A Beautiful Mind Part 11

CHAPTER 37

Mad Hatter's Tea May - June 1959 May - June 1959

AFTER N NASH WAS COMMITTED, Alicia couldn't face staying at the West Medford house by herself, and in any case, the lease was due to expire May 1. Alicia telephoned Emma and asked whether they might live together. Alicia couldn't face staying at the West Medford house by herself, and in any case, the lease was due to expire May 1. Alicia telephoned Emma and asked whether they might live together.1 "One day Alicia just called me up and said she wanted to share an apartment with me," Emma recalled. At first Emma was reluctant because she was afraid Alicia would insist on their finding an expensive place, but then it occurred to her that they might rent a house owned by their mutual friend Margaret Hughes. So, on May 1, Alicia and Emma moved into a tiny saltbox at 18 Tremont Street, in Cambridge, halfway between MIT and Harvard. "One day Alicia just called me up and said she wanted to share an apartment with me," Emma recalled. At first Emma was reluctant because she was afraid Alicia would insist on their finding an expensive place, but then it occurred to her that they might rent a house owned by their mutual friend Margaret Hughes. So, on May 1, Alicia and Emma moved into a tiny saltbox at 18 Tremont Street, in Cambridge, halfway between MIT and Harvard.

Alicia indulged in no tears, hysteria, or unnecessary confidences. She accepted what help she could get. She had very little faith that anyone would come to her aid. She was well aware that everyone, including close friends like Arthur Mattuck, considered Nash her responsibility. She defended herself against criticism of her decision to commit Nash, but only when pressed, as, for example, by Gertrude Moser, who, after visiting Nash at McLean, began to doubt that he was insane and demanded that Alicia justify her decision to have Nash locked up. For a young woman whose husband was in a lunatic asylum, threatening to hurt her, to divorce her, and to take their money and run off to Europe, she maintained a remarkable calm. The apparently flighty young woman who had, in the throes of lovesickness, sat in the science fiction section of the library, hoping her idol would come in, had reserves of strength that she would need to draw on the rest of her life.

Another young woman might have thrown up her hands and gone home to her parents. But Alicia told herself that John's mind and career could be saved. She focused on the crisis at hand as best she could and put herself in the capable hands of Emma and f.a.gi Levinson. Her ability to focus on her own agenda, her iron self-control, sense of ent.i.tlement, deep conviction that her own future depended on this man - and perhaps also the combined energy, optimism, and ignorance of youth - all came to her aid in this very dark hour. All her attention was focused on a single task - not the task of giving birth, but that of saving John Nash.

"She never talked about the baby, only about Nash," Emma recalled. "She regarded the pregnancy as a problem. Just a danger to Nash. She was worried that it would interfere with her ability to take care of [him]." regarded the pregnancy as a problem. Just a danger to Nash. She was worried that it would interfere with her ability to take care of [him]."

There was no waiting nursery, no layette, no dog-eared copy of Dr. Spock's new best-selling baby manual sitting on the night table. Alicia had no time or attention for such things. She wished for the pregnancy to end, but she had not looked beyond it. She had vaguely a.s.sumed that her mother would come and help her, but hadn't bothered to make the arrangements. Nor had she asked Virginia to come again. She barely paid any attention at all, in fact. Even after the baby kept her awake nights with its vigorous kicks, she never talked about it.

Emma recalled, "The observation period [with Nash at McLean] was coming to an end. The psychiatrists were telling Alicia that the crisis was precipitated by her pregnancy. She asked her doctor to induce her labor. He wouldn't."

On May 20, when Alicia's labor began, Nash was still in McLean and she was still living with Emma at 18 Tremont Street. The pains began in her lower back. Eventually she crawled into bed. Emma was there. The two of them couldn't decide whether the labor had started. Later when her sister was about to give birth, Emma would buy an obstetrics textbook and discover that back labor was in fact quite common. But at that moment, the two MIT women were in the dark about such things. Finally, when the pains became more insistent and closer together, either she or Alicia telephoned f.a.gi, who confirmed that, yes, indeed, it sounded like labor and said she would jump into her car right away and drive over. She did and, after taking one look at Alicia, who was by now looking quite scared, told her to get into the car and they'd drive to the hospital immediately.

Alicia gave birth to a baby boy that night. He weighed nearly nine pounds and was 21.5 inches long. She did not give the baby a name. She felt that the naming would have to wait until his father was well enough to help choose one. As it happened, the baby remained nameless for nearly a year.

Alicia had still to bear Nash's anger. The day after the birth, Nash came to the Boston Lying-in Hospital to visit his wife and new son, having gotten permission to leave McLean for the evening. Although f.a.gi Levinson does not remember doing so, one imagines that it was she who arranged this. Another friend came to see Alicia halfway through Nash's visit. Alicia was lying in bed, looking tiny and wan. Nash was sitting beside her. Her dinner tray was on the table next to the bed. At some point, Nash carefully took the napkin, stood up, and went over to a sign on the wall with the name of the hospital on it and covered up the "In" in the hospital's name so that it read "Boston Lying Hospital." The visitor recalled, "The implication was that it was Alicia who was lying. She observed what he was doing. I made no comment. I certainly didn't want the situation to escalate into speech."2 Nash's sense of humor had in no way deserted him. On the afternoon of his release one week later, Nash went directly to the mathematics common room. He strolled in, greeted everyone, and said he'd come straight from McLean. "It was a wonderful place," he told the graduate students and professors who were sipping tea. "They had everything but one: freedom!"3 A day or two later, Nash was back in the department. He carefully posted hand-printed notices in the hallways announcing a "coming out party." The notices read: "All the people who are important in my life are invited! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!" Over the following week, he went around to everyone's office and asked each member of the department if he were coming. If the person said "Yes," he asked them "Why?"4 He referred to the party as a "Mad Hatter's Tea," and he asked people to dress up in costumes.5 Whether the event was his idea or Alicia's isn't clear. f.a.gi Levinson, Norman's wife, thought that Alicia - who was home with a week-old baby - had organized it for the purpose of thanking all of those who had visited Nash in McLean. Whether the event was his idea or Alicia's isn't clear. f.a.gi Levinson, Norman's wife, thought that Alicia - who was home with a week-old baby - had organized it for the purpose of thanking all of those who had visited Nash in McLean.6 One graduate student, who said he went to New York that weekend to avoid it, remembered that it was held at Mattuck's apartment. Mattuck doesn't remember it at all. Very likely, it took place at 18 Tremont Street. f.a.gi remembered it as a "big party." One graduate student, who said he went to New York that weekend to avoid it, remembered that it was held at Mattuck's apartment. Mattuck doesn't remember it at all. Very likely, it took place at 18 Tremont Street. f.a.gi remembered it as a "big party."

