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Einstein's unpublished opening lecture for his course on relativity theory in Argentina, 1925
In 1922 the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) Council approved a motion to
send an invitation to Albert Einstein to visit Argentina and give a course of
lectures on his theory of relativity. The motion was proposed by Jorge Duclout
(1856-1927), who had been educated at the Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule,
Zurich (ETH). This proposal was the culmination of a series of initiatives of
various Argentine intellectuals interested in the theory of relativity. In a
very short time Dr. Mauricio Nirenstein (1877-1935), then the university's
administrative secretary, fulfilled all the requirements for the university's
invitation to be endorsed and delivered to the sage in Berlin. The visit took
place three years later, in March-April 1925.
The Argentine press received Einstein with great interest and respect; his
early exchanges covered a wide range of topics, including international
politics and Jewish matters. Naturally, the journalists were more eager to hear
from the eminent pacifist than from the incomprehensible physicist. However,
after his initial openness with the press, the situation changed and Einstein
restricted his public discourse to topics on theoretical physics, avoiding some
controversial political, religious, or philosophical matters that he had freely
touched upon in earlier interviews.. [abridged].Comment: Published version available at
http://www.universoeinstein.com.ar/einsteinargentina.ht
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