Meanderings - September 19, 2010 - The Einstein SD - Some Conclusions

[Joe Fulton]

On August 21st, I posted a blog entitled "How Did Albert Einstein Intuit (Grok) E=mc2?" At the time it was widely believed that there was an extant copy of the Secret Doctrine, annotated by Albert Einstein.

I would like to present the facts as we have found them. In this effort I would like to express appreciation to the following people, with sincerest apologies to anyone who I may have missed:

Dan Caldwell
Jerry Hejka-Ekins
Martin Euser
K. Paul Johnson
Leon Maurer
Pedro Oliveira, Theosophical Society, Adyar
Leslie Royce Pochos
MK Ramadoss
Idarmis Rodriguez
C.A. Shinde, Adyar Library and Research Center
Susan Thomas
Michael Williams
David Mason, Ojai city historian
Lenny Roberts, Managing Editor, the Ojai Valley News
Joe Ross, writer of the Krotona history series
Barbara Wolff, of the Einstein Archives, Jerusalem

Item A

1) The Ojai Valley News carried an article on September 28, 1983 called "I Visited Professor Einstein".
- - The article does exist and it is reproduced on this site.
2) The byline on the article was "Jack Brown".
- - We have found no evidence for the existence of a Jack Brown from any source.
3) In the Jack Brown article, a person by the name of Howard Rothman was mentioned as being a close friend of Einstein's.
- - We have found no evidence of the existence of Howard Rothman.
3) There is a copy of the Secret Doctrine, with annotations at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society, Adyar.
- - We have asked the question directly to C.A. Shinde, at the Adyar Library, and the matter has been taken up by Pedro Oliveira at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society in Adyar. Mr. Oliveira has consulted directly with Radha Burnier on the matter. C.A. Shinde has stated that the volume in question does not exist at the Adyar Library and Radha Burnier, through Pedro Oliveira states likewise for the Theosophical Society headquarters archive.

Item B

1) Sylvia Cranston, in her book, "HPB: The Extraordinary Life of Helena Blavatsky, founder of the modern theosophical movement..." references an interview with Eunice Layton in which the story is related of Einstein's niece donating the Secret Doctrine to her at the Adyar Library.
- - Einstein had no niece. His sister, Maja was childless. A niece is a physical impossibility.
2) Iverson Harris, in the Summer, 1974 issue of the San Diego History Journal states that a niece of Einstein "paid a visit to the headquarters of the Theosophical Society at Adyar. She explained that she knew nothing of theosophy or the society, but had to see the place because her uncle always had a copy of Madame Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine on his desk. The individual to whom the niece spoke was Eunice Layton, a world renowned theosophical lecturer who happened to be at the reception desk when she arrived. While in Ojai, California, in 1982, Sylvia Cranston met Mrs. Eunice Layton, who confirmed the story."
- - Again, the mention of the non-existent niece.

There are some items that are alleged, but are not documented:

1) William Laudahn gave John Algeo a copy of the Jack Brown article in from the Ojai Valley News.
- - That may or may not be true. In any case, since we have a copy of the article, the point is moot. In addition, according to Paul Johnson, William Laudahn died around 1995.
2) Dr. Alfred Taylor maintained a close personal friendship with Albert Einstein.
- - According to Joe Ross, a very close personal friend and student of Dr. Taylor there was never an acquaintance between Alfred Taylor and Professor Einstein.

What can we infer from the above facts?

Every aspect of this story, as related so far has been proven false. It is, quite frankly, a surprise that about one month's worth of research was able to disprove every single allegation made in regard to this story. I was not entirely expecting this outcome.

The other fact that stands out here is the role played by Eunice Layton in communicating this story. Why did she do it? I don't know. Did she check her facts when interviewing with Sylvia Cranston? Did she not care, or was Eunice deliberately out to deceive? In any case, the real victim of this saga, if anyone, is Sylvia Cranston. I can only surmise that the desire to believe this story is so deep seated in the psyche of many Theosophists that it just has to be true.

The image that comes to mind is that of the closing of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" where, in a warehouse a wooden crate sits, and for a brief instant something causes the side to almost ignite.

There is a dimension to this effort that is quite significant, and for which I am honored to be a part of. This effort was truly a collective endeavor. The inspiration goes directly to the concept that Martin Euser has been espousing on this site for quite some time. That is the idea of "Open Source Theosophy". The concept of a group of people working together, of their own free will, towards a common goal, and producing a solid result, is I have to admit, quite gratifying. In addition, the assistance provided by individuals who normally wouldn't come in contact with our movement has been much more than I ever would have expected.