The Nashes held at least one dinner party too. The mystified guest was Al Vasquez, who was about to graduate on June 12, and he remembers it as a sad and depressing event. In 1997, he recalled: It was one of the most bizarre evenings I've ever spent. I went there and there was Alicia, the baby, and Alicia's mother. John was behaving very oddly. Whenever John got up, Alicia's mother would get up and place herself between him and the baby. It was a pretty strange dance. It lasted a couple of hours. Alicia had no idea who I was. Everybody tried to act like everything was normal. The weirdness of this was overwhelming. Nash couldn't sit still. He'd bolt up and as soon as he did; Alicia's mother would jump up and fuss over this and that. But she wouldn't let him get anywhere near the baby.7

Nash was determined to leave for Europe as soon as possible. He wrote to Hormander on June 1 asking whether Hormander would be in Stockholm during the summer. He was thinking of traveling to Sweden that summer, he wrote, and was looking for "(nominal) mathematical a.s.sociations" to justify the trip.8 And he wrote to Armand and Gaby Borel, who were in Switzerland at the time, to ask that they help him obtain Swiss citizens.h.i.+p. And he wrote to Armand and Gaby Borel, who were in Switzerland at the time, to ask that they help him obtain Swiss citizens.h.i.+p.9 Nash was also determined to resign his MIT professors.h.i.+p. Furious that MIT had connived in his involuntary hospitalization, Nash "dramatically" - as he later put it - submitted a letter of resignation10 and simultaneously demanded that MIT release a small pension fund that had acc.u.mulated from the time he joined the full-time faculty. and simultaneously demanded that MIT release a small pension fund that had acc.u.mulated from the time he joined the full-time faculty.11 Levinson was aghast. With Martin and others, he tried to persuade Nash that what he wished to do was mad. He told Nash that MIT would not accept his resignation. Levinson acted in the most altruistic fas.h.i.+on. He was well aware of the heavy expenses of medical treatment, and he was anxious for Nash to retain the insurance coverage that MIT provided its faculty members. "Norman tried to convince him not to do it," f.a.gi said. "He felt responsible for him." Levinson was aghast. With Martin and others, he tried to persuade Nash that what he wished to do was mad. He told Nash that MIT would not accept his resignation. Levinson acted in the most altruistic fas.h.i.+on. He was well aware of the heavy expenses of medical treatment, and he was anxious for Nash to retain the insurance coverage that MIT provided its faculty members. "Norman tried to convince him not to do it," f.a.gi said. "He felt responsible for him."12 Martin recalled, "It was a very difficult period. By the time he resigned, he couldn't meet his cla.s.ses and people felt that he had no hope of any recovery. We were on the spot. I couldn't even talk to him. There was no having a coherent conversation with him. Levinson always backed Nash to the hilt. There was no pressure on me either [from the administration to accept Nash's resignation]."13'

But Nash was intransigent. At Levinson's urging, the university administration tried to prevent Nash from withdrawing his pension money, but here too Nash prevailed. On June 23, James Faulkner, a physician affiliated with MIT, telephoned Warren Stearns on behalf of MIT's president, James Killian, to say that the university was extremely concerned about Nash's future.14 According to Paul Samuelson, Stearns once again took the position that Nash was not insane and was fully competent, in a legal sense, to make such decisions. According to Paul Samuelson, Stearns once again took the position that Nash was not insane and was fully competent, in a legal sense, to make such decisions.15 The amount was negligible, but once the check was issued, Nash's last formal tie to MIT was cut. The amount was negligible, but once the check was issued, Nash's last formal tie to MIT was cut.

Shortly after his resignation, he ran into one of his former students from the game-theory course, Henry Wan, telling him that he was now engaged in a study of linguistics. When Wan expressed surprise, Nash said that mathematicians had a unique ability to "abstract the essence of a field. That is why we can move from one area to another."16 Nash said that he was sailing on the Queen Mary Queen Mary in early July. Alicia tried to dissuade him, but when it became clear to her that he would go, she made up her mind to accompany him and to leave their son behind in her mother's care. in early July. Alicia tried to dissuade him, but when it became clear to her that he would go, she made up her mind to accompany him and to leave their son behind in her mother's care.

Nash had an invitation to spend the year in Paris at the College de France, the leading French center of mathematics. Alicia hoped that a few months abroad, away from the pressures of Cambridge and among new faces, would let Nash forget his dreams of world peace, world government, and world citizens.h.i.+p; he might settle down to work again. To Nash, however, the journey seemed to promise a more permanent escape from his old life. He talked as if they were never to return.

They drove down to New York and said their good-byes to Alicia's cousins. The occasion was uneventful except that Nash had refused to eat facing the huge mirror opposite the dining table.17 They left their Mercedes, its trunk full of old They left their Mercedes, its trunk full of old issues of issues of The New York Times, The New York Times, in the Inst.i.tute parking lot in Princeton. Nash wished to bequeath both car and newspapers to Ha.s.sler Whitney, the mathematician whom he most admired. in the Inst.i.tute parking lot in Princeton. Nash wished to bequeath both car and newspapers to Ha.s.sler Whitney, the mathematician whom he most admired.18 They left their baby - not yet named and therefore referred to as Baby Epsilon, a little mathematical joke - behind as well. Alicia's mother had already taken the infant home with her to Was.h.i.+ngton. They left their baby - not yet named and therefore referred to as Baby Epsilon, a little mathematical joke - behind as well. Alicia's mother had already taken the infant home with her to Was.h.i.+ngton.19 Mrs. Larde, they had agreed, would join them in Paris with the baby as soon as they were settled. Mrs. Larde, they had agreed, would join them in Paris with the baby as soon as they were settled.

PART FOUR

The Lost Years

CHAPTER 38

Citoyen du Monde Paris and Geneva, 195960 Paris and Geneva, 195960

I have a difficult task ahead of me and I have dedicated my whole life to it.

- K, in The Castle, Castle, by F by FRANZ K KAFKA

I seem as in a trance sublime and strange To muse on my own separate fantasy.

- PERCY B BYSSHE S Sh.e.l.lEY, "Mont Blanc" "Mont Blanc"

SHORTLY AFTER Independence Day, Nash and Alicia left from New York harbor on the Independence Day, Nash and Alicia left from New York harbor on the Queen Mary, Queen Mary, standing by the rail with the rest of the throng. They watched the pier, then the skyline, then the Statue of Liberty move away from them as they sailed slowly toward the open sea. They looked very much as they had a year earlier when they'd embarked on their honeymoon voyage - he tall, well dressed, and handsome, she slender, small, and delicate - but less animated, more subdued. They were both lost in their own thoughts. standing by the rail with the rest of the throng. They watched the pier, then the skyline, then the Statue of Liberty move away from them as they sailed slowly toward the open sea. They looked very much as they had a year earlier when they'd embarked on their honeymoon voyage - he tall, well dressed, and handsome, she slender, small, and delicate - but less animated, more subdued. They were both lost in their own thoughts.

