Einstein arrived in the United States in 1933, the year the Nazis rose to power in Germany. From that moment until he died in 1955, J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI—with other agencies—feverishly collected “derogatory information” to undermine the renowned scientist’s influence and destroy his reputation. With material accessed under the Freedom of Information Act, Fred Jerome reveals the depth of, and the reasons for, this massive anti-Einstein campaign. He also uncovers Einstein’s strong political ...

Albert Einstein said his “life is divided between equations and politics.” Yet his views on Israel and Zionism were concealed and distorted for decades. Fred Jerome disproves the widely promoted story that Einstein was a “champion” of the State of Israel. A secular Jew, Einstein had mixed feelings about Zionism. Targeted by Germany’s virulent antisemitism, he supported the goal of a Jewish “homeland” in Palestine—or elsewhere. But he also demanded equal rights and equal power for Palestini...