EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955). Autograph letter signed ("A. Einstein") to Judge Benjamin Greenspan, Chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, Princeton, 23 May 1935.

In German. One page, 211 x 278mm, with United Jewish Appeal cancel dated May 25, 1935 (mailing folds, a few tiny chips at right edge, one tear at top).

On his first step towards applying for U.S. citizenship. Einstein withdraws his commitment to attend a fund-raising dinner held in his honor by the Council of the Organizations of the United Jewish Appeal on May 28th: "I have to go to Bermuda (from May 25) for our permanent visas... originally it was planned for the 18th. The preparations took more time than we originally expected, and there was one ship a week, so any further postponement was not possible." Though Einstein's family had been U.S. residents since October 1933, they were not certain that Princeton would be their ultimate destination at their initial arrival. Due to this, Einstein and his family first arrived in America as "visitors," rather than individuals seeking citizenship. It wouldn't be until April 1934—six months after his arrival—that Einstein announced he would remain indefinitely at Princeton. To satisfy the standard requirements of seeking citizenship, Einstein and his family were thus required to leave the United States and re-enter with the officially correct declaration. The Einstein family re-entered the U.S. from Bermuda on June 3, 1935, and submitted their declaration of intention to become U.S. citizens six months later, therein stating that they had "emigrated from the United States of America from Bermuda, Great Britain". See Walter Isaacson's Einstein: His Life and Universe, New York, 2007, p. 437.