The Nashes reached London on July 18 after a "restful" crossing.1 Two days later they were in Paris. Two days later they were in Paris.2 The beauty of Paris overwhelmed them just as it had a year earlier, "verdure everywhere ... with the giant blue Paris pigeons bolting above it, two by two." The beauty of Paris overwhelmed them just as it had a year earlier, "verdure everywhere ... with the giant blue Paris pigeons bolting above it, two by two."3 For a few hours after they emerged from the Gare St-Lazare and made their way to a modest Left Bank hotel incongruously named the Grand Hotel de Mont Blanc, the leaden weight of the miserable months in Cambridge seemed to lift from their shoulders and they felt, briefly, as light as air again. They set out, that afternoon, for the American Express Office to buy francs and to inquire if they had any mail. As always during the summer, the Place de L'Opera was crowded with American tourists. To their delight, they immediately spotted the familiar face of John Moore, a mathematician Nash knew from MIT, who would soon become co-chairman of the mathematics department at Princeton. Moore was sitting outside the Cafe de la Paix, reading, when he looked up and saw the Nashes. "I was surprised, but not surprised," Moore recalled in 1995. "A lot of mathematicians come to Paris. We talked about Edinburgh. I noticed nothing unusual." For a few hours after they emerged from the Gare St-Lazare and made their way to a modest Left Bank hotel incongruously named the Grand Hotel de Mont Blanc, the leaden weight of the miserable months in Cambridge seemed to lift from their shoulders and they felt, briefly, as light as air again. They set out, that afternoon, for the American Express Office to buy francs and to inquire if they had any mail. As always during the summer, the Place de L'Opera was crowded with American tourists. To their delight, they immediately spotted the familiar face of John Moore, a mathematician Nash knew from MIT, who would soon become co-chairman of the mathematics department at Princeton. Moore was sitting outside the Cafe de la Paix, reading, when he looked up and saw the Nashes. "I was surprised, but not surprised," Moore recalled in 1995. "A lot of mathematicians come to Paris. We talked about Edinburgh. I noticed nothing unusual."4 What their real plans were at the time, Alicia was later unable to say. She had followed Nash to Europe, not because she hoped that Paris would provide a cure for his troubles, but because she had no way of stopping him, and, that being the case, she had not been able to bear seeing him go off to a strange land, alone, without someone to watch over him. But, in those first few days in Paris, the Nashes behaved as if this would be their new home for some time. Alicia enrolled in a French-language course at the Sorbonne and looked around for more permanent lodgings.5 Her twenty-year-old cousin Odette, who was planning to spend the year at the University of Gren.o.ble, happened to be in Paris, too. The two young women went house hunting together until they found a pretty, clean, and s.p.a.cious flat for the Nashes at 49 Avenue de la Republique, in a nondescript but perfectly respectable blue-collar neighborhood on the Right Bank. Her twenty-year-old cousin Odette, who was planning to spend the year at the University of Gren.o.ble, happened to be in Paris, too. The two young women went house hunting together until they found a pretty, clean, and s.p.a.cious flat for the Nashes at 49 Avenue de la Republique, in a nondescript but perfectly respectable blue-collar neighborhood on the Right Bank.6 Paris, indeed all of Europe, was sizzling hot that July. The newspapers were full of heat-wave stories, including one about a parked car that had burst into flames, a seemingly genuine case of spontaneous combustion. The rear winds.h.i.+eld had apparently acted like a magnifying gla.s.s and some papers left on the rear dashboard had ignited.7 The mood of Paris, always a magnet for alienated and disaffected Americans and full of self-declared exiles of the Silent Generation, was hot as well. The war in Algeria raged on, with its right-wing terrorist bombings, its civilian ma.s.sacres, its tortures. The city reverberated with ma.s.s demonstrations, strikes, and explosions. And the latest word on the nuclear arms race - the American announcement that it now could match Russia's ICBMs, missile for missile - left open the question of whether the world wasn't in for another, more deadly case of spontaneous combustion. The mood of Paris, always a magnet for alienated and disaffected Americans and full of self-declared exiles of the Silent Generation, was hot as well. The war in Algeria raged on, with its right-wing terrorist bombings, its civilian ma.s.sacres, its tortures. The city reverberated with ma.s.s demonstrations, strikes, and explosions. And the latest word on the nuclear arms race - the American announcement that it now could match Russia's ICBMs, missile for missile - left open the question of whether the world wasn't in for another, more deadly case of spontaneous combustion.

If the heat and high political theater influenced Nash's mood, they induced not torpor, but a heightened sense of purpose. Acting on "special" knowledge, Nash was animated by a desire to cut himself off from all vestiges of his former social self. In the Tightness of this he believed with absolute certainty, resisting any and all attempts by Alicia to persuade him to give up his "silly" notions. Having resigned his professors.h.i.+p, having left not only Cambridge but the United States, and having given up mathematics for politics, he wished, quite simply, to shed the layers of his old ident.i.ty like so many outworn articles of clothing.

Ideas of world government, and the related concept of world citizens.h.i.+p, were at their heyday during Nash's Princeton graduate-school days and permeated the 1950s science fiction that Nash devoured as a student and afterward. Founded after the collapse of the League of Nations in the 1930s, the one-world movement exploded into the national consciousness within a few years of the end of World War II. Princeton was a center of that movement, largely because of the presence of physicists and mathematicians - notably Albert Einstein and John von Neumann - who acted as midwives to the nuclear age.8 One of Nash's contemporaries in graduate school, John Kemeny - a brilliant young logician, the a.s.sistant to One of Nash's contemporaries in graduate school, John Kemeny - a brilliant young logician, the a.s.sistant to Einstein, and later the president of Dartmouth College - was a leader of the World Federalists. Einstein, and later the president of Dartmouth College - was a leader of the World Federalists.

However, the one-worlder who fired Nash's imagination was a loner like himself, the Abbie Hoffman of the one-world movement. In 1948, Garry Davis, a leather-jacketed World War II bomber pilot, Broadway actor, and son of society band leader Meyer Davis, had walked into the American emba.s.sy in Paris, turned in his U.S. pa.s.sport, and renounced his American citizens.h.i.+p.9 He then tried to get the United Nations to declare him "the first citizen of the world." He then tried to get the United Nations to declare him "the first citizen of the world."10 Davis, "sick and tired of war and rumors of war," wished to start a world government. Davis, "sick and tired of war and rumors of war," wished to start a world government.11 "Every paper headlined the story," the columnist Art Buchwald recalled in his Paris memoir. "Every paper headlined the story," the columnist Art Buchwald recalled in his Paris memoir.12 Albert Einstein, eighteen members of the British Parliament, and a slew of French intellectuals, including Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, had come out in support of Davis. Albert Einstein, eighteen members of the British Parliament, and a slew of French intellectuals, including Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, had come out in support of Davis.13 Nash intended to follow in Davis's footsteps. In the overwrought, hyper-patriotic atmosphere of the America he was leaving behind, Nash was choosing the "path of most resistance," and one that captured his radical sense of alienation. Such "extreme contrariness" aimed at cultural norms has long been a hallmark of a developing schizophrenic consciousness.14 In ancestor-wors.h.i.+ping j.a.pan the target may be the family, in Catholic Spain the Church. Motivated as much by antagonism to his former existence as by an urge for self-expression, Nash particularly desired to supersede the old laws that had governed his existence, and, quite literally, to subst.i.tute his own laws, and to escape, once and for all, from the jurisdiction under which he had once lived. In ancestor-wors.h.i.+ping j.a.pan the target may be the family, in Catholic Spain the Church. Motivated as much by antagonism to his former existence as by an urge for self-expression, Nash particularly desired to supersede the old laws that had governed his existence, and, quite literally, to subst.i.tute his own laws, and to escape, once and for all, from the jurisdiction under which he had once lived.

