Library Journal  
5/3/2004

It is not surprising that J. Edgar Hoover's FBI spied on Albert Einstein from 1933 to his death in 1955. As this well-done study makes clear, the famous scientist was also a social and political activist with strong pacifist and Socialist leanings. Einstein publicly supported the civil rights and anti-lynching movements and was a friend of leading African Americans. Unafraid, he was willing to denounce Joseph McCarthy and encouraged others to refuse to testify before him. These activities, plus his role in the development of nuclear weapons, led Hoover to investigate Einstein in search of "derogatory information," hoping to discredit and eventually deport him. While Hoover wanted to discover that Einstein was a Communist, his agents also collected crazy stories such as that one of Einstein's children was held hostage by the Soviets. Journalist Jerome uses Einstein's 2000-page FBI file plus interviews with people familiar with the case to tell this story. Perhaps the most useful aspect of this excellent book is that it reminds readers of the less-celebrated aspect of Einstein's character: he was ready and willing to participate in the political arena. For all libraries.

Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ.,
Parkersburg Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Created by  admin  on  6/22/2004

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