And now I will play a composition which is the closest to my heart
The Great Polonaise in A-Flat
Dr. Einstein, I know that you seldom give interviews
And so I want to thank you
on behalf of all of our listeners for coming here today
I'm sure that what you have to say will be
of real interest and service to your new country
It is clear to me that it was a self-evident
duty to accept this invitation
Though, I must tell you that I do not think words alone
will solve humanity's present problems
the sound of bombs
drowns out man's voice
In ordinary time, times of peace,
I have great faith
in the communication of ideas
between thinking man
But today I am afraid
the intellectual way to
appeal to man is fast becoming of little avail
this brute force dominating so many millions of lives
Seven years ago. Mr. Dimock
when asked for the reason
why I have given up my position in Germany
I made this statement
As long as I have any choice
I will only stay in a country
where political liberties
toleration and equality of all citizens
before the law, is the rule
political liberty implies
liberty to express one's political opinions
orally and in writing
and a tolerant respect for
any and every individual opinion
I do feel
that in America the most valuable
thing in life is possible
the development of the individual
and his creative power
there may be man who can live without political rights
and without
opportunity of free individual development
But I think that this is intolerable for most Americans
here for generations
men have never been under
such humiliating necessity
of unquestioning obedience
Here human dignity
has been developed to such a point
that it would be impossible for people to endure life
Under a system
in which the individual is only a slave of the state
And has no voice in his government
and no decision
on his own way of life
I think from what I have seen
of America, since I have come here
they are not suited for temperament or
tradition for existence under a totalitarian system
I think
that most of them would not find life worth living
so
therefore it is very
important that they consider how these liberties
That are so necessary to them
may be preserved and defended
I am great to hear you say
that Americans can cooperate
because nothing truly valuable
can be achieved
except by the unselfish cooperation of many individuals
Science has provided the possibility of liberation
for human beings from hard labor
but Science itself is not a liberator.
It creates means not goals
man
should use them for reasonable goals
when the ideals of humanity are war and conquest
Those tools become as dangerous
as a razor in the hand of a child of three
We must not condemn
man's inventiveness and patient conquest
of the forces of nature
Because they are being used
wrongly and disobediently now
The fate of humanity
is entirely dependent upon its moral development
Scientists and Artists
through their works
frequently have had enduring influence
Even in the realm of politics
but in order
to influence the cause of political event directly
One must also have
the gift to influence people and their actions directly
this is rather a matter of arousing and using emotion
and personal confidence
than of clear understanding of causal connection
for this reason
intellectuals have little chance to impress an audience
Also, they usually do not have
the gift to make decisions swiftly
I am convinced that a federal organization
of the nations of the world
is not only possible, but even an absolute necessity
if the conditions of our planet are not to become
unbearable for man
Exaggerated nationalism
is an artificially created emotional state
Resulting from the necessity to be prepared for war
this exaggerated Nationalism
would quickly disappear
with the elimination of the war danger
I do not believe that the unequal
geographical distribution
of raw materials must necessarily
lead to wars.
As long as a nation has access
to the materials which are necessary
for its development. It can very well prosper
Everybody will agree
That we are now farther removed
from this goal then seems to be the case 10 years ago
This set back could have been avoided if the democracy
had then shown the same
solidarity and readiness for sacrifice
They have shown now in this hour of
grave emergency.