While the motivation may have been highly abstract, the plan itself was strangely concrete. To effect his makeover, he wished to trade his American pa.s.sport for some more universal ident.i.ty card, one that declared him to be a citizen of the world.

On July 29, a little over a week after his arrival in Paris, Nash went by train to Luxembourg.15 He chose Luxembourg as the site for the renunciation of his American citizens.h.i.+p for prudent reasons, possibly at the advice of the Paris-based World Citizen Registry, an organization founded by Davis. The smaller and more obscure the country, the less likely that turning in his American pa.s.sport would result in immediate arrest and deportation. France was a notoriously bad site for protests of this sort. When Nash arrived at the Central Station in the city of Luxembourg, he walked to the American emba.s.sy at 22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais, demanded to see the amba.s.sador, and announced that he no longer wished to be an American citizen. He chose Luxembourg as the site for the renunciation of his American citizens.h.i.+p for prudent reasons, possibly at the advice of the Paris-based World Citizen Registry, an organization founded by Davis. The smaller and more obscure the country, the less likely that turning in his American pa.s.sport would result in immediate arrest and deportation. France was a notoriously bad site for protests of this sort. When Nash arrived at the Central Station in the city of Luxembourg, he walked to the American emba.s.sy at 22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais, demanded to see the amba.s.sador, and announced that he no longer wished to be an American citizen.

Section 1481 of the 1941 Immigration Act contains a clause that permits American citizens to give up their citizens.h.i.+p.16 It was intended, of course, to allow citizens to resolve cases of dual citizens.h.i.+p. By 1959, some dozens of Americans, also inspired by Garry Davis, were making use of the provision for protest purposes. It was intended, of course, to allow citizens to resolve cases of dual citizens.h.i.+p. By 1959, some dozens of Americans, also inspired by Garry Davis, were making use of the provision for protest purposes.17The law is quite clear. It delineates an oath, which must be taken in a foreign country, right hand raised, in the presence of an American diplomat: "I desire to make a formal renunciation of my American nationality ... and pursuant thereto I hereby absolutely and entirely renounce my nationality in the United States and all rights and privileges pertaining, and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to the United States of America."18 Nash's announcement was greeted as one might expect. An emba.s.sy official - not the amba.s.sador! - made a number of strongly worded arguments to convince Nash that what he wished to do was unwise. Somewhat surprisingly, given the strength of Nash's conviction at that moment, the diplomat convinced Nash to take back his pa.s.sport. It was a sign, perhaps, of a vacillation and indecisiveness that would become more p.r.o.nounced with time.

The official's argument made sense to him. As Nash said in his 1996 Madrid lecture: "I wouldn't have been able to leave Luxembourg and return to Paris because I no longer had a pa.s.sport. They allowed me to retract my action as irrational and insane."19 When the news of his first attempt to give up his American citizens.h.i.+p reached Virginia and Martha in Roanoke and his former colleagues at MIT, it proved to them that the confinement at McLean had done little to halt the galloping illness. Virginia, who had been deeply depressed on her return from Boston, had been drinking heavily and was headed for a breakdown herself. (She would be hospitalized in September.)20 When Armand Borel got back to Princeton from Switzerland at the end of the summer and inquired about Nash, one of his colleagues told him simply: "There is trouble." When Armand Borel got back to Princeton from Switzerland at the end of the summer and inquired about Nash, one of his colleagues told him simply: "There is trouble."21 The plan's having been aborted did little to suppress Nash's high spirits when he returned to Paris two days later. The mere fact of having attempted to act sufficed to make him feel that he was, as he wrote on a postcard to Virginia, mailed July 31, well "on the way to becoming a world citizen."22 His mind was full of other aspects of his intended transformation. He was visiting the "Bibliotek," that is, the Bibliotheque Nationale, which is the French equivalent of the Library of Congress, he wrote to Virginia, and was working on learning French ("part of the plan," as he had written to Tucker nearly a year earlier). His mind was full of other aspects of his intended transformation. He was visiting the "Bibliotek," that is, the Bibliotheque Nationale, which is the French equivalent of the Library of Congress, he wrote to Virginia, and was working on learning French ("part of the plan," as he had written to Tucker nearly a year earlier).23 He also confided in his mother that he wished "to take up painting." He also confided in his mother that he wished "to take up painting."

Before long, however, Nash was afire with a new plan. His objectives, somewhat obscure even to himself until now, were suddenly much clearer. As Paris emptied for the August vacation, Nash decided that he preferred to be in Switzerland, a country he a.s.sociated with neutrality, world citizens.h.i.+p, and Einstein.24 Einstein, who liked to refer to himself as a world citizen, had adopted Swiss citizens.h.i.+p. Possibly the fact that several European nations had been conducting the longest summit on record that summer in Geneva influenced his thinking. Einstein, who liked to refer to himself as a world citizen, had adopted Swiss citizens.h.i.+p. Possibly the fact that several European nations had been conducting the longest summit on record that summer in Geneva influenced his thinking.25 But it appears that the Nashes did not leave Paris as soon as Nash intended. The But it appears that the Nashes did not leave Paris as soon as Nash intended. The actual departure was delayed by protests on Alicia's part over the sudden move after having just rented an apartment. actual departure was delayed by protests on Alicia's part over the sudden move after having just rented an apartment.

Nash's desire to go to Geneva was based, he later said, on his having heard that Geneva was "the city of refugees."26 This was absolutely true, in both a historical and a contemporary sense. Hugging the southern sh.o.r.e of the crescent-shaped Lac Leman, set against a panorama of glaciers, the snowy ridges of Mont Blanc visible on all but the foggiest days, Geneva had once been the beacon of the Protestant Reformation and the refuge of French Protestants as well as freethinking intellectuals, including Voltaire and Rousseau. This was absolutely true, in both a historical and a contemporary sense. Hugging the southern sh.o.r.e of the crescent-shaped Lac Leman, set against a panorama of glaciers, the snowy ridges of Mont Blanc visible on all but the foggiest days, Geneva had once been the beacon of the Protestant Reformation and the refuge of French Protestants as well as freethinking intellectuals, including Voltaire and Rousseau.27 Mary Wollstonecraft Sh.e.l.ley had spent the summer of 1816 in the suburb of Cologny writing Mary Wollstonecraft Sh.e.l.ley had spent the summer of 1816 in the suburb of Cologny writing Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus. Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus.28 In the twentieth century, Geneva had become the site of the ill-fated League of Nations and was a major international banking center. The European headquarters of the United Nations and other international enterprises such as the Red Cross were located there. In the twentieth century, Geneva had become the site of the ill-fated League of Nations and was a major international banking center. The European headquarters of the United Nations and other international enterprises such as the Red Cross were located there.