Thanks so much...now own to something even more challenging...the Stanzas of Dzyan. More on that in a separate post.

[Joe Fulton]

Well, for our ULT members who belong here, I would very strongly suggest that they petition the ULT in Bombay for an answer.  I would urge MK Ramadoss to post likewise on Theos-Talk.  If this volume exists, everyone worthy of being called a Theosophist should call to have the volume digitized and published for all to freely access.  We will gladly provide the equipment and the expertise to do so.

If someone has a positive response to this question, please contact me personally.

[Michael A. Williams]

Thanks, Joe, for getting off an inquiry to the ULT library in India. I'm not expecting a positive response, but we'll see. It could be "lost" there in their archives; they could be intentionally not disclosing they have it for various reasons; or it's in the hands of a private party and was stolen from there many years ago.

After all, there's been at least two or three turnovers in staff since the 1960's and a number of scenarios could have taken place in that time span.

[Joe Fulton]

One source that might be useful is the Theos-L talk lists. The archive is at http://www.theos-l.com/archives/index.html.  The site is maintained by our own Eldon Tucker.

Estella Carson at Blavatsky.Net, may have some insight, too.

[Joe Fulton]

I just sent the following inquiry to ULT India.  Let's see what they say.   I will relay the response.

 

 

Greetings Ramapraksh,

 

The discussion about Einstein’s alleged copy of the Secret Doctrine continues.  We need to ask some questions as the discussion has arisen again and some points need to be cleared up which did not arise in the original discussion.

 

Is the ULT library in possession of the copy of the Secret Doctrine which was owned by Albert Einstein?

 

We have it on the authority of the late Dallas Tenbroeck, who maintained that he had seen and handled this book that it exists at the ULT Library.

 

Thanks much for your assistance in clearing up this matter.

 

Joe Fulton

Theosophy.Net

[Michael A. Williams]

Thanks, David, for getting the record straight here on the Einstein SD situation. As mentioned before, with the entrance of the ULT in the picture, there is some room now that more investigation can be undertaken. It seems some kind of inquiry into the ULT library in Mumbai, if not in person by a member of this site, then by email, is in order.

Perhaps Joe, being head of this site, is in the best position for that. He's promising to get back with a comment on these new developments in due course.

One other thing: it's been said that Dallas TenBroeck claimed to have personally seen the Einstein SD. Where and when, I don't know. It's also been said that he left a widow who may still be alive. I brought this up last year, that it would be good to track her down, if she exists, and get a statement from her. But, nobody who knew Dallas communicate back, so that possibility is still open. If she could verify he did see it in person and when and where, it would help tremendously.

[David Reigle]

Yes, Michael, Eunice Layton only reported hearing from her visitor that Einstein kept The Secret Doctrine on his desk. Eunice said nothing about her visitor giving Einstein's copy to the Adyar Library. At the time of the visit, Eunice was working at the visitor's desk at Adyar. Eunice recounted the visit to many people, including Joy Mills, Sylvia Cranston, myself and my wife, etc. The book-giving part of the story comes only from Sophia Wadia or one of her associates, as reported by Leon Maurer (http://theosnet.ning.com/profiles/blogs/what-everyone-should-know). Sophia Wadia (died 1986) was the wife of B. P. Wadia, and a leading figure in the United Lodge of Theosophists in India after B. P. Wadia's death. He had resigned from the TS (Adyar) in 1922 and spent the rest of his life working vigorously for the United Lodge of Theosophists. He led the ULT in India from the late 1920s until his death in 1958, and edited their magazine, The Aryan Path. B. P. Wadia was, by the way, a brilliant man, and I would recommend his book, Studies in The Secret Doctrine. As the late Dallas TenBroeck, another stalwart ULT associate, said in a note on Leon Maurer's article, Sophia Wadia never visited Adyar (http://www.theosophy.com/theos-talk/200002/tt00000.html). If this book is in fact at the ULT Headquarters in Bombay (now called Mumbai), it is not necessarily the case that it is being purposely hidden there, but simply that it is not being promoted.

[Michael A. Williams]

David, I mentioned this new development of the ULT entering the picture to Joe in an private message. He hasn't gotten back to me on it. I assume, and rightly so, his wife's present medical situation is much more urgent.

