People are just realizing the FBI held 1,427 secret files on Albert Einstein
Few know that Albert Einstein, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, was under FBI surveillance for over 20 years. After fleeing Nazi Germany in 1932, his outspoken views on pacifism, civil rights, and critiques of capitalism made him a target. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover suspected him of being a communist, amassing a 1,427-page file by the time of Einstein’s death in 1955. He openly condemned racism, calling segregation a “disease of white people,” and even hosted Black singer Marian Anderson when she faced discrimination.
Einstein’s stance on nuclear weapons also drew scrutiny. Though initially a pacifist, he warned President Roosevelt about Nazi atomic research, later advocating for global control of such weapons. His biographer noted that Einstein cherished America’s free speech—ironically, the same principle that made him a target. Now, social media users are stunned by this hidden history, with one Redditor noting, “Anyone that can ‘change the world with ideas’ is a threat to those in power.”
