Einstein's 1,427-Page F.B.I. File

meow meow cat chow writes: "Fred Jerome of the Gene Media Forum has recently written a book called "The Einstein File: J. Edgar Hoover's Secret War Against the World's Most Famous Scientist." The book talks about how the FBI spied on Einstein and identifies some of the people who said he was a spy. Jerome sued the government to obtain access to the 1,427 page file which can be found at (http://foia.fbi.gov/einstein.htm) The New York Times has an article about the book."

Comments

Re:No surprising.

[dj28]

Did you even bother to read the article? He wasn't being investigated becuase he was against nuclear weapons. And they just didn't "assume" he was a communist. He, in all actuality, was a communist. If you read the article, you would know that he was affiliated with 34 communist front groups between 1937-1954, and was a chairman in three of those groups. The government had every right to be suspicious about him. Read the article before you rant about something you have no clue about.

Einstein lobbied to create the Manhattan Project

[Anonymous Coward]

...This new phenomenon would also lead to the construction of bombs, and it is conceivable--though much less certain--that extremely powerful bombs of a new type may thus be constructed. A single bomb of this type, carried by boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port together with some of the surrounding territory. However, such bombs might very well prove to be too heavy for transportation by air.

The United States has only very poor ores of uranium in moderate quantities. There is good ore in Canada and the former Czechoslovakia, while the most important source of uranium is the Belgian Congo.

In view of this situation you may think it desirable to have some permanent contact maintained between the Administration and the group of physicists working on chain reactions in America. One possible way of achieving this might be for you to entrust with this task a person who has your confidence who could perhaps serve in an unofficial capacity. His task might comprise the following:

a) to approach Government Departments, keep them informed of the further development, and put forward recommendations for Government action, giving particular attention to the problems of securing a supply of uranium ore for the United States...

from Einstein's letter to Roosevelt, 1939.

Re:More FBI files

[Iamthefallen]

At http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex.htm, where you'll also find Einsteins and various others FBI acts.

Re:Fifties flashbacks...

[Anonymous Coward]

Right now the Europeans are looking quietly at one another, and at the Russians, and the Chinese, and thinking... If the USA chooses to make itself the singular enemy of all mankind, where does one stand for security?

The better-informed Europeans realise that Russia and China also oppose the International Criminal Court.

Re:Fifties flashbacks...

[Anonymous Coward]

The USA is in the process of withdrawing itself from what little connection it had with international law. It is becoming a rogue state. Right now the Europeans are looking quietly at one another, and at the Russians, and the Chinese, and thinking... If the USA chooses to make itself the singular enemy of all mankind, where does one stand for security?

Excuse that last mishap. As a non USian, I have this to say - You cannot see past yourselves, read what you have said, and ask yourself why would other countries need to concern themselves about security? Is it because you think we do? There are many types of "security", and the world was doing it usual hap-hazard mix of OK long before the US came into existence.

The USA is just another country, remember that and maybe things will improve.