Review by Choice Review "Using the more than 1,800 pages in the file that the FBI maintained on Albert Einstein, Jerome (Syracuse Univ.) has crafted a cautionary tale of government excesses during the Cold War era. Einstein became the target of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI because of his pacifism and his connection with "Red front" organizations. The FBI monitored the scientist's phone calls, opened his mail, and rooted through his garbage in an attempt to uncover evidence that Einstein was an active communist agent. Their efforts were in vain. Some of the material in the FBI's file can only be labeled as ludicrous, although it had serious consequences. In addition to exposing the lengths to which the FBI was prepared to go during the height of the Cold War, Jerome also examines Einstein's political activism, refuting the portrait of the benign, absent-minded professor that has emerged in the years since the scientist's death.

Although the author is inclined to see things in terms of black and white, with Einstein elevated to heroic status, his book nonetheless provides a vivid portrait of the McCarthy-Hoover years, as well as a reminder of the continuing problems confronting civil liberties in a national security state. All levels." W. M. Leary University of Georgia Library Journal Review "It is not surprising that J. Edgar Hoover's FBI spied on Albert Einstein from 1933 to his death in 1955. As this well-done study makes clear, the famous scientist was also a social and political activist with strong pacifist and Socialist leanings. Einstein publicly supported the civil rights and anti-lynching movements and was a friend of leading African Americans.

Unafraid, he was willing to denounce Joseph McCarthy and encouraged others to refuse to testify before him. These activities, plus his role in the development of nuclear weapons, led Hoover to investigate Einstein in search of "derogatory information," hoping to discredit and eventually deport him. While Hoover wanted to discover that Einstein was a Communist, his agents also collected crazy stories such as that one of Einstein's children was held hostage by the Soviets. Journalist Jerome uses Einstein's 2000-page FBI file plus interviews with people familiar with the case to tell this story. Perhaps the most useful aspect of this excellent book is that it reminds readers of the less-celebrated aspect of Einstein's character: he was ready and willing to participate in the political arena." Harper's Magazine "A highly readable book -- investigative journalism that qualifies as academic history. It is also scary.".