Today, March 14,(1879) is the birthday of Albert Einstein....
The following affords an interesting insight into his life, and the time in which he lived.
"The revelation sounds too sensational even for a tabloid headline: Albert Einstein Had Love Affair With Russian Spy in World War II.
Yet nine letters have surfaced written in 1945 and 1946 by Einstein, the physicist who formulated the theory of relativity, to Margarita Konenkova. According to a book by a former Soviet spy master, Mrs. Konenkova was a Russian agent whose mission was to introduce Einstein to the Soviet vice consul in New York.
... a sensitive man who writes with humor, warmth and candor about his daily life and his undying love.
There is no indication in the letters that Einstein was aware that Mrs. Konenkova may have been a spy.
Mrs. Konenkova's name in ''Special Tasks,'' the memoirs of the Soviet spy master, Pavel Sudoplatov and his son, Anatoly, published in 1995.
The job of Mrs. Konenkova (code name Lukas) was ''to influence Oppenheimer and other prominent American scientists whom she frequently met in Princeton,'' the book says, referring to Robert Oppenheimer. Although the book does not say how Mrs. Konenkova was to have ''influenced'' the scientists, it notes that she was rewarded when she was recalled to Moscow in 1945. Mrs. Konenkova succeeded in introducing Einstein to the Soviet vice consul, Pavel Mikhailov, and Einstein refers to him in the letters.
''I have been speaking with top K.G.B. people,'' the family member said, ''and I have been hearing she was the No. 1 spy for the Manhattan Project.''
it seemed highly unlikely that Einstein may have helped the Russians in building their own bomb, given Einstein's lack of direct involvement in America's bomb project. "
Love Letters By Einstein At Auction - NYTimes.com
The following affords an interesting insight into his life, and the time in which he lived.
"The revelation sounds too sensational even for a tabloid headline: Albert Einstein Had Love Affair With Russian Spy in World War II.
Yet nine letters have surfaced written in 1945 and 1946 by Einstein, the physicist who formulated the theory of relativity, to Margarita Konenkova. According to a book by a former Soviet spy master, Mrs. Konenkova was a Russian agent whose mission was to introduce Einstein to the Soviet vice consul in New York.
... a sensitive man who writes with humor, warmth and candor about his daily life and his undying love.
There is no indication in the letters that Einstein was aware that Mrs. Konenkova may have been a spy.
Mrs. Konenkova's name in ''Special Tasks,'' the memoirs of the Soviet spy master, Pavel Sudoplatov and his son, Anatoly, published in 1995.
The job of Mrs. Konenkova (code name Lukas) was ''to influence Oppenheimer and other prominent American scientists whom she frequently met in Princeton,'' the book says, referring to Robert Oppenheimer. Although the book does not say how Mrs. Konenkova was to have ''influenced'' the scientists, it notes that she was rewarded when she was recalled to Moscow in 1945. Mrs. Konenkova succeeded in introducing Einstein to the Soviet vice consul, Pavel Mikhailov, and Einstein refers to him in the letters.
''I have been speaking with top K.G.B. people,'' the family member said, ''and I have been hearing she was the No. 1 spy for the Manhattan Project.''
it seemed highly unlikely that Einstein may have helped the Russians in building their own bomb, given Einstein's lack of direct involvement in America's bomb project. "
Love Letters By Einstein At Auction - NYTimes.com