In 1959, Geneva was an overnight train trip from Paris. When the Nashes arrived, they took a room at the Hotel Athenee in the Rue Malganou.29 Alicia, however, did not stay long. She left almost immediately for Italy where she met Odette and remained for several weeks. Alicia, however, did not stay long. She left almost immediately for Italy where she met Odette and remained for several weeks.

Alone for the first time in his life, Nash was "without parents, home, wife, child, commitment or appet.i.te ... and the pride that might be taken in these,"30 and thus completely free to dedicate himself single-mindedly to his quest. His objectives, as suggested by his choice of venue, were s.h.i.+fting. He now wished not only to shed his American citizens.h.i.+p, but to obtain official refugee status - to be declared a refugee from "all NATO, Warsaw, Middle East and SEATO pact countries." and thus completely free to dedicate himself single-mindedly to his quest. His objectives, as suggested by his choice of venue, were s.h.i.+fting. He now wished not only to shed his American citizens.h.i.+p, but to obtain official refugee status - to be declared a refugee from "all NATO, Warsaw, Middle East and SEATO pact countries."31 Presumably, these alliances were now fused in his mind with threats to world peace, but the desire for refugee status also reflected an expanding feeling of alienation, a sense of persecution, and fear of incarceration. He saw himself as a conscientious objector in danger of being drafted and as an opponent of the kinds of military research American mathematicians were expected to do. Presumably, these alliances were now fused in his mind with threats to world peace, but the desire for refugee status also reflected an expanding feeling of alienation, a sense of persecution, and fear of incarceration. He saw himself as a conscientious objector in danger of being drafted and as an opponent of the kinds of military research American mathematicians were expected to do.32 He spent most of his evenings in that loneliest of places, a small blank hotel room in a distant and nondescript part of the city, writing letters that would never be answered, filling out endless forms, applications, and pet.i.tions that would be filed away. His days were spent haunting various anterooms and offices.

For five solitary months, Nash's ambiguous and self-annulling efforts resembled nothing so much as the anti-quest of the land surveyor in Kafka's novel The Castle, The Castle, probably the most compelling rendering of the schizophrenic consciousness in all of literature. Known only as K, Kafka's hero's sole object in life is to penetrate "the shadowy heart of the Castle" which looms high over a mazelike village K reaches but cannot get beyond. probably the most compelling rendering of the schizophrenic consciousness in all of literature. Known only as K, Kafka's hero's sole object in life is to penetrate "the shadowy heart of the Castle" which looms high over a mazelike village K reaches but cannot get beyond.33 In Kafka's novel, K, a man whose job it is to measure and estimate, seeks to enter a clouded locus of authority, not because he In Kafka's novel, K, a man whose job it is to measure and estimate, seeks to enter a clouded locus of authority, not because he desires "to lead an honored and comfortable life," but in order to "gain acceptance by the higher perhaps celestial powers and thereby to discover the reason of things." desires "to lead an honored and comfortable life," but in order to "gain acceptance by the higher perhaps celestial powers and thereby to discover the reason of things."34 Nash's lifelong quest for meaning, control, and recognition in the context of a continuing struggle, not just in society, but in the warring impulses of his paradoxical self, was now reduced to a caricature. Just as the overconcreteness of a dream is related to the intangible themes of waking life, Nash's search for a piece of paper, a carte d'ident.i.te, mirrored his former pursuit of mathematical insights. Yet the gulf between the two recognizably related Nashes was as great as that between Kafka, the controlling creative genius, struggling between the demands of his self-chosen vocation and ordinary life, and K, a caricature of Kafka, the helpless seeker of a piece of paper that will validate his existence, rights, and duties. Delusion is not just fantasy but compulsion. Survival, both of the self and the world, appears to be at stake. Where once he had ordered his thoughts and modulated them, he was now subject to their peremptory and insistent commands.

Like K, Nash found himself trapped in a "farce of endless paper shuffling ... a vast soulless mechanism for the circulation of papers... a world cluttered with paper, the white blood of bureaucracy ... doomed by forces beyond his control ('they're playing with me), yet also distracted through an inner confusion of desires."35 Nash appealed to many authorities. Yet he seemed unable to make much progress. The American consulate, he discovered, was not prepared to accept his pa.s.sport or to allow him to take the oath of renunciation.36 Smiling, kindly, but seemingly obtuse diplomats dissuaded and deflected him, offering him excuses and rationales. Confused and weakened by their lengthy explanations, Nash would go away again, only to return the next day. Smiling, kindly, but seemingly obtuse diplomats dissuaded and deflected him, offering him excuses and rationales. Confused and weakened by their lengthy explanations, Nash would go away again, only to return the next day.

The U.N. High Commission for Refugees, on which he pinned his hopes, sent him away. It appeared that the commission, its promising name notwithstanding, had rules that precluded cases like his. One could claim refugee status only in connection with "events occurring in Europe before 1 January 1951" and "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, members.h.i.+p of a particular social group or political opinion, [and only if one] is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of the country."37 The officials of the commission suggested he contact the Swiss police. The officials of the commission suggested he contact the Swiss police.

At that time, the Swiss federal police handled all requests for asylum, of which there were perhaps a dozen a year that fell into the category of "unusual" in the sense that they involved individuals from countries that typically produced no refugees. Since Nash claimed to be a conscientious objector who Was fleeing the draft, the police referred him to the military authorities. These authorities cautiously turned to Berne for advice, and Berne, in turn, consulted Was.h.i.+ngton.38 In September, the Geneva military authority sent a letter to Berne saying of Nash that In September, the Geneva military authority sent a letter to Berne saying of Nash that "en renoncant a son pa.s.seporte americain, et cela pour la seule raison qu'il ne desire pas etre appele a faire service dans les forces armees des U.S.A., ni meme preter aux organisations officielles de son pays sons concours en qualite de mathematicien, craignant que sa collaboration puisse aider les autorites de son pays a maintenir la guerre froide ou preparer la guerre" (he is renouncing his American pa.s.sport, for the sole reason that he doesn't want to be drafted into the United States Army, nor lend to official organizations his services as a mathematician, fearing that his collaboration might aid the authorities of his nation in maintaining the Cold War or in preparing for war). "en renoncant a son pa.s.seporte americain, et cela pour la seule raison qu'il ne desire pas etre appele a faire service dans les forces armees des U.S.A., ni meme preter aux organisations officielles de son pays sons concours en qualite de mathematicien, craignant que sa collaboration puisse aider les autorites de son pays a maintenir la guerre froide ou preparer la guerre" (he is renouncing his American pa.s.sport, for the sole reason that he doesn't want to be drafted into the United States Army, nor lend to official organizations his services as a mathematician, fearing that his collaboration might aid the authorities of his nation in maintaining the Cold War or in preparing for war).39 In November, the Geneva authorities were informed that Nash was, for all practical purposes, far beyond the American draft age and that he was in no way obligated to do defense-related research. Moreover, Nash had committed none of the acts that would provoke the American government to strip him of his citizens.h.i.+p: "Au surplus, la simple declaration de renonciation au pa.s.seport americain n'a en soi pas d'effet juridique."40 In other words, since he had not signed the oath of renunciation, he was still technically an American citizen. At that point, the police began threatening Nash with deportation. In other words, since he had not signed the oath of renunciation, he was still technically an American citizen. At that point, the police began threatening Nash with deportation.

