Einstein’s travel diaries reveal his racism

Physicist’s ‘shocking’ xenophobia threatens
his reputation as a civil rights champion

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The famous physian describes the Chinese as “industrious,
filthy, obtuse people”, adding: “It would be a pity if these
Chinese supplant all other races. For the likes of us, the mere
thought is unspeakably dreary.”

He also says that “the Chinese may well supplant every nation
through their diligence, frugality, and abundance of
offspring”.

Einstein wrote a number of xenophobic diary entries while
touring Asia and the Middle East between October 1922 and March
1923.

In Colombo, in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Einstein describes how
local people “live in great filth and considerable stench at ground
level”, adding that they “do little, and need little. The simple
economic cycle of life.”

His views on the Japanese are more flattering. The scientist
calls them “unostentatious, decent, altogether very appealing”,
adding: “Pure souls as nowhere else among people. One has to love
and admire this country.”

The racist attitudes expressed in Eistein’s diary are all the
more shocking given his reputation as an outspoken
humanitarian.

“While Einstein is most widely known for his achievements in
science, historians have also noted his active engagement with
civil rights politics in the United States,” where he described
racism as a “disease of white people”, says NBC News. “Additionally, he spoke out against
Nazi fascism in his native Germany while advocating for his fellow
European Jews.”

Ze’ev Rosenkranz, senior editor of the Einstein Papers Project
at the California Institute of Technology, edited and translated
The
Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein. Rosenkranz said: “I think a
lot of comments strike us as pretty unpleasant – what he says about
the Chinese, in particular.

“They’re kind of in contrast to the public image of the great
humanitarian icon. I think it’s quite a shock to read those and
contrast them with his more public statements. They’re more off
guard, he didn’t intend them for publication.”