Einstein, Albert

Typed letter in German signed ("A. Einstein"), 1 page (11 x 8 1/2 in.; 280 x 215 mm) on letterhead with the embossed Mercer Street address above, Princeton, New Jersey, 15 January 1936, to Frank Kingdon in Newark, New Jersey; formerly folded, lightly soiled. Blue cloth folding-case, gilt-stamped leather title label on spine, English translation laid in.

Einstein as job counselor.
Frank Kingdon was pastor of a Methodist Church in New Jersey and a trustee of Dana College which, in 1936, was merged into the University of Newark, when he became the head of the merged enterprise. As the president of a poor urban university in the Depression, he was naturally concerned to find work for his graduates, and he evidently wrote to Einstein, as a New Jersey neighbor, for a recommendation letter for a young chemist.

Einstein responds: "It is very kind of you to take such an interest in a scientist who has been exiled without any fault of his. In this case, however, it is rather difficult for me to be of any assistance, since I am in no position to judge the value of research in the field of chemistry, and they would therefore attach no weight to my reccommendation of a chemist." He suggests contacting institutes and factories active in this field, and setting up interviews in cases where previous personal contacts are not available.