His sense of himself was now full of the starkest contradictions. On the one hand, Nash's most intimate thoughts and actions seemed to be those of another, controlling psyche -"I am the left foot of G.o.d on earth." On the other, he felt himself to be at the epicenter of the universe, with outer reality simply a projection of his mind. At times his posture was that of an abject pet.i.tioner, at other times that of a "religious figure of great, but secret, importance."41 He spent a great deal of time opening various bank accounts - usually under false names, including one that he later said was "mystical," and wiring money to various countries. "I s.h.i.+fted money from one bank to another," Nash recalled in his Madrid lecture in 1996. "I opened an account at a Swiss bank. It was Credit Andorra. The account was in Swiss francs. But I didn't have very much money." He spent a great deal of time opening various bank accounts - usually under false names, including one that he later said was "mystical," and wiring money to various countries. "I s.h.i.+fted money from one bank to another," Nash recalled in his Madrid lecture in 1996. "I opened an account at a Swiss bank. It was Credit Andorra. The account was in Swiss francs. But I didn't have very much money."42 Many years later, in a limousine going to the center of Stockholm where he would attend the n.o.bel ceremonies, Nash pointed out a bank in pa.s.sing to Harold and Estelle Kuhn, saying that he had wired money there as part of an effort to organize a defense against "an invasion of aliens." Many years later, in a limousine going to the center of Stockholm where he would attend the n.o.bel ceremonies, Nash pointed out a bank in pa.s.sing to Harold and Estelle Kuhn, saying that he had wired money there as part of an effort to organize a defense against "an invasion of aliens."43 Such self-contradiction is also characteristic of schizophrenia, every symptom being matched by a "countersymptom." John Haslam - in what is widely regarded as the first psychiatric description of schizophrenic thinking - focused, early in the nineteenth century, on this peculiar combination of omnipotence and impotence: The person is "sometimes an automaton moved by the agency of persons ... at others, the Emperor of the whole world," the tendency toward megalomania mixed with feelings of persecution, powerlessness, inferiority.44 He maintained both positions at the same moment, often, it seems, apparently untroubled by the apparent inconsistency - a flouting of what Aristotle considered the fundamental rule of reason: "The ident.i.ty principle or law of contradiction that states the impossibility of affirming both p and not p." states the impossibility of affirming both p and not p."45 It was a cruel, cosmic joke. The man who produced a compelling theory of rational behavior no longer thought in terms of either/or. It was a cruel, cosmic joke. The man who produced a compelling theory of rational behavior no longer thought in terms of either/or.

It is not true, however, that Nash had lost all contact with reality. The clearest evidence that reality in fact pressed heavily and unpleasantly on him is that the frustrations of his situation were beginning to oppress him. His expectant mood turned slowly and inexorably into one of deep disappointment and depression. Nash spent long hours walking around the city, mostly in the parks and along the lake, waiting, endlessly waiting. At the end of September, he wrote to Virginia and Martha: "My life is not exciting at present... . Waiting for favorable developments. I'm somewhat disillusioned with a great many of my former a.s.sociates, colleagues, friends, etc."46 His dark mood may have reflected more than his difficult current situation. Martha had written that Virginia had had "a nervous breakdown and spent two weeks in the hospital."47 Nash found the news virtually unbelievable. He simply could not imagine his forceful mother ill in this fas.h.i.+on, but he must have sensed, from the tone of Martha's letter, that his mother's distress was linked, in some way, to his own. Nash found the news virtually unbelievable. He simply could not imagine his forceful mother ill in this fas.h.i.+on, but he must have sensed, from the tone of Martha's letter, that his mother's distress was linked, in some way, to his own.

Finally, in September or October, in a fit of desperation, Nash destroyed or threw away his pa.s.sport. Alicia later recalled that he had merely "lost" it and while that is certainly possible, later events suggest otherwise.48 When the consulate became aware of this action, an effort was made to persuade Nash to apply for a new one. When the consulate became aware of this action, an effort was made to persuade Nash to apply for a new one.49 This he refused to do. This he refused to do.

In his own mind, Nash was now stateless, a man without a country; in the eyes of the authorities, he was a man without proper doc.u.ments, which placed him in a vulnerable situation. Nash had, as he later wrote to Lars Hormander, "requested refugee status. This produced difficulties."'50 On October 11 he wrote to Virginia and Martha that he was no longer able to travel "because of certain legal formalities," a reference, presumably, to his lack of a pa.s.sport. On October 11 he wrote to Virginia and Martha that he was no longer able to travel "because of certain legal formalities," a reference, presumably, to his lack of a pa.s.sport.51 In the same letter, he enclosed a long free-style poem about feeding the gulls on the sh.o.r.es of Lac Leman. He did, however, manage to visit nearby Liechtenstein, where he considered requesting citizens.h.i.+p, on account of the fact that Liechtenstein didn't levy income taxes on foreign residents. In the same letter, he enclosed a long free-style poem about feeding the gulls on the sh.o.r.es of Lac Leman. He did, however, manage to visit nearby Liechtenstein, where he considered requesting citizens.h.i.+p, on account of the fact that Liechtenstein didn't levy income taxes on foreign residents.52 During her Roman holiday, for a few short weeks, Alicia recaptured - for the last time, it turned out - a bit of her old lighthearted, girlish self. Odette recalled in 1995 that Alicia, once again, seemed "fun-loving."53' These two exceptionally pretty, stylish young women had quite a holiday. They visited the Vatican, where they had an audience with Pope John XXIII. Odette fainted and had to be carried out of the chamber by two young Italian medics who afterward showed the two women around the city. They went to nightclubs, shopped, and were admired and pursued, by Americans as well as Italians, wherever they went. After Rome, they visited Florence and Venice. In Venice, the two young women had a photograph taken of themselves, Odette looking like a young Audrey Hepburn, Alicia like a young Elizabeth Taylor, standing in their high heels and bouffant hairdos in the Piazza San Marco surrounded by pigeons. by Americans as well as Italians, wherever they went. After Rome, they visited Florence and Venice. In Venice, the two young women had a photograph taken of themselves, Odette looking like a young Audrey Hepburn, Alicia like a young Elizabeth Taylor, standing in their high heels and bouffant hairdos in the Piazza San Marco surrounded by pigeons.

