Albert Einstein

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Einstein and The secret Doctrine

Iverson Harris published an article in The Journal of San Diego History claiming that "A niece of Einstein reported that a copy of "The Secret Doctrine" was always on his desk." In her book The Extraordinary Life and Influence of Helena Blavatsky Sylvia Cranston wrote:

In checking this information it was learned that a niece of Einstein’s, in India during the 1960s, paid a special 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-traveled theosophical lecturer who happened to be at the reception desk when she arrived. While in Ojai, California, in January 1982, Sylvia Cranston met Mrs. Eunice Layton, who confirmed the story.”

Leon Maurer claims that around the mid 1970s he was attending a lecture by a foreign visitor at the United Lodge of Theosophists in New York City where he met a group of women, one of which stated she was present when Einstein's niece arrived at Adyar.

However it is unclear whether Albert Einstein had a niece. His sister Maria "Maja" Einstein had no children, and the same seems to be the case with his first wife's siblings.. Some speculate that this "niece" could have been Helen Dukas, who was one of the trustees of Einstein's state:

On April 13,1928, Helen Dukas starts working as Einstein's secretary. She is not well educated, but gets the job through family connections. In 1933, she emigrates to the U.S. with the Einsteins. Some people, including Hans Albert, suspect she is Einstein's lover. His will makes her a trustee of the estate. He also bequeaths his personal effects to Helen, along with more money than he leaves to any blood relatives. She spends the rest of her life fiercely guarding his privacy and reputation.

An independent account of the alleged copy of the SD in possession of Einstein was given by Jack Brown in his article “I Visit Professor Einstein”, published in Ojai Valley News, 28 Sept. 1983. However, the claims there have been challenged by Barbara Wolff, from the "Albert Einstein Archives" at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.