ALBERT EINSTEIN’S LETTER TO ISMET INONU
By: Anye Igwacho
Tags: Albert Einstein, Turkish History, Holocaust, Turkish Culture, Turkey

Authors; Sharifullah Kamran, Ilyas Nayle, Anye Den Warren, Ahmad Fayaz

Albert Einstein (L), Ataturk Kemal(R)

On the 17th, September 1933 Albert Einstein wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey Ismet Inonu. Albert Einstein had to meet Munir Ulgur as a foreign student at Princeton University where he taught and had complimented the Turkish leader and also narrated to him how he was invited by Ataturk to come and teach in a Turkish university, but it had however not been possible

By the 1930s Einstein already had celebrity status after his theory of relativity and mass-energy equation were published Einstein now serving as a senior lecturer at Princeton and having an international reputation was troubled by what was going on back home in Germany

Meanwhile, the world was facing the great depression in the 1920s and 1930s and Germany was not left out and amidst this chaos rose a high sense of anti-Semitism with the Nazi party coming to power under Hitler the Jews were seen as unpatriotic and had to be “taken care off”

Multiple Letters of communication Between Ismet Inonu and Ataturk about the Lausanne treaty and others taken at the Kope Inonu museum

During that period the Nazi party is about to start the invasion in Europe. Adolf Hitler and his party members were against the Jewish people. Many Jews in Europe had been victims of discrimination and persecution, usually for their religious beliefs.

So Albert Einstein’s main purpose in this letter was saving many Jewish intellectuals through the Government of Turkey. When Ismet Inonu received the letter he rejected his request because the Republic of Turkey cannot afford salary for them. Afterward, Ataturk heard about the letter of Albert Einstein he arranged a meeting and ordered Ismet Inonu to accept the requested letter. By accepting the request the Turkish Republic could gain a big advantage over Jews intellectuals through educationWhy was the letter sent

The letter written by Albert Einstein to Ataturk, read by Ismet Inonu plea was initially rejected

Before writing about the letter of Einstein to Ismet Inonu the Prime Minister of Turkey, I believe we need to know the reason why Einstein persuaded us to send the letter. The story has begun when Adolf Hitler ruled for many years in Europe and where it had a grudge against Jewish people. Hitler had no mercy over Jewish they had been tortured for many years in Germany and more than six million Jewish people lost their life. Among these Jewish people, there was scientist, philosophers, etc. most of them lost their life.

Sami M.Gunzberg was a Jewish Turkish dentist he was attending an (attended the National Conference on the Conservation of Jewish Population in Paris) conference of OSE in Paris. There he met with Einstein and together they came up with a plan to seek help from the Republic of turkey and Einstein wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Ismet Inonu dated September 17, 1933, and addressed (Desi Dentist Dentist, Sami Günzberg, Beyoğlu, İstiklal Street, №356) was in his letter he said

Albert Einstein Photograph by Orren Jack Turner, Princeton, N.J

“I beg to apply to your Excellency to allow forty professors and medical doctors from Germany to continue their scientific and medical work in Turkey. The above mentioned cannot practice further in Germany on account of the laws… in granting this request your Government will not only perform an act of high humanity, but it will bring profit to your own country.”(Einstein, 1933)

Prime Minister İsmet İnönü in 1930s.

By September 30th, Sami M.Gunzberg submits the letter by his own hands to the Turkish Government. Although Einstein’s letter was most meant to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, it was sent with lots of attention to Ismet Inonu. When he received the letter, he said that we cannot afford the salary of these and rejected the offer. Looking at the letter Inonu’s handwriting reads “their salaries will be unaffordable for us” and consequently rejects it initially this was inconsistent since the doctors were willing to work for free for 1 year, Prime minister Ismet Inonu responding saying

“The ruling government’s policy to not fulfill the scientific and medical studies in Germany 40 professors and doctors I received your letter, which expressed the acceptance of Turkey. I saw that they accept a year of free work in our government institutions of these gentlemen. Although the offer is very attractive our country’s laws and regulations

“I am not able to give you a positive answer, as you know; we have already employed more than 40 professors and doctors, many of whom have similar qualifications and capacities under the same political conditions. In the present case, we are trying to develop a very sensitive formation with members from various cultures, languages ​​, and backgrounds, and for that reason, we regret that we can’t employ more staff following the conditions we are in.

Distinguished professor,

I express your sadness that you cannot fulfill your desire, I ask you to believe in the best feelings.”(İnönü, 1933)

looking at the letter above the words “your excellency” the rectangular stamp appears “office of the prime minister” just above the date”9–10–993” lies a handwritten note “Maarif Vekaletine”(to the Education Ministry) But later on when Ataturk hears about the letter he calls for a meeting with the principles, presumably the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education, sent the letter to the Minister of National Education Reşit Galip Bey, who served at that time and Dr. Sami M.Gunzberg, and Einstein’s offer is accepted. The invitation was enlarged to the German Jewish Scientists, and the improvement of higher education is underway begun by Einstein’s letter. (Video by Cankaya University in Ankara)

Dr. Gunzberg assisted Einstein in sending the letter

Basically, It was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s idea to offer asylum to the German Jewish scientist because he had set an aspiring course to modernize his country along the European line. He banned the traditional fez (Turkish hat), introduced new civilized dancing to the country, and changed the Turkish alphabet, also Mustafa Kemal Ataturk had a considerable problem with his teeth and his dentist was Sami M.Gunzberg (THE MASTER DENTIST OF THE SERAGLIO AND THE REPUBLIC).

In their many long conversations, Sa

mi M.Gunzberg mentioned the difficulty and problems that German Jew had under Hitler’s rule. Then Ataturk thought about giving asylum to the most gifted Jewish scientist which could help to modernize the turkey in the field of education, science, and many more other aspects.

By Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s idea and the letter of Albert Einstein, many Germans and Austrian Jewish scientists, families moved to Turkey. Started living in turkey. Served in the field of Science, medical, agricultural, and much more other effective filed that helped Turkey to become more modernized. For the next 10–15 years the medical schools, science, and technology departments are located in Istanbul of Turkey. The area of Istanbul which is in Europe become more modernized.

Conclusion

In conclusion with the effort of Albert Einstein, Dr. Gunzberg and the Turkish republic Einstein’s letter served its purpose, and not only that more scientists were allowed passage in Turkey and were permitted to work which also contributed to the educational and scientific growth of the Turkish republic.