The Einstein File: The FBI's Secret War Against the World's Most Famous Scientist [Paperback]

Einstein arrived in the United States in 1933, the year the Nazis rose to power in Germany. From that moment until he died in 1955, J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI—with other agencies—feverishly collected “derogatory information” to undermine the renowned scientist’s influence and destroy his reputation. With material accessed under the Freedom of Information Act, Fred Jerome reveals the depth of, and the reasons for, this massive anti-Einstein campaign. He also uncovers Einstein’s strong political commitments that have been conveniently buried under the image of the absent-minded icon genius. Whereas Einstein said on several occasions, “My life is divided between equations and politics,” Jerome delves into his little-known political half-life. Einstein, Hoover… Trump Jerome’s preface to this new enriched edition ofThe Einstein File,traces the path of surveillance from J. Edgar Hoover, through McCarthyism, to the Trump era. The preface also presents new information gathered about the things that the FBI hated so much about Einstein: his very close friendship with Paul Robeson and their collaboration in fighting racism; and his studied position on Israel and Zionism that Israeli polticians do everything to hide.

Review by Choice Review “Using the more than 1,800 pages in the file that the FBI maintained on Albert Einstein, Jerome (Syracuse Univ.) has crafted a cautionary tale of government excesses during the Cold War era. Einstein became the target of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI because of his pacifism and his connection with "Red front" organizations. The FBI monitored the scientist's phone calls, opened his mail, and rooted through his garbage in an attempt to uncover evidence that Einstein was an active communist agent. Their efforts were in vain. Some of the material in the FBI's file can only be labeled as ludicrous, although it had serious consequences. In addil£Ã