At the end of August, Alicia returned to Paris and began making arrangements for her mother and baby to come to France. She may have gone to Geneva first, but if so, she stayed there only briefly. She wrote to Nash urging him to come to Paris and contacted the American emba.s.sy for help in getting Nash back from Switzerland. "Alicia is in Paris expecting 'e,' " Nash wrote in early November - "e," of course, was John Charles, whom Nash called Baby Epsilon.54 ("Baby Epsilon" was a tongue-in-cheek reference to a well-known mathematical anecdote about a famous mathematician who believes that all infants are born knowing the proof of the Riemann Hypothesis and retain that knowledge until they are six months of age.) ("Baby Epsilon" was a tongue-in-cheek reference to a well-known mathematical anecdote about a famous mathematician who believes that all infants are born knowing the proof of the Riemann Hypothesis and retain that knowledge until they are six months of age.)55 It was Nash's first mention of the baby in his letters to Roanoke, yet he gave no indication that he intended to join them. While she waited for her mother and son to arrive, Alicia visited Odette in Gren.o.ble. "We'd go to my room and eat pastries, baba au rhum," Odette recalled. "We'd gossip about the other students. We went skiing."56 Back in Was.h.i.+ngton, Baby Epsilon was finally christened with his grandparents and Martha in attendance.57 The baby, dressed in a little sweater on a bright fall day when leaves littered the ground, was named John Charles Martin Nash. The christening took place at St. John's in Lafayette Square, the same church where Nash and Alicia had exchanged marriage vows. (It is not clear who settled on the name John. Nash's first son, of course, was already called John. It was as if the Nashes and Lardes wished to obliterate, through replacement, the first child.) The baby, dressed in a little sweater on a bright fall day when leaves littered the ground, was named John Charles Martin Nash. The christening took place at St. John's in Lafayette Square, the same church where Nash and Alicia had exchanged marriage vows. (It is not clear who settled on the name John. Nash's first son, of course, was already called John. It was as if the Nashes and Lardes wished to obliterate, through replacement, the first child.) In early December, when the frigid north wind called le bise le bise swept across Lac Leman and made walking along its sh.o.r.es a misery, Nash's mood was bleaker than ever. One can almost feel his "sense of helplessness in an ice-cold universe." swept across Lac Leman and made walking along its sh.o.r.es a misery, Nash's mood was bleaker than ever. One can almost feel his "sense of helplessness in an ice-cold universe."58 His efforts to renounce his citizens.h.i.+p and to obtain refugee status had been, for reasons baffling to him, frustrated. He spent most of his time indoors writing letters. His feeling of having chosen to escape from Cambridge was replaced by one of having been exiled. He wrote to Norbert Wiener: His efforts to renounce his citizens.h.i.+p and to obtain refugee status had been, for reasons baffling to him, frustrated. He spent most of his time indoors writing letters. His feeling of having chosen to escape from Cambridge was replaced by one of having been exiled. He wrote to Norbert Wiener: I feel that writing to you there I am writing to the source of a ray of light from within a pit of semi-darkness... . It is a strange place where you live, where administration is heaped upon administration, and all tremble with fear or abhorrence (in spite of pious phrases) at symptoms of actual non-local thinking. Up the river [a reference to Harvard], slightly better, but still very strange in a certain area with which we are both familiar. And yet, to see this strangeness, the viewer must be strange.59

The letter was decorated with silver foil, a newspaper photograph of a Lenin-like character, a story about Nehru's seventieth birthday containing a reference to Khrushchev, and ticket stubs from a trolley.

Even while he described himself as someone capable of inspiring fear in others on account of his "non-local thinking," Nash's reference to "administration ... heaped upon administration" suggests a growing sense of vulnerability, a free-floating anxiety, and a belief that the authorities were toying with him. Shortly afterward, for reasons unknown, Nash changed hotels, moving now to a cheaper and more remote one - the Hotel Alba in the Rue de Mont Blanc.60 In this claustrophobic hotel room during what would turn out to be Nash's final week in Geneva, the true dimensions of his tragedy would become clear. He was in Switzerland, free of Alicia, free of external restraint, but as thoroughly immobilized as the hero of another Kafka story, "The Metamorphosis," who wakes up one morning to discover that he has become a c.o.c.kroach lying helplessly on its back.61 Kafka never wrote the final chapter of Kafka never wrote the final chapter of The Castle, The Castle, but confided to his friend and biographer, Max Brod, that he had envisioned a scene in which K is lying on his bed in the inn exhausted to the point of death. "K was not to relax his struggle, but was to die worn out by it." but confided to his friend and biographer, Max Brod, that he had envisioned a scene in which K is lying on his bed in the inn exhausted to the point of death. "K was not to relax his struggle, but was to die worn out by it."62 Nash did not relax his struggle either, but he was defeated all the same. Nash did not relax his struggle either, but he was defeated all the same.

James Gla.s.s, a political scientist at the University of Maryland who has studied the delusions of schizophrenia, writes, "Delusion provides a certain, often unbreakable ident.i.ty, and its absolute character can maneuver the self into an unyielding position. In this respect, it is the internal mirror of political authoritarianism, the tyrant inside the self... an internal domination as deadly as any external tyranny."63 On December 11, Nash had been held for several hours by the police - apparently in an effort to convince him that "deportation was unavoidable" - and released "under surveillance," requiring him to report to a police station two or three times every day.64 According to a telegram, dated December 16, from the American consul in Geneva, Henry S. Villard, to Secretary of State Christian A. Herter, the Swiss authorities had issued a deportation order naming Nash as an "undesirable alien" on December 11. According to a telegram, dated December 16, from the American consul in Geneva, Henry S. Villard, to Secretary of State Christian A. Herter, the Swiss authorities had issued a deportation order naming Nash as an "undesirable alien" on December 11.65 Throughout, the Swiss authorities evidently were acting with the "full knowledge of Dr. Edward c.o.x, a.s.sistant science advisor" and presumably with tacit approval at higher levels of the State Department. Throughout, the Swiss authorities evidently were acting with the "full knowledge of Dr. Edward c.o.x, a.s.sistant science advisor" and presumably with tacit approval at higher levels of the State Department.

