By Mark D. Zimmerman
MELVILLE, New York — The FBI is in the headlines regarding its investigation of Hillary Clinton and her e-mails. The FBI has a long history of being involved in investigations that may not make any sense. The FBI file on Albert Einstein was over 1400 pages in length. Why did the FBI conduct an investigation of Albert Einstein?
A. In 1932, an organization known as the Woman Patriot Corporation wrote a letter to the State Department arguing that “not even Stalin himself” was connected to as many “anarchic-Communist” organizations as Einstein.
B. Einstein helped singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson organize a rally against lynching in 1946.
C. In the 1950’s, Einstein appealed for clemency for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who had been sentenced to death for espionage.
D. In 1953, Einstein encouraged a number of individuals not to testify at hearings before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy.
E. In the early 1950’s, there was fear that Einstein was involved in passing nuclear secrets to the Russians (and we all know that anyone with crazy hair who is connected to the Russians should not be trusted around nuclear weapons).
Zimmerman is the author of the Rashi, Rambam and Ramalamadingdong series of Jewish trivia e-books. Learn more at http://www.rrrjewishtrivia.com