law. There follows an exchange of correspondence between Einstein and the Prussian and Bavarian academies of science in 1933, resulting from his "atrocity-mongering" and resignation. The academies declare their loyalty to the state and do not regret his resignation. Einstein deplores the Academy's demands he put in a "good word for the German people", which goes against all he has spent a life fighting for: justice and liberty—ideals the German people have until recently embraced. He is right to resign.

"A Reply to the Invitation to Participate in a Meeting against Anti-Semitism" (1934) has Einstein explaining why he refuses to join a French rally against German anti-Semitism—no matter how close the issue is to his heart. He is still a...