The final curtain came down on December 15. Nash was arrested, for the second time.66 He adamantly refused, as he had at the time of his first arrest, to return to the United States, and continued to demand to sign the oath of renunciation. On the morning of the fifteenth, c.o.x, a kindly, avuncular retired chemistry professor from Swarthmore College, He adamantly refused, as he had at the time of his first arrest, to return to the United States, and continued to demand to sign the oath of renunciation. On the morning of the fifteenth, c.o.x, a kindly, avuncular retired chemistry professor from Swarthmore College,67 now serving as a.s.sistant science attache in Paris, arrived in Geneva by overnight train. He was accompanying an exhausted and apprehensive Alicia Nash. now serving as a.s.sistant science attache in Paris, arrived in Geneva by overnight train. He was accompanying an exhausted and apprehensive Alicia Nash.68 Together they hoped to persuade Nash to return directly to the United States. Neither knew what to expect, and both, in their separate ways, feared the worst. Together they hoped to persuade Nash to return directly to the United States. Neither knew what to expect, and both, in their separate ways, feared the worst.

Secretary Herter was being apprised of the situation in daily cables, as was the State Department's science adviser, Wallace Brode. On the fifteenth, a cable to Was.h.i.+ngton from Amba.s.sador Amory Houghton in Paris informed them: "RECEIVED WORD FROM GENEVA TO EFFECT NASH DESPITE ALL EFFORTS TO DISSUADE HIM DETERMINED TO SIGN OATH OF CITIZENs.h.i.+P RENUNCIATION."69 Even in jail, Nash refused to return to the United States, refused furthermore to cooperate in the issue of a new pa.s.sport, and continued to demand that he be permitted to take the oath of renunciation.

At this point, Alicia agreed to take Nash back to Paris with her where they had, after all, an apartment. The consul general agreed to issue Alicia a new pa.s.sport that included Nash. Nash protested it all. He did not wish to go even to Paris. It was useless. The police escorted Nash to the train station. He was hustled onto the train and, at 11:15 P.M. P.M., it pulled out of the covered station into the open air. The police inspectors reported that "at train time Nash [was] still reluctant [to] leave Geneva but no force [was] required."70 Nash and Alicia celebrated Christmas at 49 Avenue de la Republique. It was, as Nash was to write to Virginia, "interesting."71 Alicia's mother was there and so was the eight-month-old John Charles. There was a Christmas tree, perhaps the first one that the Nashes had ever had, decorated in the German manner with tiny lady apples and red wax candles. When they lit them, it scared Alicia's mother terribly. "We kept a bucket of water nearby," Odette, who had come to Paris for the holidays, recalled. Alicia's mother was there and so was the eight-month-old John Charles. There was a Christmas tree, perhaps the first one that the Nashes had ever had, decorated in the German manner with tiny lady apples and red wax candles. When they lit them, it scared Alicia's mother terribly. "We kept a bucket of water nearby," Odette, who had come to Paris for the holidays, recalled.72 Alicia, who had occupied herself that fall with learning to cook, sewed French hors d'oeuvres. There were presents for the baby, Nash jealously noted, adding in a letter to Virginia and Martha that "he seems a little attention spoiled now." Alicia, who had occupied herself that fall with learning to cook, sewed French hors d'oeuvres. There were presents for the baby, Nash jealously noted, adding in a letter to Virginia and Martha that "he seems a little attention spoiled now."

On St. Etienne's Day, the day after Christmas, Alicia gave a party attended by several mathematicians, American as well as French. s.h.i.+ng-shen Chern, a mathematician who had met Nash at the University of Chicago and was in Paris for the semester, came. He recalled "an interesting idea" that Nash had then, namely that four cities in Europe const.i.tuted the vertices of a square.73 The most striking visitor at 49 Avenue de la Republique, however, was Alexandre Grothendieck, a brilliant, charismatic, highly eccentric young algebraic geometer who wore his head shaved, affected traditional Russian peasant dress, and held strong pacifist views. The most striking visitor at 49 Avenue de la Republique, however, was Alexandre Grothendieck, a brilliant, charismatic, highly eccentric young algebraic geometer who wore his head shaved, affected traditional Russian peasant dress, and held strong pacifist views.74 Grothendieck had just taken a chair at the new Parisian mathematics center, the Inst.i.tut des Hautes etudes Scientifiques (modeled after Princeton's Inst.i.tute for Advanced Study), and would win a Fields Medal in 1966. In the early 1970s, he founded a survivalist organization, dropped out of academia altogether, and became a virtual recluse in an undisclosed location in the Pyrenees. Grothendieck had just taken a chair at the new Parisian mathematics center, the Inst.i.tut des Hautes etudes Scientifiques (modeled after Princeton's Inst.i.tute for Advanced Study), and would win a Fields Medal in 1966. In the early 1970s, he founded a survivalist organization, dropped out of academia altogether, and became a virtual recluse in an undisclosed location in the Pyrenees.75 In 1960, however, he was dynamic, voluble, and immensely attractive. Whether he was mainly interested in the beautiful Alicia or felt an affinity for Nash's anti-American sentiments is not clear; in any case, Grothendieck was a frequent visitor at the In 1960, however, he was dynamic, voluble, and immensely attractive. Whether he was mainly interested in the beautiful Alicia or felt an affinity for Nash's anti-American sentiments is not clear; in any case, Grothendieck was a frequent visitor at the Nashes' apartment and on a number of occasions attempted to help Nash obtain a visiting position at the IHES. Nashes' apartment and on a number of occasions attempted to help Nash obtain a visiting position at the IHES.

That January, Odette and Alicia would sit around the apartment smoking and gossiping about Odette's boyfriends, including thirty-four-year-old John Danskin, a mathematician at the Inst.i.tute for Advanced Study who had met the entrancing Odette at the Nashes' wedding party in New York. He wooed Odette by letter, ultimately proposing to her by telegram in Russian. Nash would sit in the corner of the living room poring over a Paris telephone directory, saying little except to occasionally object to the smoke, which he abhorred, or to ask a question. Odette recalled: We were having a wonderful time. We just laughed and gossiped, tried French cooking and met the people who Alicia invited into her apartment. We'd be chattering. We'd talk about boys. John Nash wouldn't even notice. Alicia used to smoke. He used to complain about it. He couldn't bear it. Occasionally he would interrupt with a question: "Do you know what Kennedy and Khrushchev have in common? No. Both their names start with a K."76

Odette soon returned to Gren.o.ble and Alicia's mother left Paris as well, leaving her daughter and grandson behind. Alicia struggled to care for the baby and to cope with her husband, finding both overwhelming.77 She desperately wanted to return to the United States and continued, as best she could, to obtain the help of the American authorities. She desperately wanted to return to the United States and continued, as best she could, to obtain the help of the American authorities.

A concerted effort was, in fact, under way, led by the State Department's Brode, who dispatched his deputy, Larkin Farinholt, to Paris.78 Farinholt, a chemist who would subsequently become the director of the Sloan Foundation's fellows.h.i.+p program, vainly tried to convince Nash to return to America voluntarily. The effort was inspired not just by the government's desire to avoid embarra.s.sment, but by a genuine wish that Nash not be lost to the scientific community nor suffer the consequences of his own seemingly irrational behavior. Farinholt, a chemist who would subsequently become the director of the Sloan Foundation's fellows.h.i.+p program, vainly tried to convince Nash to return to America voluntarily. The effort was inspired not just by the government's desire to avo