THE CONGRESSIONAL INQUISITION                                                                                  81

of the Nazis in Germany fresh in his mind, said: "The reactionary
politicians have managed to instiU suspicion of all intellectual
efforts into the public by dangling before their eyes a danger from
without, . , . What ought the minority of intellectuals to do
against this evil? Frankly, I can see only the revolutionary way
of non-cooperation in the sense of Gandhi's. Every inteUeetual
who is called before one of the committees ought to refuse to
testify, i.e., he must be prepared for jail and economic ruin, in
short, for the sacrifice of his personal welfare in the interest of
the cultural welfare of his country,"

This refusal to testffy. Dr. Einstein went on to say, should not
be based on the Fifth Amendment, "but on the assertion that it is
shameful for a blameless citizen to submit to such an inquisition
and that this kind of inquisition violates the Constitution. If
enough people are ready to take this grave step they wiU be
successful. If not, then the intellectuals of this countiy deserve
nothing better than the slavery which is intended for them." '^^

Americans of whatever origin, pohtical party and walk of lffe
can do no better than to heed Albert Einstein's words, conceived
in courage and matiured in wisdom.