Cheque made out to Albert Einstein in recognition of his purported statement of support for the Catholic Church in Germany; eventually paid by means of Einstein’s signed endorsement to the United Jewish Appeal. Princeton, NJ, February 13, 1950.

A Cheque in the sum of 10 dollars, made out to Albert Einstein, drawn on the Manufacturers Trust Company bank, Brooklyn, NY. On the back of the Cheque is Einstein’s typewritten endorsement, "Pay to the order of the United Jewish Appeal, Princeton, New Jersey", hand-signed: "Albert Einstein".

The Cheque was mailed to Einstein by the Reverend Cornelius Greenway. It was in the sum of 10 US Dollars, and was sent as a "token of gratitude", as a small payment in advance for Einstein’s anticipated response to the minister’s request for a signed copy of the declaration that Einstein had supposedly delivered, pertaining to the Catholic Church: "…when the revolution came to Germany, I looked to the universities… but no, the universities were immediately silenced…; the great editors of the newspapers… were silenced within a few short weeks …. Only the [Catholic] Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign…".

Einstein replied the following day. In his letter, he thanked Greenway for his generosity but insisted that "… the wording of the statement you have quoted is not my own. Shortly after Hitler came to power in Germany I had an oral conversation with a newspaper man about these matters. Since then, my remarks have been elaborated and exaggerated nearly beyond recognition. I cannot in good conscience write down the statement you sent me as my own…"

The "token of gratitude" of which Greenway spoke was the present Cheque, attached to his letter, cited above. This Cheque was forwarded by Einstein to the United Jewish Appeal – till this day, America’s largest Jewish philanthropic organization – which was, at the time, providing aid and assistance to Holocaust survivors, supporting Jewish immigration to the State of Israel, and aiding the development of the newborn Jewish state.

Approx. 21X7.5 cm. Good condition. Two fold lines. Small open tear to edge. Inked stamp and perforations.

The original letter, the "token of gratitude", and Einstein’s letter of response are all mentioned in a number of books. See (for example): Helen Dukas and Benesh Hoffmann (eds.), Albert Einstein, the Human Side: New Glimpses from His Archives, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1979, pp. 93-96.