Let me get this straight, since I don't have Leon Maurer article at hand anymore. First, that Eunice Layton only said a "niece" or some woman, came to Adyar and mentioned that Einstein always had a copy of The SD on his desk and that she was present. 

Second, that this Sophia Wadea and/or one of her lady friends, brought up the story of an Einstein SD being donated to a Theososphical library in India. You connect the ULT library in the story because Sophia Wadea was associated with the ULT. Is this how the ULT is now brought in?

I don't know of anyone here that lives in India, but others here might, or such a person may come forward, if they read this. Otherwise, we're at a dead end again.

I personally feel that if the Einstein SD exists, it's either in a vault at the ULT in India, or in the private hands of a Theosophist who got it in some fashion decades ago. To come forward now may mean numerous legal complications they'd rather not get involved in.

[David Reigle]

Michael, your suggestion that the alleged female relative of Einstein who visited India could have been one of his step-daughters seems quite plausible to me. I checked and found that they have both died, so we cannot ask them. What is left for us to do is a friendly visit to the United Lodge of Theosophists Headquarters and library in Mumbai to inquire about this book. I wonder if we have any members living in the Mumbai area who would be willing to do this.

[Michael A. Williams]

Thanks, David and Petri, for coming forth on this matter with a new perspective. I was one of the people who helped with tracking down this story last year. Although, Joe feels we've put the subject to rest, I've always had a feeling that there was more to it.

The conclusion that some have is to put it all at the doorstep of Eunice layton. The motive by a few is that is was a prank by the Krotona group in Ojai, led by Eunice Layton, on the ULT. Not knowing all the details of the rivalry there, I still thought it sounded rather juvenile for grown adults. Plus, another individual, and now you David, say it would have been out of character for Eunice Layton to do such a thing. This would also include the Jack Brown article in the Ojai daily newspaper back in 1963. It's true that the Brown article contains many irregularities, but these could be explained by a re-writing of the article by an over zealous staff writer to put more "color" and "interest" in the story(not unheard of in small town papers).

As for this mysterious "niece," I've just discovered that Einstein had two step-daughters, Margot and Ilse. And, according to Wikipedia, Margot inherited quite a bit of his literary estate. There's a good chance it was one of them, and the relationship got confused over time.

In point of fact, there might still  be a kernel of truth to the story, with many of the details becoming changed around by poor memory through the decades.

With this new revelation that the questioned Einstein SD copy very likely was dropped off at the ULT library in Bombay(now Mubai),  not in Adyar, it seems a re-opening of this case may be in order.

 

[David Reigle]

Thank you, Petri, for confirming that there is no mention in Cranston's book of donating Einstein's copy of The Secret Doctrine to the Adyar Library. This was never part of the story that came from Eunice Layton. The point in question from her story is the description of the visitor as Albert Einstein's niece, since it is known that he had no niece. Nonetheless, no one who knew the Laytons would believe that Eunice made up the story of the visitor. Someone did come to Adyar, said that Einstein always kept a copy of The Secret Doctrine on his desk, and described herself as his niece. If she was an impostor, one will have to establish motive. It is hard for me to imagine a motive for this. It is easier for me to believe that there was a mistake made around her particular relationship with Einstein. My own memory of what Eunice said on this point is far from clear, since once my mind categorized it as a relative, I paid no further attention to exactly which relative. Recently I asked Joy Mills if she remembered Eunice specifically saying "niece," and Joy replied that niece is what she remembers Eunice saying. So it does seem that Eunice described the relative as a niece.

The other source of the Einstein Secret Doctrine story is Sophia Wadia or one of her associates, as reported by Leon Maurer. This is the source of the part about donating Einstein's copy of The Secret Doctrine to a Theosophical library. The very fact of who Sophia Wadia was, would indicate that the Theosophical headquarters that were visited were the United Lodge of Theosophists headquarters in Bombay, and that the Theosophical library that it was donated to was the United Lodge of Theosophists library there. Just as my memory was vague about the "niece" part, and in fact I had come to think of this relative as a daughter or grand-daughter, so Leon could have easily assumed Adyar upon hearing Theosophical headquarters or Theosophical library, when in fact Sophia Wadia or her associate was referring to the Theosophical headquarters and library of the United Lodge of Theosophists in Bombay. Again, if Dallas Tenbroeck had seen this book, he would have seen it at the United Lodge of Theosophists headquarters in Bombay. That is where efforts need to be made to find any such book if it exists.